TikTok is saturated with delicious videos from food brands. So, how have some of them become the cream of the crop? In a world where short-form video content is king, these brands have cracked the code on engaging audiences and driving customer loyalty, all while showcasing their tasty products. 47% of TikTok users have bought something they have seen on the app. So, if you want to ensure you’re making the most of this opportunity, you need to look at the brands that are already killing it.
We’re deep-diving into the strategies of top food brands on TikTok. Brands that have not only survived but thrived in the competitive arena of the platform; plus, we’re going to tell you what your brand can learn from each one of them. So, let’s dig in.
Report: Top Food and Drink Brands on TikTok and What They’re Getting Right
In our latest Goat report, we compare 10 food and drink brands to uncover how they “hook” and “hold” attention on TikTok.
From social-first challenger brands to global household names, we’ve studies these 10 brands’ strategies to uncover the biggest learnings and most effective solutions. We’ve then applied this knowledge, overlaid with our own expertise as one of the world’s biggest social-first marketing agencies, to give you practical recommendations for elevating your own brand’s TikTok marketing.
Download the report to find out more!
1. Oreo
Oreo has made a habit of creating highly entertaining content. The star of the show? Their product, of course. They have created videos making their cookie look like the influencer themselves. Some of their posts look like the Oreo cookie is “reviewing” things by dueting recipe videos. Oreo leans into the nostalgia of its target audience, too, creating content that relates to the older demographics of its market. It brings back the child in all of us through it’s content, both branded and influencer-led.
What can you learn from them?
Oreo teaches brands on TikTok a couple of things. One, don’t take your content too seriously, and two, create influencer-led videos (even if that influencer is an inanimate object). The official Oreo TikTok feed has a lot of humour and a lot of the Oreo itself. They invite people to have fun with their products. How? Through challenges, viral trends and funny sounds. Oreo created their own TikTok challenge to celebrate their 110th anniversary. They collaborated with influencers to showcase this challenge, like @seandoesmagic. In fact, the #Oreobdaystack hashtag has over 10.3 billion views.
The social media team at Oreo really understand their brand and how it should make people feel. And they lead with this on every piece of content. They make sure that the influencers they work with align with these brand values, and they create fun, entertaining content all around. Remember entertainment is still the biggest category on TikTok, so if your brand can lean into this, do it.
2. Doritos
Doritos are hotter than ever on TikTok. They post humorous videos showcasing their products and aren’t afraid to be controversial. Their content is filled with comments from fans and critics alike, but they keep up with relevant conversations and are always on trend. Literally. Doritos are always using the latest TikTok sounds and trends to bring forward fresh, funny and fiery content that their fans love.
What can you learn from them?
Amongst their various triumphs on TikTok, there is one thing that Doritos do extremely well. Community. They understand the power of community marketing and build it into their strategy every step of the way. On this particular app, this can take you a long way. Globally, an average of 59% of TikTok users feel a sense of community when they are on TikTok. Doritos have taken this to another level. They reply to comments on practically every video, making commenters feel seen and listened to. They also create content based on certain feedback.
One of the most brilliant aspects of this approach is that you, as a brand, can continually create content based on what your community is saying. Doritos have taken their fans’ conversations and run with it, cracking jokes and generally chiming in on the talk. This consistently ups their engagement and builds brand loyalty – often underestimated within the TikTok marketing funnel.
3. Little Moons
Little Moons are famous on TikTok for their viral videos of “finding” their product in the shops. Back in 2021, people took to TikTok to share their experiences of going to get the mochi desserts from large supermarket brands. This sparked a real trend, with more and more people going to find the yummy snack. The content on their feed makes the product seem irresistible, with plenty of comical videos showing the Little Moons team craving them and looking for them.
What can you learn from them?
Little Moons experienced virality on TikTok. #littlemoons has over 460 million views on the app, and the brand @littlemoonsmochi has garnered over 313k followers. But the point to hammer home here is what they have done after they went viral. Little Moons have stayed consistent in their content since achieving viral success. The social team are constantly bringing new videos to the table. They have jumped on trending sounds like “Girl Dinner” and “Hi Barbie” to boost brand awareness but have kept up their vibrant brand identity in other highly engaging videos.
It’s important to understand that going viral isn’t everything on TikTok. It can help you gain more views, but unless you keep your content consistent, you will never reap the full rewards of the video-first app. Build your following with regular, on-brand content in a variety of ways and keep your audience coming back for more.
