Brands demonstrate convenience for Gen Z in TikTok ads

As consumers, we see advertisements everywhere — from sponsored content on your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds to YouTube product videos that come before the video you actually want to watch. Today, however, I want to discuss advertisements on a popular app all too familiar with Generation Z (7 to 22)—TikTok. The app allows users to create 15-second videos, soundtracked by music clips, other users and themselves. TikTok content helps me forget about the worries of the pandemic, consistently innovates, informs and provides life-hacks. Above all, it's hilarious and a great way to unwind.

Here are facts about TikTok’s popularity: 

• Ranks 9th compared to other platforms 
• 800 million active users worldwide 
• 315 million downloads on the App Store and Google Play in Q1 of 2020
• $247.6 million all-time total revenue 

Beyond these numbers, TikTok sponsored content is excellently targeted. Brands use specific demographics (e.g., age and sex), psychographics (e.g., interests, lifestyles, healthcare preferences) and influencer marketing to generate leads, drive traffic to their websites, raise awareness and ultimately: customers.

The brands I'll be discussing all have one common theme in their advertisements — convenience.

Generation Z loves convenience and sees it as a necessity, not a luxury. Generation Z uses technology to make purchase decisions, pays top dollar to experience close-to-reality video games and are highly informed: researching product alternatives and reading lots of reviews. 

Here’s three brilliantly simple TikTok ads that tout convenience:

Ritual (Multivitamins Ad, Posted 5/19):

• Survey: One LinkedIn connection voted “Other” to hear my thoughts on an app not listed; here you go, friend. 
• Who: Young woman, dressed in yellow to match the package she received. Portrayed as everyday, average person who’s talking to friends 
• What: Product display of her Ritual package, which includes a bottle of 60 pills (take 2 day daily); “essential for women”; sufficient for one month
• Value Proposition: 9 nutrients all in one pill
• Why only nine? “Most multis [multivitamins] have 20+ ingredients you already get enough from your food. Ours contains only nutrients you need, in bioavailable forms your body can actually use," according to their website.
• Why a woman and why a yellow sweatshirt: 60 percent of TikTok users are female and 60 percent are between the ages of 16 to 24. Yellow is the color of optimism, awakes energy and conveys youthful fresh energy. This is consistent with the woman's appearance, tone and product endorsement.
• Convenience and other perks: Just 2 pills a day, free shipping, easy cancellation, 30-day guarantee, other products available as you age and/or get pregnant. 
• Pricing: $30 ($360 yearly) 
• Competitor Pricing (Hum Nutrition): $10 to $40 ($100 to $400 yearly)
• Worth it? Proven quality and efficacy; researched nutrients, in forms identical to those in healthy foods; clean alternatives to traditional fillers and preservatives; product shipped fresh; it never sits on a shelf
• Cost Efficiency: High quality with a high price sticker; purchased separately, the ingredients would cost $200/month; Capsule technology and direct-to-consumer model allows Ritual to deliver everything your body needs in a single bottle for $30/month, or $1/day
• Anonymous product reviews from website: 
• 5-stars: "I really enjoy taking Ritual vitamins. I love all the supplements included in one capsule and that I can take it with or without food. It made a big difference for me not having to buy so many different supplements to get what I needed and taking my handful of daily vitamins down to two capsules. Cost wise and quality wise, taking ritual was and still is a great choice for me."
• 3-stars: "I am 2 months in. I haven’t seen any noticeable changes but I would expect that to take a little longer. Regardless I like that there are simple ingredients that matter."
• 1-star from Courtney I.: "At first the vitamin was great. But then I noticed that I could taste, and smell, the fishy flavor when I burped and when I smelled the bottle. NO THANK YOU! I realize this is probably because of the quality of the vitamins, is it though? but I just cannot deal with that AT ALL. The service itself is great, but man, they blew it on the taste. No, I wouldn't tell a friend to take these vitamins."
• Company Response (3 business days after, but still helpful and apologetic): "Sorry to hear that! Your vitamins should smell and taste like mint so if you haven't already, please email our team at [email protected] and we'll help you out. In the meantime, try taking the vitamins before bed to see if that helps with the smell/taste of the vegan algal oil."
• Business Insider review: Commerce reporter Kelsey, who took multivitamins ever since she was a kid, said she was “initially skeptical.” Over time, however, Kelsey “noticed positive improvements, the most notable being a dramatic energy boost.”

