30 Inspiring Brands on TikTok to Fuel Your Creative Strategy

Last updated: January 4, 2024

These Brands Will Inspire Your TikTok Strategy

Interested in a TikTok strategy for your brand? You should be. Click here to schedule a free strategy session. We also have access to TikTok’s self-serve advertising platform (and campaigns there are doing amazing!)

TikTok is available in over 150 countries, has over 1 billion users, over 2 billion downloads, and over 130 million active users in the United States alone (here’s a full breakdown of TikTok statistics). If your brand’s target audience includes anyone between the age 13 and 60, you should have a TikTok strategy. There could not be a better time to invest in vertical video content for your brand than now. Place it on Instagram Stories, place it on Snapchat, and place it on TikTok! TikTok actually just added the ability to include links and commerce URLs in your profile and videos. So not only is the organic reach on the platform huge, but you can also drive meaningful traffic to your website. Want to know how the TikTok algorithm works? Click here. Without further ado, here are 29 brands doing exceptionally well on TikTok right now…(P.S. A handful of these are Wallaroo clients. So if you want to scale up your TikTok game, get in touch!)

1. Last Crumb

Last Crumb has arguably the best-tasting (and sexiest) cookies on the planet. They’re a fairly new brand but already have over 200,000 followers due to their incredible content (#client). They utilize a great mix of UGC, unboxing videos, studio-produced content, and more. Check out a couple below (and try their cookies!):

@lastcrumb We have a feeling this next era is gonna be our best one yet… ???????? #LastCrumb #LastCrumbTikTok #LastCrumbCookies #cookietok #cookie #foodie #2022eras #yearinreview ♬ azealia banks competition sped up – speed up songs ????????????

@lastcrumb Sorry in advance for ruining a traditional churro for you. #LastCrumb #LastCrumbTikTok #LastCrumbCookies #cookietok #cookie #foodie #churrocookie #churro #lastcrumbnewflavors #lastcrumbplatinum ♬ original sound – RoadtoRiches

@lastcrumb Did ya hear that, @Cinnabon ?? @Kelsie Flaim #LastCrumb #LastCrumbTikTok #LastCrumbCookies #cookietok #cookie #foodie ♬ original sound – Last Crumb

2. Vessi

Vessi is an awesome footwear brand based in Canada. They only started recently and are quickly approaching 200,000 followers (profile here). How have they grown so fast? Giveaways. They’re employing a unique duet giveaway strategy to generate UGC, followers, and revenue. Check out an example below! #client

@vessi##duet with @agajillian Show us your ##vessifootwear and you could win a free pair too! ##giveaway ##nomorewetsocks ##waterproofshoes ##tiktokwellness♬ my strange addiction – Billie Eilish

3.  Spikeball

For those of you who don’t know Spikeball, they describe themselves as if volleyball and foursquare had a baby. It’s an incredibly fun game. They have over 1,200,000 followers, over 25 million likes, and over 200 million views. How have they grown so quickly? Capitalizing on trends, creating platform-specific content, and knowing their audience and how that overlaps with TikTok’s core demographic. Check out their TikTok profile here and some videos below. #client

@spikeballokay IMPRESSIVE ???? (via Caleb Young)♬ original sound – Spikeball Inc.

 

4. Chipotle

Chipotle is also quite new to TikTok, but has been doing very well so far. They also have one of the best TikTok bios we’ve seen – “Less Tok, More Guac”. They’re consistent, which is also very important on the platform. Over Halloween they did a #boorito campaign that got over 4 billion views on the platform. Below is an example of two of their videos. The first one is pretty creative and acts as if the chips are singing along with Adele. And here is their profile.

@chipotle But you don’t need to know all that to know that real food just tastes better. #chipotle #farmers #food #local #fresh #ingredients ♬ original sound – Chipotle

 

5. McDonalds – Grimace Shake

McDonalds has been doing a great job on TikTok for a while now. But what has happened recently with the Grimace Shake trend is absolutely insane. Brands – take note. McDonalds fully leaned into the trend across social media and especially on TikTok. The hashtag #GrimaceShake has garnered hundred of millions of uses and billions and billions of views! Want to do a campaign like this?! Relatively minimal investment is needed to achieve these results (although it’s not always going to be repeatable). Interested? Contact us today!

@mcdonalds gotta look good for my bday #grimacesbirthday #grimaceshake #mcdonalds ♬ original sound – McDonald’s

@jonxthan.p im grimming out ##grimace##grimaceshake##mcdonalds##grimacesbirthday##fyp##foryou##viral ♬ Libets Delay by The Caretaker – Alt Tik Tok Sounds

6. Guess

Guess has only posted 7 videos so far, but they are off to a solid start. They already have 38,000 followers. They are also one of the only fashion brands we could find on the platform. A big miss by their competitors. Guess’ content is good. They did partner with TikTok to run a challenge on the platform using the #InMyDenim hashtag, with good success. Check this link. It shows all videos from Guess’ sponsored #InMyDenim challenge. The videos have over 38 million views. Here’s their TikTok profile. There’s a few video examples below, with the first being an entry from the #InMyDenim hashtag challenge.

