What is Douyin?

Douyin, also recognised as TikTok, is a video mobile application that is owned by Beijing ByteDance. The key difference is that Douyin is for mainland China while TikTok is for global use. Depending on the app store you use, you will either be able to download Douyin or TikTok. It revolves around users recording and sharing short videos of up to 60 seconds long. For brands targeting Chinese consumers, Douyin offers a range of innovative options for brand marketing. If you have a bigger budget (minimum $5,000 USD), the best option is to partner with Douyin directly to run a brand hashtag challenge.

What is the Douyin Hashtag Challenge?

Douyin has themed hashtags called “Challenges” which are essentially creative prompts for users. Users can make their own short videos based on the guidelines on the prompt and use the hashtag to be featured on the Challenge page. It usually includes banners, a promoted hashtag challenge and maybe a custom video filter. In order to optimise exposure and create buzz on the platform, brands usually partner with KOLs or celebrities to lead the challenge, which encourages their audience to imitate and create a similar video.

Why the Douyin Hashtag Challenge?

• It creates interaction and engagement with your potential customers
• It is the perfect way to reach China‘s Gen Z consumers
• It allows for multiple campaign entries on the platform to create buzz
• Douyin’s audience is very open to commercial content as long as they find it interesting

Case Study – Michael Kors

Michael Kors is the very first luxury fashion brand to partner with Douyin, creating a challenge to amplify the reach of their The Walk Shanghai event (#KorsShanghai) in 2017. The official challenge with the hashtag #城市T台不服来斗# asked users to create their very own Michael Kors fashion walk video with a specified video filter. In order to create the buzz on Douyin,

Michael Kors invited a group of KOLs to create a series of Douyin-style short videos showing them doing a catwalk in Michael Kors apparel and adding the challenge’s hashtag.

Performance

5M+ exposure

30K+ user-generated videos

Summary

Douyin is a relatively new platform with swelling popularity and social commerce potential. It provides broader access to China’s Gen Zers and millennials, who will soon become the group with the strongest buying power. However, it’s down-to-earth vibe sometimes contrast with some brands’ sophisticated tones. Therefore, companies really need to find the balance of DNA between Douyin and the brand itself by creating a unique personality.