Acorns (Invests Your Spare Change, Ad Posted 5/22): 

• Survey: Five LinkedIn connections voted to hear my thoughts on this app
• Who: Ashton Kutcher talks his Acorns investment on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2017
• Why Ashton? Celebrity endorsement of course! According to the Colbert interview, which is basically the TikTok ad, Kutcher is an investor and calls the app “a tip jar for your spending.” Ashton continues, "If you purchase coffee for $1.65, Acorns will round it up to a dollar and put the 35 cents into a diversified savings portfolio." It's also worth noting that celebrities add credibility and popularity to products and services they endorse. 
• Angel Investor: TechCrunch says that Kutcher has been investing in technology for over a decade, both as an angel investor and a founding partner of A-Grade Investments and Sound Ventures. Kutcher’s fund portfolio includes Airbnb, Uber, Flexport, Brex, Robinhood and others. 
• Pricing: No surprise fees, “we bundle our products into subscription tiers [Lite: $1/mo and Personal: $3/mo] that support your financial wellness"
• Other features: Bank-level security, two-factor authentication; time for your checking account to work much harder; features that help invest when you spend and save on hidden fees. 
• Value Proposition: 3-in-1 | For the first time, you can get all-in-one investment, retirement, and checking accounts, and so much more — for just $3 a month. No hidden fees and free or fee-reimbursed nationwide ATMs. 
• Why green: The app logo is green because it probably symbolizes growth, (financial) health and American cash of course.
• Convenience: The app encourages, "mindless, automatic saving." Nerdwallet adds, "If you don’t have to think about saving, you’re more likely to do it. Acorns sweeps excess change from every purchase using a linked account into an investment portfolio. You can connect as many cards as you want."
• NerdWallet: Pros: automatically invests spare change, cash back at select retailers, educational content available. Cons: Small investment portfolio
• Competitor SoFi: 0% management fee for SoFi (Acorns requires $1 - $3), $0 account minimum (both Acorns and SoFi) and free career counseling plus loan discounts with qualifying deposit (Acorns doesn't have a similar promotion)
• Overall: Acorns is best for hands off investors and people who struggle to save. 

Bumble (Dating App, Ad Posted 5/31): 

• Who: YouTube personality and influencer marketer David Dobrik in a comfy home talks about a Bumble message: “You’re a babe,” from Rachel. 
• More: A happy David says, “Rachel, that was a strong message right out the gate.” She laughs, “Hey, you got to be blunt!"
• Apparently, this ad was their “Date #1” signaling that the woman messages first. 
• Why yellow: Happiness, positivity and opportunity — emotions that were consistent with David and Rachel. They're young and fit Bumble’s target demographics of 18 to 34. Moreover, Rachel is a part of 60 percent of TikTok female users and looks to be between 16 to 24. This age range uses yellow, which conveys youthful and fresh energy; this was quite apparent in the ad as well. 
• Value Proposition: Not just for dating anymore; women make the first move; Bumble Bizz: allows you to pursue a career change, meet team members or become a mentor; Bumble BFF: helps make friendships in a new city and expand your social circle 
• Convenience: The female-focused version of Tinder gives women the opportunity to send the first message; app gives them a platform for career changes and to easily make new friends and colleagues in a new place.
• Pricing: Free, but Bumble Boost gives you access to premium features anywhere from $10.99 a week to $24.99 a month depending on the subscription. 
• Competitor Pricing: Free, but Tinder Plus ($9.99) offers premium features and Tinder Gold ($29.99) offers a first-class experience
• Ask Men review: Pros: women initiate communication, so men only spend time talking to those who’ve shown interest; 24-hour time-limited chat encourages women to be more active on the site. Cons: profiles are visually-focused, and don’t allow you to showcase personality in anything other than photos, men have little control over the outcome of the dating experience

I’ve watched many more ads: Apple TV, the new Scoob Movie, intermittent fasting and even an app that helps people improve public speaking skills. These ads practically use many of the same features: front-facing and forward-facing smartphone cameras, simple, natural, to-the-point dialogue and pretend like they are talking to friends, not customers. Characteristics like these are best practices for influencer marketers nowadays. 

If you’re a part of Generation Z, would you consider purchasing the products after watching these ads? If so, what compelled you to hit 'add to cart' (e.g., speaker, product, needing to have your needs met, price, colors)? Maybe you're not the parent, caregiver, or spouse or who someone in the household who has purchasing power. That also plays a large role.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments about TikTok ads you find appealing.

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A proud Berry College alumnus, I'm a writer, social media nerd and content creator with experience in student journalism, higher education and stints in politics and healthcare. Read more articles on my portfolio site, and connect with me on LinkedIn.