 

 

7. NBA

The NBA was one of TikTok’s early adopters (disclosure: another client of ours). They consistently put out great content on the platform, also on trend. They’ve racked up a whopping 5.5 million fans on the app, by far the most we’ve seen from any brand. They keep things pretty funny, which definitely helps. This is very smart. Want NBA highlights? Go to Instagram. Want NBA news? Go to Twitter. Want NBA comedy, memes, and motivation? Go to TikTok. Here is their profile. Below are some video examples.

@nba That time when Shaq went on Inside Stuff… and then this happened ???????? #nba #shaq #blooper ♬ original sound – NBA

8. The Washington Post

For a newspaper, The Washington Post is actually doing a great job on TikTok. Check out their profile here. They usually post funny, engaging videos.

9. NFL

The NFL just barely launched their channel, and they’ve come out very strong. Consistent videos, native to the platform, engaging content. Extremely well done. It’s paid dividends too. Almost 1 million followers already. Here is a link to their profile.

10. HP

HP has only posted three videos. So their profile isn’t anything special. But they did do a great hashtag challenge at Coachella this year. It was called the #HPCoachellaDreamland challenge. They enlisted some big TikTok influencers to help kick off the challenge. The largest was OurFire, who has 5.3 million fans. The video below is from OurFire. All in all, the #HPCoachellaDreamland challenge videos have over 176 million views. Incredible. Check out HP’s TikTok page here.

11. Gymshark

Gymshark has been doing a great job on TikTok so far. They have 1.2 million fans and have been posting consistent, quality videos for a while now. They post a good combination of workout videos, workout memes, and inspiration. Check out some examples below.

@gymshark Her: He’s probably out cheating on me. Him with the boys: ???????????? @The Johnson Brothers #Gymshark #GymTok #GymBro ♬ original sound – Gymshark

12. San Diego Zoo

Who doesn’t love cute animals?! The San Diego Zoo only started posting a few months ago (a common theme as you’ve seen), but their videos are great. A baby cheetah licking a bloodsicle? Can’t beat that. A baby elephant playing with its mom? Too much.

 

13. Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein has been on TikTok for about six months now. They’ve produced 13 videos. None particularly engaging or unique to the platform. I’d honestly be surprised if they’ve spent more than 3 hours on the account. But from that small time investment, they’ve 4,000 fans and have about 100,000 views (nothing compared to some other brands on the list – the NBA leads the charge with over 1 billion views). Here’s their top video:

14. Joe Gibbs Racing

Joe Gibbs Racing has only been doing TikTok for five weeks now, as their Chief Digital Officer Bryan Cook has stated. During that short period of time they’ve posted about one video per day, experimenting with various types of content (behind the scenes, comedy, racing, etc.). They now have 37,000 followers, 344,000 engagement, and over 9 million views (more than all their other social media channels combined).

15. Vineyard Vines

Vineyard Vines has only been on TikTok for three months, posting 18 videos thus far. But they have been doing a great job. They post super fun, engaging content, and it’s always on trend. They’ve racked up a whopping 188,000 followers and roughly 12 million views. Kudos to them. Here’s a great video they posted when the bottle cap challenge was hot:

 

16. ESPN

ESPN has been dominating TikTok. They’ve posted a ton of videos, and rightfully so. Their content consistently performs very well. They post mostly funny sports videos. Check out a recent one with Kawhi Leonard below. They have 1 million fans and 25 million likes. We estimate that the view count of their videos is approaching a half billion.

17. Gushers

Gushers is a truly delicious candy (has always been one of my favorites). They’ve recently joined TikTok and have been doing a great job at jumping on trends and creating relevant content. Here’s a recent funny video of theirs:

18. WWE

WWE only joined TikTok in December 2019 and already has 1.3 Million followers. That’s the power of content right there. TikTok even did a press release about them joining, so you knew it was going to be big. And they hit the ground running with two great Christmas-related posts:

 

@wweAre you this hyped when it’s #christmas morning and time to open presents? #holidayszn #wwe #holidaycountdown♬ Run Run Rudolph – Los Lonely Boys

 

@wweDid you get what you wanted for #christmas? #holidayszn #wwe #merrychristmas♬ It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year – Andy Williams

19. Crocs

Crocs has been doing great things on TikTok. From challenges to viral videos to ads – they’re doing it all (and that’s the way to do it!). They recently did a challenge with Post Malone called the #ThousandDollarCrocs challenge and it currently has 2.8 Billion views.

@crocsJust Crocin’ with our peeps ✌️ ##PEEPSxCROCS available now in Crocs retail stores!♬ original sound – crocs

20. Fortnite

Fortnite just joined TikTok and came out strong. They’ve posted only 4 videos so far but already have over 1 million followers. Their launch campaign was genius – they invited TikTok users to their #EmoteRoyaleContest which challenged people to create dances that could then be turned in to official emotes on Fortnite game characters. That hashtag has been used over 250 million times. Check out some examples below.

