Asos launches TikTok brand campaign

Asos has launched a campaign on TikTok in the UK and the US to expose users of the social media platform to content featuring its products.

The campaign, made in collaboration with tech marketing agency Byte, involves the creation of a TikTok challenge with the hashtag #AySauce, which asks users to post a 15-second video showcasing three outfits of their choice.

John Mooney, brand creative director at Asos, said: “We’re always evolving our content, social media strategy and channel focus to ensure we’re staying relevant to our fashion-loving, 20-something customers.

“TikTok is a growing part of that mix, and we’re excited to see how our social content team can engage our customers in new ways through the #AySauce hashtag challenge over the coming weeks.”

As technology adoption has increased, so has customer expectation of brands as their shopping behaviour shifts increasingly towards online and convenience shopping.

The lines between shopping and other online activities has blurred, especially for the younger generation and the 20-something age range Asos is geared towards, with many younger shoppers expecting to buy goods via social media.

Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok, which is currently at the centre of much debate in the US, is a social media platform known for sharing short user-generated video clips, often in response to “challenges” which encourage users to post their interpretation of a set of instructions associated with a dedicated hashtag.

Those who take part in the #AySauce challenge will be encouraged to interact with more Asos content in the TikTok app’s “explore” tab on the challenge page, and can also use augmented reality (AR) filters called Branded Effects when making their video.

As part of Asos’s brand campaign on TikTok, users in the UK will be shown Asos content on the social media’s TopView advertising platform when they open the app, and throughout the campaign will be featured in user’s personalised “for you” feeds alongside user generated content.

In the US, users will be exposed to Asos content through in-feed adverts.

The brands also aims to reach around 219 million people on the app through partnerships with TikTok influencers across the US and UK.

While many customers have shifted towards online retail in lockdown, it has not always been easy for online retailers, with some overwhelmed by demand while others struggle to attract consumer attention. In either case, it has highlighted for many that more is needed from their technology strategies.

Earlier in the coronavirus outbreak, Asos finalised the launch of its See My Fit AR technology to allow customers to see what clothes might look on their body type, without the need for models to visit offices to take example pictures.

Asos was implementing or testing a number of technological advancements before the pandemic hit, including a Virtual Catwalk feature on its app which allows consumers to virtually view models wearing certain products.

The brand also introduced a Fit Assistant feature to give customers an idea of what garment size they should choose based on their details, and personalised features such as Your Edit, which shows goods that a consumer might like; Style Match, which recommends matching products based on past purchases; and You Might Also Like, a curated product carousel based on a customer’s interests.

The retailer has also developed Enki, a natural language chatbot on Facebook Messenger and voice search on Google Assistant, both of which allow customers to browse products via non-traditional methods.