Posted on 5th September 2024
First they let the Gen Z intern edit their videos … now they’re letting Gen Z employees write the marketing script.
Brands, businesses and organisations are going viral on TikTok with a new trend that leans into Gen Z slang. In the videos, an "employee" describes a product or service, narrating the script in a deadpan style while apparently not understanding a word of it.
Currys nailed the trend with a TikTok saying "It's a brat summer at Currys, my guys", inspiring people to comment: "THIS is marketing", "I can't believe I almost skipped this" and "The gen z influence on marketing campaigns is the best thing I’ve seen in years."
Other brands also replied to the video which has had nearly two million views:
Post Office: bussin' video my g no cap 🔥
Krispy Kreme UK: An absolute masterpiece
Nectar UK: The microwave one 😭
Henry: We are very demure 💅🏻
Shaun the Sheep: Serving the peak vibes we need today
Teletubbies HQ: Soooo slay 💜💚💛❤️
Currys' approach has been praised on LinkedIn by marketing professionals including Charlie Henderson, who said: "Brands are constantly aiming to connect with new age groups, particularly in the HiFi industry. However, few ever pull it off. Currys plc have though, in style. It's not the first, but the 'GOAT' so far."
Another popular example of the trend is a TikTok by the owner of a B&B, Fyfield Manor near Wallingford in Oxfordshire, who tells us the building is “880 years old, no cap”. The video, which has now had more than 10m views, was posted by the account @FyfieldManor with the caption, "I can confirm she understood nothing she said."
They also posted a TikTok of all the bloopers made while filming it. One commenter said: "Forget B&B… this a stay&slay".
Fyfield Manor's TikTok has also caught the attention of media including BBC News and ITV News who asked "Is this a genius way to advertise your business?", and the Daily Mail who described it as "Rizz marketing".
Beamish Museum in County Durham is also racking up the views with a Gen Z tour of their museum. Comments say the employee in their video "Ate and left no crumbs" and "I am very much a victim of fun marketing. I wanna go now".
Promising to be "The gateway to endless vibes", East Midlands Airport got some great comments calling for their social media team to be given a pay rise and people saying this is their "new favourite type of video on TikTok".
And Greene King have even adapted the the trend for a recruitment advert:
Take a look at this Shooglebox of these examples and more – and some of the reaction from marketing professionals on LinkedIn.
Buzz from Shooglebox helps major UK brands spot, understand and quickly respond to emerging TikTok trends, and tap into what their customers are seeing, saying and doing on social media.
