TikTok

More Than You Think

Celebrating the unexpected.

Three images show: a person roller skating outdoors, a person posing confidently indoors, and another person waving a rainbow pride flag. Overlaid text reads, we are more than you think in colorful, bold letters.

Insight

People are looking to TikTok for inspiration and content that captures their curiosity. They are looking for community, and want to be celebrated for being themselves.

In the biggest brand communication the platform has launched in Germany, TikTok partnered with AKQA to proudly reflect TikTok as a community of individual creators making diverse and original content.

A person with bright yellow hair, dramatic colorful makeup, bold blue lipstick, and a rainbow-patterned outfit poses in front of a black background with the text swipe for inspiration over their face. TikTok logo at the bottom.

Idea

We Are More Than You Think – a simple message to challenge perceptions.

To bring this message to life, reflection is placed on the joyous feeling of welcome and discovery you get when you first engage with TikTok.

A person in a light blue suit, hat, and white shoes poses stylishly in three side-by-side frames. The text swipe for style is overlaid, with a simple room and clock background. TikTok watermark at the bottom.

Using a swipe mechanic, original content from real creators is stitched together to subvert assumptions and celebrate individuality and solidarity within the TikTok community.

From dance steps to social movements, challenges to challengers – there is more to TikTok than expected.

Impact

Assumptions are challenged and new visitors are attracted to TikTok, intrigued to find out more.

We Are More Than You Think displays how TikTok has created a unique space that enables new forms of creativity. And the message continues to evolve, starting with the next initiative: We Are More Football Than You Think, which demonstrates the breadth and depth of the app’s thriving community.

Three vertical video thumbnails on a dark background are labeled “haltung,” “kunst und kultur,” and “lernen.” Each shows a different person in mid-action, with the Süddeutsche Zeitung logo at the top.

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