Unleash ‘Zillennials’ on your PR agency’s TikTok and reap the benefits

I was reticent to have an agency TikTok account. Not quite dead set against the idea, but a long way from an advocate for it. 

I was wrong.

The team has now been diligently posting videos on a more-or-less weekly basis for the last six or so months and got their first viral moment in May. The excitement and joy has been palpable as the views count rose (to well over 200,000). Which prompted me to reflect on what we’ve gained from the experience, none of which we designed into the process, it’s been organic. But no less impactful for that.

A test-and-learn culture

Having an agency profile was new, so the team has had to work it out as they’ve gone along. They’ve had personal accounts, we’ve done TikTok campaigns for clients. But figuring out how to show-up as a brand, creating a strategic approach, writing a content plan, cajoling team members into appearing, slamming stuff out and seeing whether it works has all been a learning experience for those involved. It’s encouraged experimentation in safe confines, it’s engendered a “give it a go, see what happens” culture. And that’s a good thing in a creative business.

A willingness to try and fail

For a generation that can be scared of failure, who are all-too-often perfectionists, worried to try things for the first time if they’re not going to get it right, low impact risk taking and a bit of failure is a good thing. They’ve seen the video they slaved over get 400 views. They’ve learned from the experience and had another go the following week. A degree of disappointment has accompanied these experiences when they happen, but no blame nor recrimination. So having a go – and learning along the way – has become totally acceptable, if not desirable. Culturally, in an industry built on taking a calculated risk, that can only be a good thing.

A bonding experience

“Gen Z never want to go to the pub”. Whether true or otherwise, it is a constant Gen X refrain. Sure, but watch them running around the office, getting together with teammates and having a laugh making a two-minute video. Genuinely our TikTok content has brought together people to work together and laugh together who might not otherwise have done so. They’ve been silly in front of each other, fluffed their lines with each other, championed each other and had a lot of FUN doing it. It’s had all the positive impact of a day of trust falls or team raft-building but with more trending audio.

A sense of ownership

We all-too-often forget that for our teams, our agency brands are the flags they stand behind on the battlefield of London life. We’re the rallying point that offers security, community, friendship and stability. Feeling a sense of ownership of the brand by representing it out there on social media is a really important thing. I hope that, with each creative concept they come up with, each film they appear in, there is a little sense of ownership of the brand conveyed onto our team. They create the culture of the business. Enabling them to own it (and take pride in it) in public is invaluable.

Some unlikely heroes

There have been some “tell me you were a drama student without telling me you were a drama student” moments for sure. But there have also been times when some of our more “shy and retiring” team members have had the limelight of a mobile camera shone on them and have thrived. The opportunity to reveal hidden acting, pranking, singing or syncing talents has created some unlikely heroes around the agency – and I hope has increased those individuals’ confidence along the way.

So there you have it. Set up a TikTok account, hand over the password to your Zillennial team and see what happens (though a word to the wise, make sure you have a sign-off process in place while you’re at it – for reasons I won’t go into here).

Oh, and in case you’re interested, here’s our minor viral moment. We’re no “Hawk Tuah girl”. But that’s probably not a bad thing in itself.