 

 

 

21. Nascar

Nascar has been doing a great job on TikTok lately. Yes, they’re a huge brand. However, the capital investment on their videos is low. They are being very smart and strategic with their approach. Check out this Twitter thread by Tori Tidwell that breaks down their process. Great stuff.

22. Sabra Hummus

Sabra make delicious hummus dip, and they’re also great on social media. They don’t have a ton of followers, but their content is unique and engaging. I highly recommend them for brands looking to get inspirational to get started.

@sabraSpice is life ##Sabra ##hummus ##HowIMmus ##spicy ##fyp ##vegan♬ Cannibal – Ke$ha

23. Levi’s

Levi’s recently ran an influencer campaign on TikTok with great success. It was in partnership with TikTok and their new “Shop Now” button option that allows consumers to make purchases through links on TikTok (we have access to this beta as well – it’s great for eCommerce brands). Below are some of the videos that the influencers made. Levi’s reportedly was very pleased with the results.

@callenschaubIn my Montreal studio putting my spin on the Levi’s® Future Finish jeans – Shop online from home! ##stayhome ##oddlysatisfying ##levishausmiami ##ad♬ original sound – callenschaub

@iameverettwilliamsGUYS! I designed a pair of jeans for @levis and I am obsessed! These are available now! Link in my bio! ? ##ad♬ Monster kill – Tik Tok Assistant

24. Young Nails

Young Nails is a nail polish brand and has almost 2 million followers on TikTok. They’re consistently making fun, engaging, colorful videos that work great on the platform.

@youngnailsinc Quick step by step on creating this gorgeous nail #youngnails #nails #satisfying #satisfyingvideos #fyp #foryoupage #acrylicnails #nailart ♬ original sound – Youngnailsinc

25. Bentley Motors

Bentley Motors just burst onto the TikTok scene and already has over 100,000 followers on TikTok. They’re partnering with cool/unique creators to make quality content in a variety of ways.

@manuel_bechter ELECTRIC LIGHT TUNNEL⚡️with the Bentley Bentayga Hybrid @bentleymotors #photography #bentley #worldofbentley #bentayga ♬ On My Way – Alan Walker

26. Reese’s

Reese’s has 100,000 followers on TikTok. They’ve been doing interesting campaigns. One, the #anythingbutordinary campaign, has over 19 million views. They’ve also been doing a treasure hunt campaign where different creators have been hiding clues to prizes. Great job thinking outside the box.

@reesesukofficial Christmas. The time of giving (or not) #NaughtyANDNice #AnythingButOrdinary @magicsingh ♬ original sound – Reese’s UK

27. Boohoo

Boohoo is an apparel brand focused on Gen Z and young Millennials. They recently created a dance challenge with a custom song for TikTok, using the hashtag #itsfromboohoo. They’ve enlisted a variety of popular influencers on the platform and the campaign has almost 100 million views. Love this approach.

@iamoliviaponton##itsfromboohoo BABY. Head to @boohoo to learn the dance & show me your moves ##ad♬ itsfromboohoo – boohoo

28. Adult Swim

Adult Swim recently took over TikTok in a big way. They started the trend by seeding a video with an influencer named VANO 3000. Here it is:

@supvanoMukbang with VANO 3000 (short version) ????#mukbang #nyc #fyp #4u #viral♬ VANO 3000 – VANO 3000

Here’s a good breakdown of the trend:


In a short time, videos with the #adultswim hashtag have totaled over 2.5 Billion views. Amazing job.

29. Capri Sun

Capri Sun has jumped onto TikTok in a big way. Large enough for TikTok to create a case study on their work. They have almost 400K followers and consistently produce great content.

30. BARBIE!!!

Barbie has taken the world by storm across social media, TV, everything in preparation for the movie launch. Their marketing team has been putting on a masterclass on how to make a movie go viral. The regular accounts have leaned into it as well. Just visit their profile and start browsing!

@barbie Best day ever! 💖 We caught up with #MargotRobbie, #IssaRae, @Simu Liu, and #AmericaFerrera to reveal a first look at some of the official @Barbie Movie dolls inspired by their characters in the film, in theaters July 21. #Barbie #BarbieTheMovie ♬ original sound – barbie


Keep in mind, you don’t always need crazy high-level production. Look at these two recent examples of more “ugly” or “meme”-ish content that has performed very well:

@wave_techFor the most functional wireless charger, checkout this Anker MagSafe compatible wireless charger. Thats great for on the go, or at home

♬ original sound – Brandon | Wave Tech

@lotuscars Blue or yellow 👀 #Emira #ForTheDrivers ♬ original sound – Nonaisan

I hope you’ve enjoyed these examples! Do you know of any brands that should be added to this list? Email me at brandon at wallaroomedia dot com. Want to get a TikTok strategy going of your own? (You should!). Contact us today by clicking here!

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Author

Brandon Doyle

CEO + Founder