How brands celebrate the holidays on TikTok

As a vibrant and attentive community, formed around shared interests, TikTok is a place where brands can be discovered. TikTokers love to shop, share their thoughts on recent purchases, and discuss the online consumer experience. This combination of an active, engaged community and discoverability makes TikTok the perfect platform for brands to be part of the latest holiday trends and moments.

Getting in the holiday (shopping) spirit

TikTok is full of popular hashtags that show the sheer scale and variety of shopping and holiday-related content on the platform. In terms of holiday shopping, #blackfriday has more than 950 million views, while #itsblackfriday  recently hit 1.2 billion views — demonstrating the excitement that TikTok users have for holiday mega sales. TikTokers have also taken the art of gift-giving — and unwrapping — to its creative limits, with #gift up to 5.3 billion views and #unboxing at a whopping 7.2 billion views and counting.

At the same time, TikTok users love to showcase their seasonal creations, starting with their homes, through hashtags such as #holidayhacks (2.8 billion views) and #christmas (21.6 billion views). And it wouldn’t be TikTok without weird and wonderful beauty transformations. At  #christmasmakeup, make-up aficionados take their glow-ups to the next level with a variety of seasonal styles and makeup hacks.

Unboxing success with creativity and joy

It's clear that the TikTok community goes all out for the holiday season with its usual blend of joy, creativity and authenticity—and brands should do the same. Whether its posting organic content or running festive ad campaigns, brands have the opportunity to embrace the holiday spirit on TikTok—to be a part of the moment, and reach their target audiences, at scale, in fun and meaningful ways.

Many brands have done just that. Last year, one of Germany's largest online retailers, OTTO , set a goal to reach a younger German audience and elevate its brand image in the lead up to Christmas. To achieved this, the company ran a five-day Branded Hashtag Challenge campaign called #FREUDICHHART (“Rejoice Hard”) with some of Germany’s most influential TikTok creators.

The challenge—based the unusual and surprising gifts exchanged around the holiday—called on the TikTok community to share their reactions to presents selected by a Branded Effect "gift generator." Including selfie sticks, salami, Christmas jumpers, and kebab grills, the gifts ranged from the ordinary to the outrageous, and resulted in some truly original (and hilarious) content.

The challenge page was also boosted by Brand Takeover and In-Feed Ads featuring the humorous reactions people have when receiving an unexpected gift.

By creating a festive campaign that tapped into the creativity and enthusiasm of the TikTok community, the campaign was a major success, racking up 253.6 million overall views, more than 95,000 videos created, and over 11.8 million impressions.

Kool-Aid also ran a holiday-themed Branded Hashtag Challenge (#OhYEAHChristmas) featuring a signature song from the Kool-Aid Man and rapper Lil' Jon. The catchy original track, combined with a holiday theme and low barriers to participation, allowed for mass engagement across the platform, resulting in truly creative content.

Kool-Aid also ran a series of TopView and In-Feed Ads to help increase participation and impressions. The campaign was anchored by official videos posted by Kool-Aid, top TikTok creators, and even Lil' Jon himself.

By calling on the TikTok community to show its holiday spirit with a fun and engaging idea, Kool-Aid's #OhYEAHChristmas Branded Hashtag Challenge outperformed platform benchmarks across engagement, video views, and user-generated content submissions to ultimately drive almost two billion video views.

Holiday tips

TikTok's suite of seamless, easy-to-use branded solutions are embedded in the platform’s carefree, joyful content experience to help brands connect with consumers during the holidays. Each solution possesses its own distinct flavor and functionality, and can be mixed and matched to fit tailored marketing strategies. Here are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind when planning your next holiday TikTok campaign.

1. Increase awareness and consideration

Get your products and key messages in front of consumers in full-screen, sound-on formats that appear as users open the app or within the their For You feeds. You can even work with popular TikTok creators.

2. Generate engagement and participation

Engage your audiences with entertaining, joyful and seasonal content such as Christmas-themed Branded Hashtag Challenges. Gamified Effects and AR Branded Effects are also fantastic tools for creating holiday content on TikTok and deepening user engagement.

3. Reach and convert new customers

Combining concise informative text with interactive elements, Auction Ads are a great way to reach and covert new customers while maintaining tight control over costs. Remember to link a powerful call to action or offer to each video because users are on the look-out for good deals during the year-end season.

4. Build loyalty and long-term growth

During the holiday season, you should also post organic content and engage with users from your brand's official TikTok Business Account. This not only attracts more followers, it also helps you establish your brand identity, build relationships and increase loyalty.

A TikTok for all occasions

The year-end shopping season isn't the only opportunity for brands to be part of holiday moments. Other holidays such as Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Easter also generate a lot of buzz on TikTok. From outfit changes to Easter Egg hunts, TikTokers celebrate every holiday with enthusiasm and positivity. As some of the biggest gift-giving seasons of the year, they are also an important opportunity for brands, especially as users search for new ideas of things to buy.

To help brands maximize their ad spend during these seasonal peaks, TikTok offers a full-funnel marketing suite that hits every point on a customer’s journey and has unlimited creative potential. Whether you are selling stocking stuffers, gifts that are fun right out of the box, or products that stay with the customer for a lifetime, TikTok’s branded solutions can help showcase them in a joyful and creative way, whipping up awareness, consideration, conversion, and loyalty during holiday shopping seasons.

For more information about running effective campaigns on TikTok, visit the TikTok For Business Help Center .