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The TikTok Super Bowl

TIKTOK IS ABOUT TO HAVE ITS SUPER BOWL MOMENT

Sometimes the digital space can feel like Groundhog Day, and I've lost count of how many times we've been through this same cycle, but this one may be showing signs of progress. Here's how it typically plays out:

First, a new way of sharing spreads across school campuses, lighting up new forms of creativity and drawing eye rolls from everyone 25 and older.

Next, artists and creators start to pick up momentum using that same platform, and some start to attract the attention of brands and media. Still, most of us poke fun at it, vowing that we would never subject ourselves to that sort of thing.

Until one day it bursts into the mainstream scene, soaking up all of the attention and cultural relevance and refuses to be ignored. At that point it's hard to remember a time when we didn't all use it, and it goes without saying that every brand would at least consider it as a marketing channel.

If you reach back in your memory bank and use that exact progression, you’ll probably be able to re-live the ascendance of Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, mobile devices, even the very Internet that they were all built upon.

Next Sunday, TikTok is going to have its major cultural moment, as some writers are already dubbing this year the "TikTok Super Bowl."

Last year, State Farm ran one of the first ever TikTok-only Super Bowl ads when it launched an account for its popular character, Jake from State Farm, and they encouraged people to submit videos for a chance to be featured in a future commercial. This year, expect to see TikTok everywhere, starting with the official NFL Tailgate party which will be hosted exclusively on, you guessed it, TikTok.

Here are a few more specific activations, just to drive home the point that TikTok is about to have its big moment:

Doritos posted a TikTok dance challenge earlier this month, in which participants could win $5,000 and a chance to be featured in its primetime ad, along with rapper Jack Harlow
State Farm is doubling down on 2021's success, and we expect to see Jake featured in a TikTok-style crossover ad during the game
Meghan Trainor is performing her TikTok-famous "Made you Look" for Pringles and the content will crossover between TV &TikTok

One of the things you’re also likely to notice about those campaigns is that they are not limited to a single platform. While breakthrough moments in years past may have focused exclusively on the hot new platform, the digital industry has begun to appreciate the idea that customers live in both the online and offline worlds. TikTok itself recently published a media mix study conducted with Nielsen that analyzed the offline actions being driven by online content. A few things that they found caught my eye:

Prebiotic soda brand Poppi, which is sold in Walmart, Target, and Publix among other retailers, estimates that roughly 15% of its physical retail sales come from TikTok
Skincare brand Bubble has been selling out at Walmart stores, and the only places that they’ve been promoting their products is through TikTok and other social platforms
- Bubble started investing in content creators and other viral tactics, and saw a 300% in-store sales lift in 2022 vs 2021
- One specific success story came from a creator who only had 700 followers whose video has been viewed 400,000 times

So, while this version of Groundhog Day may feel a whole lot like the first time that a URL appeared in a TV ad, or when Twitter hashtags seemed to be popping up everywhere, at least it seems that we may now be evolving our thinking by pulling digital tactics into the real world and integrating storytelling to create a customer experience that is as strong offline as it is online.