In this multi-platform, awareness-boosting campaign, BIG W used TikTok to connect with their customers in a new way (alongside Instagram) and got some incredible results.
We sat down with their Assistant Marketing Manager for PR & Influencers, who used our self-serve platform to run this campaign. We asked Stacie Hickey how the campaign went and what she learnt along the way.
Campaign snapshot
Objective: Promote the up to 40% off beauty sale and raise awareness of the wide range of big beauty brands available at BIG W.
Strategy: Influencers shared their favourite products and spoke about getting their routine Autumn-ready. Nine influencers posted across Instagram, while four influencers shared on TikTok.
Results:
- 279.6k TikTok video views
- 50k people reached on Instagram
- Average Instagram engagement rate 1.8% (benchmark 0.7%)
- Average TikTok engagement rate 16% (benchmark 7.7%)
This campaign was the first time BIG W had experimented with TikTok influencers. Why now?
“The marketing team was really excited about this campaign. Using TikTok was something that had been on the radar for a while and we’ve really seen the platform evolve over the past 12 -18 months. COVID has played a big part of that and it’s really evolved into a platform for all ages.
“We are always looking for new ways to talk to not only our existing customers but also new ones and TikTok provided the opportunity to speak to those who may not fully understand our offering. There’s never going to be a right time to try something new, you sometimes have to jump right in and the whole team agreed it was time to take the leap and see what kind of engagement we could get as a brand on the platform.”
And why did you start with beauty?
“As a department store, we have so many different categories that could fit within TikTok, but we thought beauty would be a good category to test out as it’s a category that can fit many creators but also generates really well amongst users.
“Keeping an eye on trends across the platform I noticed we stock some of the big brands who are already having a lot of success on TikTok, like the viral Maybelline Sky High mascara which just went bonkers! So that’s why we decided to give it a trial with a small handful of beauty influencers.”
@georgieandzac It’s time for a pamper session! We headed into BIG W for their 40% off sale. #bigwbeauty #bigwaustralia #ad @bigwaustralia
What was different from your usual approach?
“With TikTok, we wanted to be really authentic to the platform, so we kept the brief really open. It was very plain and simple. We gave creators the opportunity to choose anything from the beauty category that they love to create content that was authentic to them and their followers. It paid off and we got some amazing original content.
“My favourite was a video by a couple, Georgie and Zac, who grabbed a robe and some skincare products and had a little pamper day. Beauty is a category for everyone and I loved how the couple remained authentic to themselves creating a pamper day for them both to enjoy.
“With Instagram, we refined the brief a little bit more. We asked them to use the catalogue as a guide and focus on the new and changing season, raising awareness of the different brands to help you through Autumn/Winter.”
What’s your advice for other marketers wanting to use TikTok in an authentic way?
“Our key focus for this campaign was to be authentic to the influencer and the platform. To do that I think you have to really embrace each platform for its strengths. That relates to the different types of content – but you should also be thinking about the captions too.
“Instagram has become a bit of an information source. So as well as beautiful content, it’s really important that the caption is also providing some great insights, tips or tricks. Whereas with TikTok, you’re restricted by the caption size, the content must speak for itself.
“I make sure the content isn’t just a hard BIG W sell. As a consumer, I don’t like seeing that. At BIG W we aim to make a real difference for families and we ensure that comes across with any content we produce. The sale message is secondary. The first priority is always to provide a solution, or inspiration for our customers.”
