TikTok Vs. Instagram Marketing for brands
The difference between brand marketing on Tiktok and Instagram.
By: Martina Walker
In today’s world, the new normal consist of having and being on our phones almost 24/7. We cannot live a day without our phone, it seems like. Certain people can’t even leave the house without it. It gives people a sense of security to have it at arm’s reach day in and day out. Especially when it holds anything, we can possible think of…but mostly our social media apps are what draw us in constantly…they’re addicting.
TikTok being one of the newer ones added to our phones, with around 800 million active users monthly on the app (Tiktok statistics, 2020). It is an up and coming platform that has been made to target the younger generations, specifically Generation Z. In an article dedicated to talking about tiktok, its statistics, and its branding strategies they stated, “60% of TikTok users are Gen Zers. Gen Zers are trendsetters” (TikTok Statistics, 2020).
Instagram on the other hand has been around for years, 10 years to be exact. With their monthly number of active users being that of 1 billion, can you believe that? But really Tiktok isn’t that far behind in monthly users, causing a competition between the two favorable apps. Although, the app is used most by generation Z…the number is quite high for the millennials since they are close ranged in ages. (Newberry, 2019)
Instagrammers follow at least one business if not more.
Both the apps have the same age ranges, relatively speaking as for both there may be some generation X’s roaming around on the app. But in terms of marketing of brands on the app, which is the better platform? Let’s talk it over below!
TikTok
The platform for tiktok is much different from Instagram, it is a newly introduced theme, nothing like we’ve seen before. It gives anybody the capability to make a short video using popular songs, different sounds, or even clips from shows. The possibilities with those things and the user-friendly app go great together, especially for branding. In terms of brands marketing on the app, it’s quite easy for them to do so in a fun environment. Instead of the regular old boring advertisement that pops up, there’s a fun one made either by the brand itself or a fellow tiktoker. A lot of the marketing is through different memes, people dancing or the creation of their own twist on the brand. The two examples I included below show just how easy it is to find a brand marketed as well as enjoy the marketing, for once. The Chipotle brand is a video that plays off a meme that has been around for a while now but really never gets old. It clearly shows chipotles famous guacamole in a labeled cup with a chip singing to all the other chips – which is the meme for Adele’s song. Such a simple yet affective way to have a brand on a digital media platform. The next example below is of a girl who is flaunting her denim from guess in a fun video clip that cuts from her being in a casual outfit to her being in her guess denim outfit. This is more of the feature of the fellow tiktokers who have the idea to give a shout out to a brand or are a part of the brand, either way it works.
Chipotle
Chipotle guacamole and chips featuring Adele’s song meme
Guess
Kuhleeuh and guess denim
The platform of Instagram is well known by most people who are in the average age range of the app’s users. The number of influencers on Instagram is crazy and it just keeps growing, these influencers are known to take different brands products and market them to the public through their perfect pictures. Now since they have the vast number of followers, they are able to do this through and through. But if you don’t have that certain number of followers, you most likely won’t be able to do this or even be an influencer. Instagram is all about basically being perfect which is fine but is that really how it should be to market a brand. When people know darn well that most of the influencers who take the time to get the perfect picture, talk about the brand and swear they use it…don’t. It’s a fake social media outlet, it shows things that are considered highlights of peoples lives, not their actual life. The examples below are two different marketing ways for brands on Instagram. The first is an influencer like I mentioned above, this specific image shows Kylie Jenner endorsing Sugar bear hair gummies. Then the other image is of Sephora’s Instagram page which is great for marketing the brand for the fact that it shows all kinds of their products. The Instagram followers can also shop right from their Instagram by just clicking on an image of something with the shopping icon. Instagram has many ways on it for brands to be marketed but it is more of the perfect, fake atmosphere.
Kylie Jenner advertising for sugar bear hair gummies.
Sephora’s Instagram – ability to shop right from the pictures
Comparing and contrasting both platforms
Tiktok is more of the fun, easy-going route for not only people but brands to take advantage of. The app lets you be yourself, be funny and joke around with fellow tiktokers, all the while marketing for a brand possibly.
While Instagram is more of the basic perfection platform where you can’t be yourself or really make fun videos. It’s more focused on pictures of things – as well as average shopping ideas for the brands.
Which is the better platform for brand marketing?
Both platforms are great for marketing a brand and getting it out into the public’s eye, a lot of people are used to Instagram more than tiktok. However, I could see a lot of the brands switching to tiktok to market, since it is such an easy environment to do so. For your brand to be simple and set into the viewers sights, I would say Instagram is better. But if you are willing to have fun and take a risk for your brand to be part of a meme, I would say tiktok is your winner. It is all based on how your brand is needing to be marketed.
Citations
Bump, P. (n.d.). How 7 Brands are Using TikTok. Retrieved from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/brands-on-tiktok
Herrman, J. (2019, March 10). How TikTok Is Rewriting the World. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/10/style/what-is-tik-tok.html
Moreno, L. (2019, January 7). Top 10 Brands Killing It on Instagram. Retrieved from https://blog.socialmediastrategiessummit.com/top-10-brands-killing-it-on-instagram/
Newberry, C. (2019, December 2). 37 Instagram Statistics That Matter to Marketers in 2020. Retrieved from https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics/
TikTok Statistics - Everything You Need to Know [April 2020 Update]. (2020, April 30). Retrieved from https://wallaroomedia.com/blog/social-media/tiktok-statistics/
Trending Videos on TikTok. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.tiktok.com/trending?refer=embed