Dive Brief:
- Duracell is seeking tech enthusiasts to help get its TikTok channel off the ground, according to a news release.
- Winning applicants to the Duracell Labs Techs program will produce content centered around lifehacks and battery-powered gadgets while promoting the brand’s #EngineeredForMore positioning. The three-month role pays $15,000 and is based out of a new workshop space in New York City.
- Duracell is taking on a maximum of three creators and prioritizing candidates who are familiar with TikTok trends, can improvise in a team setting and are self-proclaimed nerds. Applications are open through the end of October and the company is employing established creators to get the word out.
Dive Insight:
Duracell is issuing an open call for tech geeks who wield social media savvy and a passion for hobby areas relevant to its battery products, whether those be science, engineering, gaming or outdoor adventuring. The company is taking a crowdsourced approach to developing its TikTok page, a route that’s become more common in marketing as older brands try to pop on an app that’s defined by its young audience and fast-moving viral trends.
Creators who are already embedded in TikTok might have a better sense of what viewers want to see from a newcomer brand. The temporary position being paid could also be a hook for aspiring influencers who want to make a living off of content creation, a crowded field where it can be tough to break out. To spread word of the program, Duracell enlisted TikTok personalities Muhtanya, Cameron Hughes, Kate Bacon, Big Weird World and Ryder Calm Down.
Ideal applicants are expected to be collaborative and inclined toward problem-solving, along with having knowledge of building gadgets and other devices. Winners will work together in a dedicated workshop experimenting with battery-powered products while documenting their endeavors.
Lifehacks, tips and tricks will be other guiding themes for Duracell’s TikTok as the marketer tries to provide utility for consumers. Young people are increasingly turning to TikTok for information and news, making Duracell’s move a potentially timely one. Many Gen Zers are using the app as a search engine akin to Google, per a recent New York Times report.
Duracell is not the first marketer to hand over the wheel to creators when launching on TikTok. Nerf, Hasbro’s toy blaster brand, last year brought on a Chief TikTok Officer to grow its imprint on the ByteDance-owned platform. The so-called “CTO” role was similarly temporary and paid $10,000 per month, on top of offering additional perks like Nerf gear.