4. Chipotle
This Mexican food brand knows how to navigate TikTok. Every piece of content they have has one thing in common – it adds value. From dip combos to behind-the-scenes videos, Chipotle is slaying the content game. They come across truly authentically, and on TikTok, that’s the aim of the game. Taking their viewers for sneak peeks in the kitchen, showing off their fresh ingredients, and speaking openly about their values are all ticks on the TikTok checklist. But where they really excel is beyond their feed.
What can you learn from them?
Chipotle has used influencer marketing to their advantage. The search term “Chipotle” has over 7.1 billion views; most of this content is not from the brand itself. They have collaborated with numerous influencers like @pete_eats and @tooturntmum to create engaging content. You can tell they have really let each influencer take the lead on the creative aspect of the video, which not only makes it more authentic but usually performs better too.
This brand has clearly understood the massive capabilities of influencer marketing because they have gone beyond simple campaigns. They were one of the first brands to go deeper with their involvement with creators, initiating the Chipotle Creator Class – a program with exclusive perks for the top influencers of their brand. This program also helped Chipotle in their future marketing as they involved these creators in brand decisions. This is a perfect example of how influencer marketing can not only help you with specific campaigns but actually change the very trajectory of your brand. Powerful stuff.
5. Zaxbys
The USA fast food giant has over 109k followers on TikTok and counting. They bring humor to all of their content. Since 78% of TikTok users are there to find funny or entertaining content, this is a winning combo. But branded content alone won’t always keep you in the eyeline of your target audience. And Zaxby’s understood this perfectly. They used influencers to promote their individual products.
What can you learn from them?
The key here is synergy. All of the influencers Zaxby’s partnered with were partners for a reason. They were targeting the right audiences and had major synergy with the brand. Each and every creator you find promoting Zaxby’s on TikTok are the right fit. Some are micro-influencers, some are mega-influencers. But where this brand really excelled was in their multichannel approach.
Zaxbys didn’t just work on their TikTok account. In fact they got in touch with us to create influencer-led campaigns on Instagram and YouTube, promoting their signature sandwich. We initially focused our efforts on using hyper-local micro-influencers to drive a huge uplift in sales in two key test markets: Tennessee and Kentucky. We drummed up a 7.52% average click-through rate and delivered £50K+ in earned content value.
Creating a multichannel strategy (as well as killing it on TikTok) is key to gaining overall success on socials. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
6. Wendy’s
What they did
Wendy’s is best known for its redhead-and-pigtails namesake. The fast-food chain doubled down on this strength, working to personify the brand and give users the opportunity to hear from – and interact with – her directly.
It’s played out incredibly, with one user summing it up: “she sounds exactly as I thought she did. This is amazing.”
Why it worked
Under their unique hashtag #askwendyanything, an animated and confident Wendy puts a face and voice to the current TikTok obsession of getting replies from big brands.
She’s feisty – doing sarcastic impressions of commenters – and spicy in equal measure, promising to give relationship advice in the comments with a suggestive raise of her eyebrows.
In today’s internet world, kids aren’t so interested in chatbots. They’d rather publicly ask a fast-food mascot “I have a crush do I tell him?” or “are u guys gonna bring back vanilla frosty?”
7. Lidl
What they did
For Christmas 2023, Lidl dropped a stunning cover of EAST17’s ‘Stay Another Day’, complete with faithful white puffer coats, a monochrome filter, and real band member Tony Mortimer emotionally stuffing mince pies into his mouth.
Why it worked
As one user confirms on one of their Christmas posts sitting at 47.8M views, “Lidl understands the assignment on TikTok”.
Completely silly and riffing on a cornerstone of UK Christmas culture, this content hooks straight into our collective nostalgia and feels like something your mates would come up with.
The genius of this post is the Lidl-ification of the track to advertise their app, with adjusted lyrics like “Baby if you’re hosting Christmas day”, “Save another way” and “You’ve never seen an app like this”.
(Real) Lidl festive jumpers and packs of stollen swaddled in white puffer jackets bring the brand and its products to the fore in a natural way.
With a bog-standard Christmas food post sat next to it, at 49K views, it’s clear what people are into when it comes to seasonal content.
8. Slim Jim
What they did
Slim Jim is another company that’s discovered the awesome power of brand characterisation.
Aside from a variety of posts involving the number 69, the dominant feature of their channel is the Slim Jim “CEO” – personified as a golden slab of rippling muscle the eponymous beef jerky for a head.
Self-ascribed as “the CEO of verified comments”, here the brand channel has merged with the character in its sole mission is to comment on as many users’ videos as possible across TikTok.
