Trevor Johnson

‘I am TikTok’s European director of marketing, global business solutions. I lead the function that consists of creative lab, partnership solutions, B2B marketing and comms, brand strategy, and creator solutions. I moved to TikTok from Facebook/ Instagram, where I spent 12 years, joining as one of Facebook’s first employees outside of the US.

‘There, I most recently held the role of Instagram’s director of market operations, EMEA. I am also an independent non-executive director at the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA). Finally, I play an active role in championing diversity and inclusion within the advertising industry, holding advisory roles in a number of organisations in the sector. I’m also on the board of trustees of the Ideas Foundation, a UK-based charity.’
 
Here, Johnson shares his six tips for building a brand:

Disruption provides opportunity
‘The pandemic has brought on a decade’s worth of disruption in less than a year. Not everyone will want to return to the “old ways”. It’s safe to assume that many new rules of engagement will be here to stay. Advertisers should view it as an opportunity to break the mould on how they approach age-old strategies to remain fresh and relevant for their audiences in the long term. 

‘At the same time, let’s not mistake “the interim” for “the future”. The reality is, most of the big changes that lie ahead were already happening. This period of time has provided an excuse for companies to make the changes they were reluctant to make. And it has forced customers to adopt new behaviours they didn’t know about or didn’t feel the need to before. A larger portion of marketing investment will need to be focused on building and maintaining a meaningful relationship with consumers, rather than driving near term sales.’

Brands can find perfection in imperfection
‘To remain authentic and relatable has always been a holy grail for many brands – however, at no point has this been more relevant than in 2021. It’s no longer about being curated to the highest spec, but rather bringing in a real, human tone of voice that audiences can respond to. The pandemic has shown us that people want brand marketing to level with them and are sharing their real-life experiences on platforms like TikTok as an antidote to overly polished and branded content. Brands that take note of that when thinking about their content this year will find it gives them a stronger platform to speak to both existing and new customers’.

Don’t underestimate the power of sound-on storytelling
‘In today’s world, it’s not just about how brands look, but how they sound. Having spent years creating ads for a sound-off environment, 2020 has proved that the demand is absolutely there for immersive storytelling in full screen with the sound on. I’ve seen some of the most successful campaigns to date leveraging the power of music and sound to connect with audiences and show off their brand personality.’ 

Lean in to the power of community to build your brand
‘I can’t wait to see brands be unafraid to embrace a different side to their personality – a side that is bold, relevant, fun, and creative. Within that, there’s power in letting existing and prospective customers build your brand with you and giving them the creative freedom to celebrate products on their own terms. Platforms now have amazingly diverse communities of creators who continually embrace everything from new trends to cultural moments. And, in the process, they add their own unique spin to it in a way that we haven’t seen before.’

Celebrate diversity
‘There’s never been a better time to embrace unique differences and celebrate diverse backgrounds, heritage and identity – no matter what it is. At the same time, empty platitudes will be called out quickly, so brands will need to think long and hard about how they want to incorporate diverse viewpoints into their campaigns, and do so in a meaningful way. I’d love to see every company inherently recognise diversity as a force for good that can change people’s lives in the long term.’

Reimagine your creative output
‘Platforms now give brands the opportunity to flip traditional marketing on its head and place their brand at the forefront of innovative storytelling and creative content to connect with today’s generation. My rallying cry to marketers is to try and visualise what it means for brands to show up on mobile digital platforms and embrace community as a powerful force that can bring out the best of their personality. Creating real success for businesses means showing bold thinking, adopting a distinct brand “personality”, and encouraging a dialogue with your prospective customers rather than churning out static ads and hoping for the best.’