The 10 Most Influential TikTok Brands

Even though TikTok is still relatively new, thousands of brands, from all sectors, have already made the leap (and are killing it!) on the fastest-growing social media platform.

No worries if you’re not there yet, it’s not too late to jump in.

To help you get started, I’ve put together a list of 10 most-influential brands on TikTok who are using the platform to its fullest potential.

Ready to be inspired?!

Brand #1 – NBA

If there’s one brand that jumped on TikTok right from the start and has been uploading great content ever since, it’s the NBA. Currently counting more than 11.6 million followers, the NBA has a dedicated team of several employees working on its TikTok strategy.

On TikTok, the team decided to take a completely different angle than on their other social media accounts (which is a great move!). Their motto is: FUN AND MOTIVATION! If you follow the NBA you’ll see a more personal side with videos of players dancing on the court, game backstages or the adventures of team mascots using their #mascotmonday hashtag.

To show off they’re in pace with the trends, for National Dog Day they posted this video where you can see an adorable chihuahua dunking. 😍 Engaging content that doesn’t take itself too seriously – AKA the DNA of TikTok.

Brand #2 – Chipotle

Another early user of TikTok is Chipotle. The popular, Mexican chain has 1.2 million followers and the best bio ever seen: “Less Tok, More Guac”. Funny!

Chipotle made TikTok a central part of its social media marketing efforts from the beginning. They’re doing an excellent job, especially through creating their own branded hashtag challenges. Over the past year, they launched the #ChipotleLidFlip challenge (which has generated more than 310 million views), the #GuacDance challenge (which has generated 1 billion views) and a #boorito campaign for Halloween that got over 4 billion views! Impressive, right?! 😱

In the video below, Chipotle uses UGC by reposting their customers’ videos making fun of Baby Boomers who can’t say Chipotle correctly.

Brand #3 – NFL

The NFL has a 2-year partnership with TikTok to try to reach a younger audience — it makes sense that TikTok marketing is a high priority for the brand. NFL’s content includes highlights, memes, behind-the-scenes footage and more. Also, they launched two branded hashtag challenges that have been a real success: a 3-day #WeReady hashtag challenge campaign which got more than 1 billion views and the #GoingPro hashtag challenge which got 6.5 billion views!

Brand #4 – Red Bull

Red Bull has always been a pioneer in creating great digital content, so it’s no surprise that they’re among the most influential, popular and successful brands on TikTok.

Red Bull’s TikTok content is undeniably thumb-stopping, from famous athletes doing extreme sports to dangerous stunts, their videos are incredibly engaging and correspond perfectly with their iconic slogan “Red Bull Gives You Wings” — for which they made an hashtag #GivesYouWings that got more than 600 million views on TikTok.

Brand #5 – Gymshark

Gymshark is another example of a brand who is doing very well on TikTok. Gymshark’s content is engaging and motivating at the same time. It includes hilarious fitness memes, home workouts, outfit ideas, popular challenges and more.

Brand #6 – The Washington Post

The Washington Post is killing it on TikTok!

If you thought that this American newspaper would only produce serious content like on their other social media accounts, you’re all wrong!

They know how to grab their followers’ attention! Their TikTok account is full of funny and engaging (lockdown) videos, and comical behind-the-scenes moments to share a more personal side journalists working life with their audience.

Basically, they got it all figured out for TikTok!

Here’s one great example of their comedy videos:

Brand #7 – Fenty Beauty

The cosmetic brand created by Rihanna does an excellent job on TikTok. Its content is mainly based on showing off products and recording makeup tutorials. Fenty Beauty also broke new ground by creating the first Fenty Beauty TikTok House – a space specially made for TikTok content creators, mainly Fenty Beauty influencers. The Fenty Beauty TikTok House serves as “a beautiful new space to collaborate, express, learn, and build community.”

Since its creation, this has been a real success, the Fenty Beauty House has even become a branded hashtag (95 million views), which TikTok users can use to show off their #FentyBeautyHouse-inspired looks!

Brand #8 – Fortnite

With their 2.5 million followers, Fortnite is doing pretty well on TikTok especially by actively participating in (and creating) dance challenges. The online video game known for its dances, which have been adopted by many celebrities, including soccer players, created a dance challenge called #EmoteRoyaleContest which invited people to create dances that could be turned into an official Fortnite Emote — great way for the brand to engage its audience!

The challenge got 557.5 million views and generated millions of videos.

And, here is the winning Emote:

Brand #9 – San Diego Zoo

There’s no more engaging content than cute animal videos, right?

And the San Diego Zoo knows it too well and takes full advantage of this by sharing videos on TikTok. Animals + fun music = perfect combo!

They also do a great job at using specific hashtag holidays and on building partnerships with other animal-friendly accounts, like the Monterey Aquarium, with whom they did a duet. This cross-promotion not only entertained, but boosted the acquisition of new followers for both accounts.

And here’s one of their cute videos posted for Mother’s Day:

Brand #10 – Netflix

Netflix is a hit on all its other social networks, and their success is just as big TikTok.

Their approach is quite simple — show off videos from famous shows/movies, celebrities interviews, memes and more. Netflix knows that many people are stuck at home for a few months now, and are facing boredom.

What do we do when we’re bored (especially since the lockdown…)?

TIKTOK & NETFLIX! 🍿

Talk about a match made in heaven! Netflix uses TikTok to increase traffic on their platform by encouraging people to watch Netflix and suggesting new viewing ideas. Genius!

In the video below, we can see that Netflix uses the trending Finger Down challenge to promote The Sleepover, released on Netflix last August 21st:

Conclusion

As you can see, TikTok has space for nearly every brand and for every strategy.

If you think your brand needs to be present on TikTok, keep in mind that it is a great new opportunity to reach a new audience and to show the world a new side to your brand. So be bold, push your creativity and try something new — who knows, maybe your business could be part of this list one day soon!

To help you get started on TikTok, check out our Beginner’s Guide to TikTok Marketing — a complete starter kit for TikTok Marketing.