Marketing on TikTok: Unlocking the Power of Short-Form Video in 2025

TikTok, the social media platform that took the world by storm, has rapidly become one of the most influential digital spaces for content creators, influencers, and brands. With over 1 billion active monthly users in 2025, TikTok continues to shape the way people engage with content, especially younger audiences. For businesses, this presents a golden opportunity to reach an engaged, diverse, and often highly loyal consumer base. Yet, marketing on TikTok requires more than just placing an ad or sharing content. It requires a deep understanding of the platform’s unique culture, the power of creativity, and how brands can leverage short-form video to build lasting relationships with their audiences.

In this 1900-word op-ed, I will explore how brands can effectively market on TikTok in 2025, the importance of authenticity and creativity, the strategies that yield the best results, and the key trends shaping TikTok marketing today. By understanding the platform’s dynamics and learning how to craft content that resonates with its users, businesses can take full advantage of TikTok’s unique potential.

TikTok’s Unique Appeal: More Than Just a Social Media Platform

To understand why TikTok is such a powerful tool for marketers, it’s important to recognize the nature of the platform and its user behavior. TikTok, at its core, is a short-form video app that allows users to create, share, and engage with 15-second to 3-minute videos. It thrives on its algorithm, which presents personalized content based on individual interests, watch history, and engagement. The sheer virality of the platform—the ability for a video to be seen by millions of people, even those without a massive following—has made TikTok an attractive proposition for brands looking to make a big impact in a short amount of time.

What sets TikTok apart from other social media platforms is its emphasis on creativity and entertainment. While platforms like Instagram and Facebook have traditionally been about polished visuals and curated content, TikTok encourages raw, unfiltered, and often humorous videos that entertain, inform, or inspire. It’s a platform where users can jump on trends, challenge conventions, and experiment with new ideas. TikTok’s users—predominantly Generation Z and millennials—are drawn to the platform because it provides a space for them to express themselves authentically and interact with content in a way that feels more organic and less commercial.

For brands, this presents a challenge. How do you market your products or services in a space that thrives on creativity and fun, where users are less receptive to overt advertising and more interested in entertainment? The answer lies in understanding TikTok’s culture and adapting your marketing efforts to align with it.

Embracing Authenticity and Creativity

In 2025, one of the most critical principles for marketing on TikTok is authenticity. This is a platform where polished, traditional ads often fall flat, and instead, raw, authentic, and creative content reigns supreme. TikTok’s algorithm rewards content that generates engagement, not just in terms of views, but through likes, comments, shares, and even how long users spend watching a video. Content that feels genuine and speaks to the emotions or interests of the audience is far more likely to be shared and go viral.

1. Authentic Storytelling

At the heart of TikTok’s success is its ability to foster storytelling. For brands, this means focusing less on hard selling and more on telling a compelling story that resonates with the audience. The most successful TikTok campaigns don’t just feature products; they show how those products fit into real-life situations or connect with the values and interests of the target audience.

For example, consider the case of a beauty brand that doesn’t simply promote its makeup products in a commercial way but rather encourages users to share their own makeup routines, using the brand’s products to create unique looks. The brand can then amplify the content by re-sharing user-generated videos, making the campaign feel more like a community effort than a typical advertising push.

Brands can also use storytelling to showcase their company’s behind-the-scenes moments, product development stories, or team culture. TikTok users appreciate seeing the human side of brands, which builds trust and fosters a sense of connection. Content that reveals the personality of the brand, highlights values, or tells a fun, relatable story is far more likely to generate positive engagement.

2. User-Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content is another essential element of TikTok marketing. Since TikTok thrives on viral trends, challenges, and hashtags, brands can engage users by encouraging them to create their own content around a product or campaign. When users feel like they’re a part of a brand’s narrative or challenge, they become invested in spreading the message to their networks.

An example of this is the #Challenge and #Hashtag campaigns that many brands run on TikTok. By creating a branded challenge—whether it’s a dance, a creative project, or a fun experiment—brands can tap into the viral nature of TikTok and have their audience participate in promoting the brand organically. Consider the viral #InMyDenim challenge from American Eagle in which users created videos showcasing how they styled the brand’s jeans in creative ways. The campaign was hugely successful because it involved the audience, encouraged creativity, and authentically represented the brand.

The power of UGC also lies in its ability to generate social proof. When users see others participating in a campaign, it builds trust and encourages them to try the product themselves. UGC is a powerful marketing tool because it allows brands to engage their community and create a sense of shared ownership over the campaign.

