In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a lot more happening over on TikTok than pets doing hilarious things and pink-haired liberals ranting about LGBTQ+ agendas.
Influencers on the wildly popular Chinese-owned social media platform are reshaping how American companies — from clothing retailers to fast-food eateries — are doing business.
Take the “Keithadilla.”
When TikTok food critics Alexis Frost, who boasts 2.5 million followers, and Keith Lee, with more than 13 million followers, teamed up to “hack” Chipotle’s quesadillas, the “Keithadilla” was born, and the Mexican Grill had to move fast to keep up with the demand for off-menu custom orders.
@alexis.frost First time ordering from the app. Having lunch with the interns (my old students from when i use to teach) .fajita quesadilla hack get you one ! #mrsfrost #fajitaquesadilla #keithadilla #chipotle #fastfood #foodie ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
“Chipotle faced a decision: Give in to the whims of TikTok or risk losing business,” The Wall Street Journal reports. “The Keithadilla is now a permanent menu item.”
Chris Brandt, Chipotle’s chief marketing officer, explained it this way: “We want to be at the pulse of culture.”
And apparently, that is what TikTok has become — a 24/7/365 monitor of all things trendy, including those things marketing execs failed to dream up on their own.
According to ByteDance, the Beijing-based parent company of TikTok, five million businesses have a presence on the social media platform.
“For all its mind-reading insights, the platform has also become a disruptive force in research and development, upending conventional wisdom about product cycles, testing, differentiation and manufacturing,” The Journal states.
Fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Chief Product Officer Corey Robinson called TikTok “a billion-person focus group.”
“Every single merchant and designer is looking at TikTok,” Robinson said.
Tarte Cosmetics’ “fastest-selling product of all time” — Maracuja Juicy Lip and Cheek Shift, a make-up that changes colors based on the wearer’s pH levels — came together in just three months, after company employees noticed TikTok was making color-shifting products viral “must-haves.”
@rancobeauty #greenscreen Mood Rings For Your Makeup. I especially love these on the lips. They provide a beautiful lip tint. @tartecosmetics #tartecosmetics #lipoil #maracujajuicylip #makeuphacks ♬ original sound – Rancobeauty
“Three months of inventory sold out in four weeks,” according to The Journal.
“You have to get things out right when they are trendy,” said Senior Vice President Anna Sponaugle. “If you do it too late, it’s not even worth it.”
And then there is “Pink Sauce,” the Pepto-Bismol-colored dressing created by TikTok influencer “Chef Pii,” a.k.a. Veronica Shaw.
After pouring her dragon fruit sauce over everything from shrimp to french fries to TikTok’s delight, David Neuman, chief executive of Dave’s Gourmet, partnered with Shaw, tweaked the formula for vegan appeal, and “turned the TikTok trend into a nationally distributed product in 90 days,” according to The Journal.
It is now available for sale on the shelves of Walmart.
@chef.pii♬ original sound – PINK SAUCE QUEEN
“For us, it’s like a lab. Retailers in the past looked at [forecasting firm] WGSN, catwalks, fashion week, and tried to guess what the trends will be,” said Dedy Shwartzberg, founder and chief executive of Edikted, a “fast-fashion” company that churns out styles based on viral trends. “We don’t need to guess when we have TikTok.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at writers@bizpcreview.com with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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