Virality on TikTok
How TikTok has become a successful marketing platform for music.
TikTok has allowed certain artists and their music to reach a new and unique virality that was much less attainable previously. In a time where content and information can be spread instantly, artists often struggle to stand out amongst the competition. In general, TikTok has become a way for creators of all origins to gain exposure and “go viral”. Even sounds can go viral as other users use them for their own videos. Some musical artists have succeeded in promoting their music on the app, including the record-breaking hit ‘drivers license’ by Olivia Rodrigo and the single ‘Heather’ by Conan Gray. These artists made large breakthroughs on TikTok with somewhat different strategies, but there is much for artists and their marketing teams to learn from their successes.
‘drivers license’ became a massive hit through storytelling and speculation. Olivia Rodrigo had already made a name for herself as the star of the Disney show ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ and with another song titled ‘All I Want’. ‘drivers license’ was immediately popular among fans of her and the television show, but blew up as TikTok users speculated that the song told the story of a breakup and a love triangle with co-star Joshua Bassett and another Disney star Sabrina Carpenter. Theories circulated and users all over TikTok indulged in the drama and background story of this catchy song. They used the song as audio in videos posted, trying to make sense of the situation and tell a story, generating rapid exposure.
Using TikTok to speculate about the story of a song and its real-life events helps an idea to catch on because people are constantly intrigued by and gravitate towards stories. It’s important for music, especially, because music is created for telling stories. This strategy for music marketing was very successful in this case, but the nature of TikTok and its users is also responsible for the success. TikTok aided Olivia Rodrigo to break away from being perceived solely as a Disney star, and at the age of 17, her debut single was noted by Billboard as one of the most dominant number-one hits of all time.
‘Heather’ by Conan Gray gained traction with the concept of TikTok trends which are everchanging. The song tells the story of being jealous of a beautiful and mesmerizing girl named Heather, sparking a trend of calling people Heather. Users used the song as audio for videos showing pictures of parents, friends, or themselves, referring to them as Heather for beauty or other qualities. The name “Heather” became a sort of iconic name among TikTok users, like “Karen” but in a complimentary manner. This made the song interactive, creating something that all users on TikTok could become a part of by making content.
While TikTok has allowed quick and massive exposure for songs like ‘drivers license’ and ‘Heather’, there are some concerns about artists becoming a one-hit-wonder. Olivia Rodrigo has gone on to release another successful single, but many are still worried she may not experience the success that her record-breaking debut single reached. Conan Gray has continued to release popular songs, but other artists on TikTok may not be as lucky. Virality is much more common now and it’s likely that some artists who have had success on TikTok won’t have more than one big hit.
Although the main causes for virality were different for these two songs, they both sparked conversation among listeners and TikTok users. They encouraged action and generated word of mouth on TikTok, a strategy that other marketers should look into.