TikTok Trends: Riding the Wave of Popularity

To succeed on TikTok, brands must keep their finger on the pulse of emerging trends. TikTok’s viral culture is powered by rapidly changing trends, from memes and soundtracks to popular dances and viral challenges. The key for marketers is not to chase every trend but to select those that align with their brand identity and resonate with their target audience.

1. Music and Soundtracks

Music is a central feature of TikTok. Videos are often set to trending songs or soundbites, which users replicate and remix in their own videos. This opens up a unique opportunity for brands to tap into popular music or sounds to align their product with a viral trend. For instance, using a trending soundtrack in a video that highlights a product in a fun or creative way can help the content reach a wider audience.

One notable example is how brands like Chipotle leveraged TikTok’s music trends by encouraging users to incorporate their food into dance challenges or skits. By using a popular song that was trending on TikTok, the brand inserted itself into the conversation in a way that felt natural rather than forced.

However, it’s crucial to strike the right balance between hopping on trends and ensuring the content still feels authentic to the brand. Brands that simply insert themselves into a trending meme or song without adding meaningful value risk coming across as inauthentic or opportunistic.

2. Hashtag Challenges

Hashtag challenges are one of the most powerful tools for viral marketing on TikTok. By creating a challenge around a product or brand and encouraging users to participate, brands can amplify their reach exponentially. A successful hashtag challenge often involves an easy-to-replicate action, such as a dance move, a specific type of video format, or a fun activity that users can recreate with their own twist.

A great example is the #GuacDance challenge by Chipotle, which encouraged users to film themselves dancing for free guacamole. The challenge became so popular that it generated over 1 million video submissions, massively increasing brand visibility and consumer engagement. Hashtag challenges like this tap into TikTok’s sense of fun and creativity, making them a highly effective way for brands to generate buzz.

3. Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing remains a powerful tool on TikTok, as influencers hold significant sway over the platform’s audiences. TikTok influencers are known for their strong, authentic relationships with followers, and brands can leverage these relationships to boost brand awareness and drive product sales.

In 2025, the key to successful influencer marketing on TikTok is finding influencers who align with your brand’s values and message. Rather than simply opting for influencers with the largest followings, brands should focus on micro-influencers or creators whose audiences are engaged and share a strong connection with their content. TikTok users are more likely to trust influencers who feel relatable and authentic, so choosing influencers who genuinely love the brand’s products or services can lead to more meaningful engagement.

Influencers can create content in a way that aligns with TikTok’s format—using humor, creativity, or a unique spin to showcase the product. This type of content is often more relatable and effective than traditional advertising.

Paid Advertising on TikTok: Is It Worth It?

TikTok also offers a range of paid advertising options that can be leveraged for brands that want to increase their visibility beyond organic content. These options include in-feed ads, branded hashtag challenges, and branded effects, each designed to integrate seamlessly into the TikTok experience.

1. In-Feed Ads

In-feed ads are short video ads that appear in users’ feeds as they scroll through the platform. These ads are skippable, and the key to their success is making them engaging right from the first few seconds. The most effective in-feed ads don’t feel like traditional commercials; instead, they are creative, fun, and often designed to blend in with user-generated content.

Brands that succeed with in-feed ads understand that TikTok is a platform for entertainment, not direct selling. Successful ads are entertaining, authentic, and shareable, with a clear call to action that doesn’t interrupt the user experience.

2. Branded Effects and Augmented Reality

Another option for advertisers on TikTok is branded effects—augmented reality (AR) filters that users can apply to their videos. These AR effects allow users to create content with the brand’s unique filter, promoting the product in an interactive way. This is a great way to increase brand visibility and engagement, as users will often share their videos with friends, spreading awareness of the brand.

Conclusion: Marketing on TikTok in 2025

TikTok in 2025 is not just a place for entertainment—it’s a vibrant, dynamic platform where creativity and authenticity reign supreme. Brands that succeed on TikTok are those that embrace its culture, engage with its users, and deliver content that is fun, authentic, and relatable. Whether through user-generated content, influencer partnerships, hashtag challenges, or creative storytelling, TikTok offers brands a chance to connect with their audience in a more personal and impactful way.

However, marketing on TikTok is not just about creating viral videos—it’s about creating lasting relationships with your audience. The businesses that truly succeed on TikTok are those that foster community, prioritize authenticity, and understand that the platform thrives on creativity, not traditional advertising tactics.

In 2025, TikTok continues to be one of the most powerful marketing platforms available, and businesses that master it will be well-positioned to capture the attention and loyalty of today’s social media-savvy consumers. The key to success lies in understanding the platform’s unique dynamics and adapting your marketing strategies to align with its ever-evolving trends.