Some of the best branded TikTok videos in recent weeks.
Ad Age expanded its “Creativity Top 5” series to include roundups of our favorite special-interest campaigns and ideas from brands. This week, we're looking at the best TikTok videos posted by brands over the past month.
This month: Paris Hilton, golf and cars.
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While e.l.f Cosmetics made waves over its first-ever Super Bowl commercial this year, a recent campaign for the brand’s new line of lipsticks is making noise on TikTok. E.l.f created a song for its O Face Satin Lipsticks and asked creators to apply the lipstick while doing a bit of lip-syncing to the track that sounds like a Billie Eilish song. Beauty creator Meredith Duxbury stars in the TikTok launching the campaign, and viewers seemed to be either mesmerized, or annoyed, by her nose scrunch in the video. Either way, the video has garnered 15.5 million views as of writing.
Topgolf has jumped on the TikTok trend in which “Stranger Things” character Mike Wheeler, played by Finn Wolfhard, helps with video transitions. In the videos, Wolfhard walks up to a camera, holds up his hand, and snaps his fingers. The videos are edited to transition as he snaps, all to the tune of a sped-up version of “Give It to Me” by Timbaland, featuring Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado. Most of the TikToks tend to emphasize the difference between two points of comparison.
Related: Inside the rise of Topgolf
Topgolf took advantage of the trend to poke fun at itself, posting a TikTok with the text, “Pov: Topgolf sees open land next to a big highway” over an aerial view with a red rectangle surrounding said open land. When Wolfhard snaps, the background image changes to show a completed Topgolf. Fans in the comments loved how accurate this was, with some even shouting out open land near their towns for the sports entertainment company to conquer next. The video had 12.5 million views as of writing.
You didn’t think we would go through this without something Super Bowl-related, did you? Love it or hate it, Rihanna’s performance was a study in product placement. Rihanna is the founder and CEO of Fenty, a fashion and beauty brand. During her halftime show performance, she pointedly fixed her makeup while holding a Fenty compact of the brand’s Invisimatte setting and blotting powder. Fenty posted a five-second TikTok clip of the moment, which has racked up over 23 million views as of writing, with the video implying that the compact was the rumored “special guest” joining Rihanna for the show. Fun fact: Rihanna’s backup dancers themselves briefly became popular on TikTok, and were able to keep the outfits.
Read more: How Fenty was a marketing winner of Super Bowl 2023
Plenty of brands know that the right celebrity can make an ad. Nissan seems to have achieved this with a TikTok featuring “Insecure” actor Jay Ellis, who plays Lawrence in the HBO show. The simple TikTok had Ellis playing “This or That,” featuring Nissan’s new Ariya model. Ellis chooses the car’s color, background for the ad and music. “Insecure” fans loved the ad, commenting that Ellis better be on his way to pick up Issa, the show’s protagonist played by Issa Rae. The video had over 24 million views as of writing.
Related: How Nissan used TikTok to promote its new EV
Would you watch a 10-minute TikTok? Hotel chain Hilton asked viewers just that in its latest TikTok video. The long-form video starts with a pink-clad Paris Hilton (who else) posing the question, and throughout the video, familiar TikTokers do their part to talk about the hotelier’s various chains. Chris Olsen, Samyra Miller, Baron Ryan, Robyn DelMonte (aka Girl Boss Town), Boman Martinez-Reid, Kelz Wright and another remix by The Gregory Brothers (who made the viral “It's Corn” song) all make an appearance in the marathon of an ad. Yet fans seemed to love it, with viewers commenting that they never thought they would watch the whole ad, and praising the influencer team. The TikTok had 12.5 million views as of writing.
