Rascals set out to disrupt the baby diaper industry – long dominated by two legacy brands – by injecting energy, relatability and excitement into a traditionally uninteresting category. Recognizing the unique opportunity to connect with parents through social media, Rascals aimed to create a brand experience that was more relevant and connected for its Millennial and Gen Z demographics, leveraging their digital fluency and desire to engage on digital platforms.
Realizing the vast untapped potential of TikTok, Rascals built its account in 2021, when the platform had approximately 656M users – this number has since surged to nearly 2 billion. As an early adopter, the brand embraced this opportunity to revolutionize engagement and drive brand awareness. By creating authentic, unfiltered content that resonated with target audiences, Rascals established itself as the “big-little” brand that parents could relate to. This strategy propelled it to become the world’s fastest-growing diaper brand and the most-liked on TikTok. What started as a small startup founded by a mother in New Zealand rapidly expanded into a global brand, now available in 30 countries and an exclusive partner of Walmart, the world’s largest retailer.
Understanding that viral success alone wouldn’t ensure longevity, Rascals focused on sustaining growth and solidifying itself as a leader in the diaper category. The brand prioritized grassroots marketing, exceptional customer service and consistently fresh, engaging content to drive brand awareness, maintain relevance and increase conversions.
Rascals' TikTok strategy became a foundational component of its marketing mix. The brand set out to establish itself as a pioneer on TikTok, leveraging the platform’s dynamic nature to bolster brand awareness, boost social virality and forge a strong connection with a digitally native audience. Rascals took an innovative, customer-centric approach by creating entertaining and engaging content that aligned with current trends while integrating informative brand messaging. Building on the momentum it generated for itself, Rascals created two unique TikTok campaigns to increase followers and engagement – the Eras Tour Campaign and the Funfest Campaign.
ERAS TOUR
The Eras Tour Campaign aimed to increase following and engagement from “future demand” audiences (i.e. potential future diaper buyers). Rascals seized a significant opportunity to engage with a new audience when Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour came to Australia. Relying on the passion, dedication and participation of the Swiftie community, the brand launched an audience engagement campaign, positioning Rascals as the most relatable diaper brand on TikTok – even for people who were not buying diapers. The goal was to reach 250K followers (gaining 70K) before the Sydney tour date, with an incentive to send Rascals’ Global Senior Marketing Manager to the concert. The team had 3 weeks and a modest budget of $18K. (To put the ambitiousness of the goal into perspective, the brand gained 71,200 followers in 2023 with a budget of $1.4M.) The campaign was solely focused on Taylor Swift, which increased shareability and drove organic virality within the Swiftie community on TikTok. Rascals achieved record engagement, surpassing its goal in just 3 days. The team had to be agile and create on-the-fly content to maintain the incredible momentum, producing more than 43 videos and collaborating with well-known brands to increase excitement and audience participation. The Eras Tour Campaign is Rascals’ most successful TikTok campaign to date.
FUNFEST
Rascals’ Funfest Campaign was created to celebrate the brand’s refresh and amplify it on a global scale. The campaign consisted of two key components: a community-driven event in Auckland and the Funfest TikTok Campaign, which built excitement and drove real-time engagement. Rascals superfan, Megan Ruscoe, and her family were flown to Auckland for the event. Community interest was overwhelming and tickets sold out overnight, prompting the addition of extra sessions. Tickets were $10, and 100% of the proceeds were donated to Gingernuts Angels – a New Zealand-based organization that provides financial support for families struggling with fertility. The in-person event generated overwhelming positive community support, while the TikTok campaign generated excitement and drew attention to the account during the event. Since the campaign went live, Rascals has received thousands of requests from global communities to bring Funfest to other countries.
Rascals’ agile, data-driven approach, airtight strategy and creative TikTok activations allowed them to navigate the platform's ever-evolving algorithm, stay ahead of trends and maintain brand consistency while embracing spontaneity. The brand’s reputation on the platform was built on culture rather than views, reinforcing Rascals as the most-loved, must-follow brand on TikTok.
Since launching its account in 2021, Rascals has become a viral sensation on TikTok, and has garnered the following accomplishments:
OVERALL:
ERAS TOUR CAMPAIGN:
FUNFEST CAMPAIGN:
