Charli D’Amelio is one of the most popular creators on TikTok, with 154 million followers on the video platform. Dunkin’ partnered with the social media star in 2020 to name her go-to order, a caramel cold brew drink, “The Charli.”
Just like a customer’s morning coffee run, Dunkin’ tries to keep its social media in sync with users’ lives. “No matter the platform, we aim to spark personal connections that resonate deeply with our followers, often eliciting a ‘That’s so me!’ type of response,” said Jill Nelson, the brand’s chief marketing officer.
Dunkin’ keeps that authenticity and relatability prevalent in its posts. In late April, the company tweeted “We’re discontinuing iced coffee,” followed by “look between the H and the L on your keyboard.” (JK, meaning just kidding. This was a trend on the X/Twitter platform in April.) For April Fool’s Day, Dunkin’ posted to its 3.3 million TikTok followers: “ANNOUNCEMENT. we’re changing our name. again. Now we’re just DONUTS’. We will have coffee still. Pls don’t ask any other questions. Just going thru it rn.”
But could all that engagement be for naught? In late April, President Joe Biden signed into law a bill that requires China-based parent company ByteDance to sell TikTok within nine months or face a nationwide ban of the video-heavy platform. It’ll be at least a year before a ban—if there even is one—goes into effect, and TikTok already filed its own lawsuit against the U.S. government to stop enforcement of the law.
While users and marketing managers don’t need to panic just yet, with so many new social media sites growing in popularity, many brands are exploring other apps.
A majority of TikTok’s user base is between 18 and 34 years old, spanning the Z and millennial generations, according to Statista. The app has more than 1.5 billion monthly users. Facebook, YouTube and Instagram hold the top three slots, respectively, in regards to number of users, Statista reports. Facebook has more than 3 billion monthly active users.
Playa Bowls plays up its product presentation in social posts.
“Social media has revolutionized how we connect with these audiences,” Nelson said. “Unlike traditional marketing, social platforms allow us to interact directly and adapt quickly to pop culture trends. This immediacy and relevancy have helped us build a vibrant, interactive community around our brand.”
The Massachusetts-based brand’s audience comprises mainly Gen Z consumers, “but it’s diverse overall,” Nelson said.
‘Reached a tipping point’
When it comes to the many social media platforms, brands should evaluate the draw of each website, Soci Director of Market Insights Damian Rollison said. Soci helps brands boost consumer engagement across digital channels. That approach changes from brand to brand and platform to platform. There’s not a lot of value in each individual store having an X account, but there could be value in each of a brand’s locations being on TikTok or Instagram, Rollison said.
Soci published its annual Consumer Behavior Index in February, which found that 18- to 24-year-olds overwhelming prefer using Instagram and TikTok to find local businesses, at 67 and 62 percent, respectively. Among other age groups, Google Search is the clear winner.
“We’ve reached a tipping point where more younger consumers think of TikTok first,” Rollison said. “TikTok is almost the pioneer that sets the standard. Instagram just happens to have a lot of reach.”
TikTok doesn’t feel like a search engine, at least not in the traditional sense people are used to, he said. But consumers can search for basically anything on the app, whether that’s “Minneapolis restaurants” or “Thrift stores San Francisco.” “People are more inclined, in this group, to want short-form videos filmed by people who they might think of more as peers telling them about these topics,” Rollison said.
A lot of TikTok content serves that purpose, with customers showing videos of the meal and giving their honest opinions. “I don’t have to sit there and read a bunch of reviews,” Rollison said.
Jill Nelson is Dunkin’s chief marketing officer. The brand has 3.3 million followers on TikTok.
Dawn Ray, GoTo Foods’ SVP of communications, said the social team will go where the fans go.
Playa Bowls stays on trend across social websites, says Becca Steinberg, social media specialist.
Follow the trends
Dave’s Hot Chicken knows the power of social media. The franchise started as a pop-up food stand in a Los Angeles parking lot after generating interest from an Instagram post. Its social media lets customers speak to the food’s appeal, Chief Marketing Officer Brad Haley said. “We want to amplify organic social posts on Instagram and TikTok on our own channels,” he said.
Consumers look for brands that feel authentic online, rather than posts that have clearly been edited to death before appearing online. Establishing a brand identity online—regardless of the platform—can help the franchise and its social team feel relatable.
That’s the strategy for coffee franchise 7 Brew. “The thing with TikTok that’s really uncomfortable for a lot of brands is it’s so different from what we’re all used to,” said Cory Hinton, head of digital and social marketing. Before this role, he held a sales position at TikTok. Rather than extremely polished, high-cost television advertising, TikTok is more unrefined and casual, he said.
Staying on top of trends is easier with TikTok, Hinton said, because he can see a video in the morning and post something following the trend by the afternoon. “We’re very comfortable with being unpolished,” he said.
Acai bowl franchise Playa Bowls sees a lot of organic posting of its products, because of the colorful and aesthetically pleasing presentation. The company works with influencers as well, serving as an extension of the organic content, said Becca Steinberger, Playa Bowls’ social media specialist.
But staying on trend helped the brand reach 49,000 followers and more than 1.5 million likes. “Personally, I’m always on TikTok myself,” Steinberger said. “So as soon as I see something trending, I’m automatically thinking, ‘How can we use this for Playa Bowls?’”
One of its more popular videos garnered 1.2 million views by using Taylor Swift song titles as punch lines.
Dave’s Hot Chicken started on Instagram but has a large TikTok following as well.
Social channels always evolving
A natural transition from TikTok, assuming that’s ever necessary, is Instagram Reels. It’s a similar concept, with videos, text, editing features, endless swiping and trendy music. Instagram has been around since 2010 and has more than 2 billion monthly users.
Pretzel franchise Auntie Anne’s leans into its name on socials, serving as an “auntie.” One early March TikTok has a video of cinnamon sugar pretzel bites with the caption, “if you can smell this video… Auntie loves you.”
Dawn Ray is the senior vice president of strategic communications and earned media at GoTo Foods, formerly Focus Brands, the company that owns Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon.
Pending a possible TikTok ban, GoTo Foods maintains its strategy of meeting folks where they are, whether that’s TikTok or somewhere else, Ray said. As new platforms, such as Mastodon and Meta’s Threads, pop up, Ray said the company evaluates them to see if they’d add value to GoTo Foods. Threads was a “natural fit” for its brands, Ray said. “This platform is an extension of Instagram, where we already have a strong presence.”
“Ultimately, our social strategy is about meeting fans where they are, no matter the platform,” she said. “The advantage of having iconic brands like Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon is that through relevant, creative and trend-driven content, we will make fans wherever we go.”
The social team at Dunkin’ has a similar mindset. Dunkin’ is prepared to navigate the constantly changing world of social media. Along with Mastodon and Threads, there’s BlueSky and BeReal, to name a few. But popularity isn’t the only factor, Nelson said.
“Deciding whether to engage on new platforms involves more than just chasing trends,” she said. “We carefully analyze where our fans are most active and where we can authentically connect with them. We prioritize platforms that encourage real conversations and help us build lasting relationships with our community, ensuring every interaction is meaningful.”