Why it worked
Slim Jim shaped their ‘CEO’ brand character to be an overwhelmingly alpha, muscular, bombastic figure whose only goal is to be popular on social media – not to sell beef jerky snacks.
Through this obsession with clout and a quasi-celebrity, demigod image, Slim Jim has become a hero and inspiration to its predominantly young, male, irreverent consumers.
Its constant stream of energetic, blue-tick engagement across the platform creates a huge, constant demand from users, influencers and other brands who want to get their boost from interacting with it – in turn, flooding Slim Jim posts with traffic.
9. Oddbox
What they did
Most of Oddbox’s videos languish in the low thousands or hundreds of views. Their constant recipe ideas just weren’t performing in a world saturated by big personalities doing the exact same thing, better.
So – if you can’t beat them, join them! They partnered with 1.2M follower, anti-food waste cook and influencer Lagomchef, netting them 1M+ views after just two partnered posts.
Why it worked
You need a compelling personality and, most often, comedy, to succeed on TikTok – Lagomchef delivers just that. Energetic, chaotic and relatable, he’s constantly making a mess and bizarre sounds as he goes.
“When a recipe asks for one clove, it’s normally ten” he laughs, almost knocking the entire chopping board onto the floor.
Rather than more dry corpo-voice instructional content, for their “Odds and Ends Sauce” Oddbox let a professional personality bring their content to the boil (not sorry). They also tapped into a huge and relevant audience, ready-made.
10. Hotel Chocolat
What they did
For all our talk of going beyond the product for TikTok food marketing, Hotel Chocolat is a company that reminds us that some brands really don’t have to.
Their ultra-premium, luxury range of chocolate products are a feast for the senses. You can’t taste them through the screen, but they make sure that you can imagine it – vividly.
Why it worked
Their best performing videos are, firstly, ultra-satisfying “in the factory” or unboxing content, where you longingly watch giant vats of liquid cocoa become slabs of expensive chocolate, or hear the whisper of paper coverings coming off a limited-edition box of opulent treats.
Then there’s the incredibly strong ‘velvetiser’ hot chocolate machine subculture, where the chocolate obsessed gather to marvel at innovative applications of their Hotel Chocolat sachets (porridge! ice pops!) and demand to know when limited edition flavors are coming back in the comments.
Hotel Chocolat has mastered the art of tactile, sensory product marketing. They also have a clear understanding of their market segments – from the holiday gift buyers to the hardcore chocolatiers.
11. Asda
What they did
Influencers come in all shapes, sizes, and from various different verticals. Audiences on social are used to seeing gaming, travel, fashion, beauty, and many more variations of influencer. Are Asda bringing in the next generation of influencers… with nan-fluencers?
Nans are quickly becoming the face of Asda on TikTok in a bid to help the UK save money in 2024. In a video racking up over 1.4 million views, Asda announced that it would be putting together a team of nan-fluencers, bringing their wisdom to TikTok to help people save money when they shop.
Asda put its own spin on the popular #Ofcourse trend, giving viewers a wholesome look into how our nans shop at Asda.
Why it worked
Asda’s campaign blends wholesomeness with user-generated content and an initiative to help people save money on their shopping. Using #AsdaNans TikTokers were prompted to submit content of their nan, and why they would be perfect among Asda’s nan-fluencer team.
The content feels honest and warm-hearted, and it’s something new that not many TikTok audiences are used to seeing. Could nan-fluencers be the next big thing? We certainly hope so.
12. Philadelphia
What they did
Philadelphia, the cream cheese not the NFL team, have whipped up a winning formula over on TikTok.
Over the holidays, Philadelphia developed a series of videos that explored all the weird and wonderful things you can do with cream cheese, as requested by their audience. The brand’s audience loves this content, the numbers don’t lie. A video of them making Philadelphia mashed potatoes hit over 44.4 million views, and a video showing a chopped pimento olives and celery recipe that got over 56 million views.
Another great piece of content was a video bringing in rival football fans to hate on “Philly”. From “f*ck Philly” to “we don’t do Philly over here” its safe to say these fans weren’t happy, that is until they tried a bagel filled with Philadelphia cream cheese, and then they couldn’t help but love Philly.
Why it worked
The brand’s “comment and we make it” series is a winning recipe on TikTok, not only because it highlights all the delicious recipes you can make with cream cheese, but also because commenters are desperate for Philadelphia to make their outlandish creations, however impossible they may seem. One commenter suggested “mustard gas”, another suggested “particle accelerator”. Don’t worry there are serious comments too.
Philadelphia’s TikTok strategy works because they regularly engage with their audience, and reward their communities participation by featuring them on the channel. Outside of delicious recipes, viewers are rewarded with humorous tongue-in-cheek style videos that keep people coming back for more.
