After launching e.l.f cosmetics “#eyeslipsface” campaign on TikTok, the most viral marketing challenge in the history of the platform, Movers+Shakers positioned itself as a major player in viral marketing for the up-and-coming service. As TikTok cemented itself in the cultural vernacular over the past two years, Movers+Shakers followed suit, fine-tuning its formula for virality. By the end of 2020, the agency has earned more than 100 billion TikTok views on its campaigns.

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#eyeslipsface was one of the first advertising campaigns to grace TikTok, launched in 2019 when few brands were uploading content on the platform, much less original songs and viral challenges. The undeniable success of the campaign inspired the follow-up, “Eyes. Lips. Famous.” E.l.f partnered with three beauty influencers to host auditions from the app’s aspiring make-up artists for a spot on a month-long “Beauty Camp” reality series. The winners were selected from the submissions and featured in daily Beauty Camp videos, each 60 seconds or less. The series, the first TikTok reality show, garnered 40 million views. 

Other major brands took note of Movers+Shakers' success on the platform, which has an audience skewed heavily toward millennials and Gen Z. DSW partnered with the agency for its #TooManyShoes campaign, a quarantine creation that gave homebound customers a chance to show off the footwear they’d been ignoring during lockdowns. Amazon fashion was another massive campaign—Movers+Shakers put together a viral #PajamaJam series, partnering with influencers including TikTok all-star Charlie D’Amelio. It was another hit, with more than 6 billion views.  

Despite Movers+Shakers' rise as the go-to TikTok agency, the company’s culture has remained a unique element of its business. The agency proudly reports that some clients regard them as “their favorite meeting of the week.”

See all of Ad Age's 2021 Small Agency Award winners here.