Curiosity doesn’t kill the cat—on TikTok in 2024 at least

Brands should focus on content that piques curiosity for its masses of serendipitous scrollers, indicates TikTok in the 2024 What’s Next report.  

The report, using data from the platform and studies, identified three big shifts in what user’s seek going into the new year, with huge implications for marketers looking to make it big on the FYP:

• Content befitting the app’s nature as a discovery engine of new interests, niches, and cultures 
• Whimsical storytelling driven by the community’s creative hive mind
• Building trust through vulnerability and speaking the audience’s language

You can find the report here.

 For instance, a study conducted for TikTok by UX design consultancy Material and cited in the report found that 44% of users visited TikTok with one specific purpose but ended up discovering something completely new.

The implication for marketers, according to the report: 

“Spark action during your audience’s discovery journey on TikTok by digging into the communities they’re already a part of and creating content that aligns with their needs and curiosities.”

Another key finding from the report is that 74% of users feel the app connects them with people from different backgrounds and cultures, meaning brands should spotlight unique nuances of their culture and business. 

“Because TikTok has democratized creativity and has leveled up the creativity in the way it has, it has set a new bar for brands and everybody out there,” said Dalit Saad of Kvell in the platform’s proprietary Made for TikTok podcast. “And that’s exactly what the industry needs right now.”

The report also includes case studies from several brands whose marketing exemplifies the principles laid out in the report, including Monos Luggage, Clinique, and MAC.