This campaign combined paid, owned, and earned media including huge PR recognition and support, to elevate the TikTok Sea Shanty trend (AKA #ShantyTok) beyond the platform, to reach non-users and change their perception of TikTok.

We Identified a TikTok trend that was gaining traction, and worked with its originator, Nathan Evans. We grew the trend, by posting further content across our social channels and his, leading him to credit TikTok in media interviews for its role in his rise from postman to chart-topping signed artist, cementing TikTok at the heart of press coverage on the resurgence of sea shanties.

People who have heard of TikTok but haven’t used it think they know TikTok. Despite being a young platform, it has grown to notoriety around the world for it’s viral lip syncing and dancing videos. However, most don't realize that this is only a part of the vibrant and diverse communities on the platform.

Our task was to bring awareness and showcase the array of content on TikTok that non-users didn’t know about, thereby increasing the relevance, likeability, and consideration for trial. In spotting and supporting Nathan Evans and #shantyTok we reached a new audience across a multitude of touchpoints (on-platform, paid-for, broadcast and earned) to reinforce that culture is made and discovered on TikTok. Through amplifying this unique trend and sharing new and existing content to wider audiences through PR, with a consistent visual identity, we relayed that TikTok is where this and many other different trends start.

When a Scottish postman's sea shanties started taking hold within TikTok, we knew this could be an opportunity to showcase how many trends are created and grow on the platform and beyond - challenging people's perceptions about us.

The creative idea was to ensure ‘The Wellerman’ was used as much more than just a song: it was a showcase of the platform’s breadth of content as well as a demonstration of how in-platform functionalities encourage collaboration.

We worked with the original Nathan Evans video as well as with ‘freshly-posted’ UGC to create a campaign - direct from channel to TV and beyond - that championed mass collaboration, showcasing the wide range of creators on TikTok. Singers, DJs, trombone players, all contributing to this movement in real time. Soon we encouraged everyone from Elon Musk to Anthony Lloyd Webber, from The Telegraph to Radio 4 Today program were leaping onboard.

Our insight was simple: people don't realise how much can start on TikTok. The sea shanty trend’s PR potential made it a golden opportunity to address this.

The PR strategy started with us ensuring we gave a voice to all creators - both celebrity and everyday - allowing as many people to share, like and create their own versions, growing the trend even more.

Additionally, as soon as #seashanty began to grow on our own platform, we supported its originator, enabling exposure to more audiences, both on and off TikTok.

But then to really make the work buzz, we took Nathan into the eyes and ears of the whole country. We took to TV, both through prime time TVCs and by supporting him through as many PR and public appearances as possible! And it worked - from his bedroom, he soon was appearing on breakfast sofas, radio and in press.

With the large spike in social activity drawing initial press coverage, the campaign was first supported by social posts, then by branded video ads.

The main focus of the campaign was to be the final phase, lasting around 5-8 days. Working with Nathan Evans (the originator of the trend), we created content that championed his use of TikTok and the collaborations it enabled, which lead to more attention, more participation, and to the revival of sea shanties.

Posting across his and our branded channels to maximise reach, we launched Nathan into the mainstream and kept the PR going. Nathan drew further earned media coverage when he signed a record deal and reached number one in charts across Europe, with nearly all press coverage highlighting Nathan’s TikTok roots.

That’s from first post, to TVC and record deal in under 3 weeks.

The campaign drove 36 million impressions and 3 million engagements with a 17% view through rate and over 4 billion views of the sea shanty hashtag TikTok. With an additional 3,000 news publications writing to cover the trend in the two week span of the campaign alone. From Forbes, to the Guardian, to trade and music press across Europe, this sea shanty’s popularity was game-changing for both TikTok and for Nathan Evans.

The expanded coverage of the campaign resulted in the increases of the core goals of relevance, likeability, and consideration within non-TikTok users. As well as increasing brand trust, recommendation, and message recall in the core audience.

Added together, this reaffirms TikTok’s goal of becoming the home of culture driven entertainment rooted in insight - TikTok’s community powers culture.

Oh and speaking of results, does getting a record contract and a track to number one in countries all across Europe count? We think so!