7 Brew

The Objective

Primary: Increase brand awareness and consideration across national footprint

Secondary: Grow its social proof (followership) and maximize earned media

Founded in 2017, 7 Brew is a drive-thru beverage brand that has quickly grown to over 300 locations and aims to establish itself as a leader in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry.

With modest budgets and a focus on strengthening its local market presence, 7 Brew prioritized high-performing (ad equity) platforms like TikTok for its first major media campaign. Launched during summer, typically a slow season for the category, the campaign aimed to boost brand awareness, drive key engagement metrics (follows, likes, comments, and watch times), and achieve a lasting increase in average unit volume sales.

The Solution

Effectively broke through the noise with a blend of organic and user-generated content (UGC), which is most natural to the For You Page (FYP)

7 Brew leveraged TikTok to build its brand equity in local markets and drive meaningful engagement through a creator-first approach. Overall, the campaign aimed to test content resonance while expanding their footprint in emerging areas.

To achieve this, the brand implemented three key strategies:

• Content Strategy: Tested diverse creative styles, including nostalgic throwbacks (e.g., the Adult Swim trend), user-generated content (via Spark Ads), and behind-the-scenes content featuring our most popular drinks. Overall, the brand used over 25 videos across these genres throughout the course of the campaign.

• Objective Strategy: Combined two key objectives—reach + focused view—to create a 'smart blend' approach to maximize impact.

• Targeting Strategy: Targeted 300+ zip codes with a broad interest layer (food & beverage) to reflect the brand's mass-market appeal, while putting full faith in TikTok’s For You Page algorithm to place its content to the right person, at the right time.

This strategy allowed 7 Brew to drive impact locally efficiently and effectively, while steadily growing a community around the brand nationally.

The Results

Driving growth and awareness with TikTok-first strategies and expertise

The campaign surpassed expectations, achieving outstanding engagement, follower growth, and watch time. Guided by two TikTok employees with extensive platform expertise, this strategy adhered to TikTok’s best practices for organic and paid content.

By leveraging native-style content, it delivered a 16.4% higher Ad Recall lift and a 1.7% greater Awareness lift compared to industry benchmarks. The campaign also added over 57,953 new followers and achieved an average watch time of 29.48 seconds per user and 6.17 seconds per view.

To conclude, this approach solidified 7 Brew’s position in the drive-thru beverage market and propelled the brand onto the national stage.

Tips & Takeaways

• Blend organic and paid content for success: Utilize a mix of organic content and user-generated ads (like Spark Ads) to create native, authentic experiences that resonate with different audiences on TikTok.

• Leverage diverse creative styles: Experiment with various creative formats, such as nostalgic trends, behind-the-scenes videos, and UGC, to test what resonates most with your target audience.

• Trust TikTok’s advertising tools for targeting: Use interest targeting on TikTok Ads Manager to efficiently reach the right audience and maximize campaign impact.