Brief:
- Kraft Heinz's Kool-Aid debuted its first campaign on social video app TikTok with a branded hashtag challenge that urges people to post videos of themselves getting into the holiday spirit for a chance to win $10,000, according to an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer. The campaign features three holiday-themed videos with brand mascot Kool-Aid Man and rapper Lil Jon at the @koolaidmanofficial account on TikTok.
- The videos have soundtracks that TikTok users can add to their own videos, which must have the #OhYeahChristmas and #contest hashtags to enter the contest. In two of the videos, Lil Jon sings "All I Really Want for Christmas," a song that was in Kool-Aid's holiday campaign on YouTube last year.
- The user whose video gets the most views on TikTok will win the grand prize, which will be awarded six to eight weeks after the contest ends on Dec. 12, per the contest rules.
Insight:
Kool-Aid's holiday-themed campaign aims to reach a younger audience that has made TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company Bytedance, one of the most popular social media apps in the world. TikTok surpassed 1.5 billion downloads globally across Apple's App Store and Google Play, according to a November estimate from Sensor Tower.
The app's popularity among Generation Z has lured brands including Chipotle, American Eagle and the NFL to create campaigns that urge people to develop and interact with user-generated content (UGC). TikTok's branded hashtag challenges, including Kool-Aid's, support viral publicity as users share their videos with friends and followers, who then can join in with their own creations.
Kool-Aid's recent mobile-based promotions aim to reach younger consumers who are more likely than older generations to consume video content on smartphones. Earlier this year, Kool-Aid became the first brand to show its mascot on Cameo, the video-sharing website that sells personalized video messages from celebrities. Previously, the brand also promoted the launch of a carbonated drink for older kids and teens with a campaign on Snapchat and Giphy.
The beverage brand's latest holiday campaign follows a previous pairing of the Kool-Aid Man and Lil Jon on a 2018 holiday song. However, while the TikTok campaign seemingly targeted Gen Z, that effort was perhaps best suited for millennials who were familiar with the rapper. Video is the most memorable and engaging format for marketing communication among millennials, according to Brightcove research, with 85% of millennials saying they've purchased a product after watching a video.
