James Chen | Marketing Notes

There is a strange trend on TikTok this year. More and more big brands no longer post exquisite commercials, but begin to post videos with shaking pictures, casual soundtracks, and even a little “local”. For example, Ryanair mocked its service with the cheapest filter, and all kinds of big brands began to reply to comments with emoji packs. This is a deliberate brand strategy, and the sense of reality is becoming the strongest digital marketing weapon in the TikTok era.

Why does traditional brand marketing fail on TikTok?

In the past, the logic of brand advertising was very simple. The picture should be exquisite, the lines should be powerful, and the stars should be famous. This logic works in the TV era and early social media, because users passively accept content. But TikTok changed all this. TikTok users are extremely proactive. They browse videos not to watch advertisements, but to entertain, find resonance, and watch real people do real things. Once a video looks like an advertisement, the user’s finger will be scratched in a few seconds. Exquisite brand content has become an obstacle here because it is too much like an advertisement.

“Roughness” breaks the user’s defensive mentality.

Users have a natural immune mechanism for advertising. As soon as they see refined pictures and deliberate lines, they will automatically think it is an advertisement and skip it. But when a brand sends videos in the way of ordinary people, speaks with online jokes, and appears with imperfect pictures, the user’s Defence mentality will be reduced, because it does not look like an advertisement.

“Roughness” is easier to integrate into platform culture.

TikTok has its own language system. Popular music, popular meme, comment area interaction, etc. If the brand participates in this set of culture with amateur content, it can naturally integrate into the user’s information flow instead of suddenly inserting it into it. Duolingo is the most typical example. Its account rarely sends serious product advertisements, but participates in various hot trends with the role of owl throughout the whole process. Instead, the comment area has become a place where users take the initiative to interact.

“Roughness” makes the brand look “humane”.

Consumers are increasingly distrustful of the perfect brand image. A brand that dares to laugh at itself, dares to use emoji packs, and dares to speak human language in the comment section makes people feel real and credible. This sense of trust is difficult to convey in any exquisite advertisement.

Duolingo is the benchmark of this strategy. It almost never directly promotes products on TikTok, but allows the brand mascot Duo to continue to participate in various hot topics. The style is mainly self-deprecating, even a little crazy. As a result, its TikTok account has accumulated millions of fans, and the brand’s recognition among young users has been greatly improved. The same is true for Ryanair. As an airline famous for its cheapness, it took the initiative to make fun of its services on TikTok and posted content in the lowest-cost video style, which gained a lot of tap water spread. The common point of these two cases is that they both give up the obsession that the brand should be high and choose to speak to users in the language of the platform.

When more and more brands begin to be popular on TikTok to pretend to be amateurs, it is not a budget shrinkage, but a smarter brand strategy. Speak in the language of the platform, build trust with a sense of authenticity, and exchange entertainment for the active dissemination of users. In this era when users can swipe away at any time, the best advertisement is the content that doesn’t look like an advertisement.

Have you ever had a good impression of a brand because you saw the interesting content on TikTok? Or have you lost interest in a brand because it is too expensive? Brand marketing is undergoing a real change, and everyone who browses TikTok is a person who has experienced this change. If you are a brand, will you choose to continue to take the exquisite route or embrace the amateur feeling?

Welcome to tell us what you think in the comment section. Which brand of TikTok content do you think is the best, or which brand marketing method do you dislike the most? Let’s talk together and really feel how far we can go. If you are interested in this topic, you are also welcome to contact me directly through the email. I am happy to discuss it in depth with you. At the same time, I will also create a group chat on social media so that we can continue to pay attention to and discuss the latest trends of brand marketing together. Looking forward to communicating with you!

James Chen

04/14/2026