In launching the TikTok strategy the objective was to create an engaged community within an ever-growing social platform which is constantly evolving. This was achieved by featuring fun and reactive content, keeping up to date with trends, sounds and entertainment news, to cut through the noise and make Paramount+ a must-follow channel that defies expectations of a brand page on TikTok.
It was important to showcase a wide range of creative that explored the substantial amount of titles available on Paramount+, from classic cinema to contemporary television. The content participated in trends popular on TikTok, playing with the vast catalogue of entertainment available on Paramount+, as well as the interests, humour and current obsessions of the digital TikTok community - tapping into left-field approaches to clips, such as what a self care for Jason from Friday the 13th might look like, or creating a love story video between Chuck and Wilson the ball in Castaway.
Our aim was to grow the channel by creating unique content that TikTok users could not miss, revolving around Film & TV that was either in the extensive Paramount back catalogue, or new exciting properties exclusive to Paramount+.
We brought this project to life by creating a daily schedule of content, supplemented by monitoring trends, sounds and pop culture talking points. Key moments within the catalogue were identified to create association and relevancy in viewer’s lives. It was important to carefully balance the wide range of content between new launches and catalogue, across genres. The quick turnaround of creation and editing was challenging but rewarding in that we were able to be reactive and agile to what was being talked about that week - for instance, creating a Wednesday Addams TikTok using footage from the theatrical films to tap into the 'Bloody Mary' dance trend and Jenna Ortega's fandom.
What made the content special is that as a brand we were not afraid to push the boundaries of entertainment to meet the TikTok audience including a very popular ‘megasimps for Megatron’ from Transformers.
Reactivity allowed us to grow quickly and with ease - every week, brainstorming spontaneous ideas for TikToks to create and go live within a day or two in response to what people were talking about - like our Tiktok dedicated to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, in response to Kate Hudson’s online celebrations of festivity. When the entirety of TikTok rediscovered Zoolander, we let them know through multiple clips that they could in fact watch it on Paramount+.
Engaging with the fans in a candid way via community management was also key to integrating successfully to the platform. Our responses differed from the corporate language and tone of voice you might expect from a large-scale entertainment brand; we found engaging with fans on their level, often debating subjects or bouncing back to requests for further content, was a successful strategy. This informal and playful approach helped us establish a brand identity as one which simultaneously was switched on and reactive, whilst also being unafraid to engage with pop culture on the same level as you'd find from fan-created content on the platform naturally.
The content created over the last 3 months has, at times, gone viral with upwards of 3 million views on certain videos, as well as a growth of 30k followers across the channel.
Upwards of over 392k organic engagements were achieved across TikTok content, some of the most successful highlighting key moments from the extensive Paramount+ back catalogue, bringing them front of mind in the context of present day trends.