13. Ritz Crackers
What they did
Ritz Crackers’ TikTok channel is very much on-trend. The brand has made meme culture a staple of its content, leveraging humor to amass over 152K followers.
Rizz is a word ingrained into today’s internet subcultures. The term is defined as style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic partner. Ritz uses this term, not to romance its audience, but to win them over by appealing to them through content they’re familiar with.
From pretending to rebrand to “Rizz Crackers” to the “Rizz Cracker” itself, and even Rizz themed valentines cards, the Ritz Cracker has positioned itself as a crunchy savory snack and heartthrob rolled into one.
Why it worked
Memes have a huge influence over content and trends that appear across TikTok. #Meme and #memes have been used across a collective 110+ million posts.
Ritz recognizes the effectiveness of using humor and meme-style content to drive brand awareness and loyalty. Not only does the Ritz community love the content, but other brands in the food sector do too! Many of their Rizz related videos had the likes of Oreo, Chips Ahoy, and Irish Spring commenting, although I wouldn’t try and eat any Irish Spring products.
14. Tesco
What they did
Tesco’s Valentine’s Day campaign was an absolute hit on TikTok. In a video racking up over 15 million views, Tesco partnered with Love Islanders, Tasha Gouri and Andrew Le Page. The video explored Tesco’s Valentine’s food range, and the perfect deals to mix and match for a #ValentinesIn.
Why it worked
Economic highs and rising food prices have seen more people switching to at-home dining experiences. Tesco capitalized on this trend by offering its customers a low priced deal on high quality food that brought the fine dining experience to people’s homes on Valentine’s Day. And what better way to raise awareness for this offer than a partnership with one of Love Island’s favorite couples!
Over the last three years we’ve worked with Tesco on truly groundbreaking campaigns. Learn more about how we extended our relationship as their influencer agency of record!
15. Tabasco
What they did
Tabasco’s spicy flavor carries over into its TikTok strategy. Over the holiday season, Tabasco brought the cultures of the world to the table, with zesty and flavorsome recipes from creators from all corners of the globe.
From a spicy take on the British classic pigs in blankets to the perfect Nicaraguan nacatamales, Tabasco showed all the ways its tangy sauce could heat up the dining table during the holidays.
Why it worked
The holiday season is a time for diets to go out of the window. It’s a time for delicious food and time well spent with family and friends. Tabasco kept on top of holiday food trends by appealing to viewers from different cultures with recipes that would inspire them.
Tabasco’s strategy was so effective because they explored each recipe with a popular creator from multiple regions. They had the popular British food TikToker ElBurritomonster creating a classic British recipe, and Alissa Nguyen firing up a Vietnamese dish with the hot sauce.
The Tabasco slogan is to “light things up” a phrase that can be applied to different cultures, dishes, and seasons, which is something that really shone through in their TikTok strategy over the holidays.
https://www.tiktok.com/@tabascobrand/video/7312562319941225774?lang=en
So how can you crush it?
Now you’ve seen how some of the best are tackling their TikTok campaigns, what are the key takeaways you should focus on?
Stay authentic
Authenticity isn’t going anywhere – people are more skeptical of brands than ever. So, giving them an unfiltered, truthful version of your identity is key.
Be the entertainer
Every single one of these brands has one thing in common. They make seriously entertaining content. If you want to be noticed on TikTok, you must do the same.
Don’t focus on going viral
Achieving virality is great, but it shouldn’t be the goal. Consistent, community-led content will grow your following and boost your sales in the long run. Plus, it will build a die-hard group of fans who will continue your marketing efforts in the form of UGC. A win-win in our book.
Partner with influencers
Getting influencers involved in your TikTok strategy is a tried and tested way to win at it. Returning to our point on authenticity – you don’t get much more authentic than TikTok creators. Their fans follow them for a reason, so remember if you collaborate with a creator, let them do what they do best.
TikTok isn’t the only way forward
Yes, TikTok is a brilliant way to reach your audience. But it shouldn’t be the only channel you approach. A multi-platform strategy is essential if you want to see long-term traction.
TikTok got you stumped?
It’s all well and good looking at how other brands use TikTok. But what about your own? Every company is unique and your KPIs will likely be completely individual. So how do you develop a TikTok strategy to win over customers? Enlist the experts. Goat have worked with some of the World’s leading food and beverage brands on TikTok strategies that get results. Get in touch today to discuss your brand.
Still curious? Why not check out our Top Food Industry Influencer Marketing Campaigns?
