Gone are the days when TikTok was just full of Gen Zers lip-syncing to popular songs or participating in the latest dance challenge.
It’s now a powerhouse of brand discovery. Fifty-one percent of people use TikTok to research brands to try, while 59% say they weren’t actively searching, but found new favorites from TikTok just the same.
And you know the “TikTok Made Me Buy It” trend? Well, they are not lying. Seventy-eight percent of users purchased a product after watching creator content about it, the highest compared to other social media platforms!
With these numbers, it’s no surprise that brands are now jumping to TikTok. But while many are still figuring out how to navigate its chaotic and hyper-trendy world, some have nailed it.
Below are the top brands that are killing it on TikTok with their creative and engaging content. You can use these brands as inspiration for your TikTok branding strategy or your next marketing campaign, which you can easily do with the help of our TikTok video maker and logo design tool.
Let’s get to it!
10 Brands Killing It on TikTok in 2025
Here we have a rundown of the viral brands on TikTok that managed to cater to their audience with their fun and creative content. Plus, they have seamlessly incorporated Gen Z marketing to appeal to the overwhelming demographic on the app.
1. Duolingo
Duolingo went beyond the typical serious and educational content that you would expect from a language learning app. Instead, they leaned toward bold, chaotic, and occasionally unhinged humor that perfectly caters to Gen Z’s taste. As such, their green owl has transformed from a simple mascot logo into a viral TikTok star.
Duolingo also uses the latest trending audio and plays by the latest TikTok crazes to keep them relevant and “in.” They love to reply snarkily or roast their audience in their comments, which increases their audience base's commenting in the hopes of getting a snarky response. Talk about a smart engagement strategy!
2. Ryanair
European budget airline Ryanair proudly owns its low-cost branding with its self-deprecating memes and sarcastic video content. It pokes fun at its image, parodies its customer complaints, and creates self-aware video content about how lacking its airline's features are.
You would think that advertising the negative parts of your business would only make it worse for you, but for Ryanair, it works, as their customers appreciate their lighthearted and unfiltered realness.
Just like Duolingo, Ryanair also jumps on the latest trends to keep them appealing to their younger audience. They also love using the TikTok AR feature to make their planes “speak”. It may look uncanny (and slightly scary to be honest), but it works so well for them as it’s the chaotic and quirky humor that’s viral on TikTok.
3. Fenty Beauty
Beauty tutorials reign supreme on TikTok, and Fenty Beauty smartly capitalizes on that. Instead of simply doing an ad, they partner with micro and macro-influencers to do GRWMs, wear tests, or tutorials to show how their products work in real life. This makes Fenty more relatable and “real” for their users.
Fenty’s main draw is its inclusive shade range, which its TikTok videos also highlight. They use influencers and models of all colors to demo their products and frequently release content on shade matching to help their customers find the right product for them.
4. NBA
NBA understands that different social media platforms favor different content types. News and updates are on their Twitter, while game highlights are on their Instagram. On Tiktok? It’s filled with memes, funny interviews, and viral trend challenges as they know that their TikTok audience prefers that content.
The NBA account also uses its TikTok to showcase the athletes’ personalities with their off-court moments. They do a lot of behind-the-scenes, locker room moments, and mini-games where you can see the players’ lighter sides. It’s no surprise that they are among the top five most followed accounts on the platform!
5. Red Bull
Red Bull uses TikTok to sell its lifestyle and branding rather than its products. Instead of direct promotions, it showcases extreme stunts, dynamic action scenes, or sports challenges to subtly convey how its product can help you reach levels you didn’t even know were possible.
Red Bull also nails one critical thing on TikTok — the hook. Their visuals are just so jaw-dropping that they will make you stop scrolling no matter what. Even if they don’t participate in TikTok trends that much, they still go viral every time since their videos are just that attention-grabbing.
6. Netflix
Netflix is the king of using its titles’ iconic moments and turning them into funny or relatable memes and skits. This plays well with TikTok’s love for comedy and boosts the virality of its shows. Win-win!
Netflix also prioritizes audience engagement. They encourage people to share fan theories or do challenges related to their shows. Their actors also do fun interviews, interactive Q&As, games, or mini-vlogs, which perfectly answer their audience's need for more behind-the-scenes content and to get to know their favorite actors better.
7. Gymshark
Gymshark’s TikTok is focused on body positivity, fitness journeys, and transformations. This serves as motivation for their audience, which is why their content is so emotionally powerful and engaging for them.
Not everything is serious on their account, though. They also know how to have fun and make the gym less intimidating by sharing relatable memes and funny “life hacks." This variety makes their TikTok account more dynamic and fresh, which is why they have over 4.4 million followers!
8. Scrub Daddy
Cleaning is made fun and exciting with Scrub Daddy’s chaotic and out of the box TikTok content. Their TikTok’s are so unexpected (and unhinged) which makes their posts more exciting to follow as you’ll never get bored of them. It also makes them stand out from other cleaning brands as they go beyond simple product demos or cleaning ASMR.
Just like with Duolingo, their yellow smiling sponge is now a viral star in their own right because it is used to act as a character in their comedic sketches or to recreate trending memes. Since they always play along with current pop culture trends, they remain on top of TikTok’s Explore page.
9. Crocs
Crocs may be a polarizing fashion choice but their TikTok videos are a crowd pleaser. They lean into their product’s quirky nature by doing funny, weird, or visually creative content.
Crocs are still a fashion item so they don’t skimp on fashion content. You can find styling videos, GRWMs, or fashion challenges on their account that highlights how Crocs can look modern and stylish. They also do tons of tutorials on how to accessorize your Crocs, which plays into the current fashion trend of item personalization.
10. San Diego Zoo
Everyone loves cute animals. Which is exactly why San Diego Zoo’s TikTok is filled with them! They frequently post adorable and relaxing animal videos, which is always a hit with their audience. Just look at this one!
@sandiegozoo Slow down to celebrate the sweetest news ???? Mama Xena welcomed her third baby in early February, the first sloth pup born at the San Diego Zoo since 2022. This adorable little dude is growing up fast, and spends his days clinging close to Xena's side as he nurses while sampling some solid foods. Guests may just be able to spot this snoozy snuggler at Basecamp in the coming weeks after mama and baby have time to bond. #babysloth #hanginout #babyboom #sandiegozoo ? Little Things - Adrián Berenguer
And while we enjoy the cute videos, we also love their educational ones. They post a lot of animal trivia and information, which they edit into fun and digestible videos. They also partner with a lot of animal-friendly brands and causes, which expands their reach outside their audience.
What Makes a Brand Successful on TikTok?
Now that we know which brands are killing it on TikTok, let’s look at the criteria that define TikTok brand success. Knowing these should help you decide the direction of your TikTok content strategy.
High engagement
It’s no longer about the number of views your TikTok videos get. What’s crucial is an engagement rate (AKA your likes, comments, shares, or saves) of at least 7 to 10%. This is because this shows your content resonates with your audience, since they decided to interact with it instead of just passively scrolling through it.
Community building
Speaking of engagement and interaction, great TikTok brands don’t just view their followers as customers but rather a community. For brands looking to boost engagement further, using a TikTok feed widget like the one from Walls.io can be an effective way to showcase and encourage user-generated content. This means doing more engaging comment replies (yes, forget those typical customer service responses!), interactive content, TikTok duets, or prioritizing user-generated content to spark two-way conversations and build connections with them.
Consistent, authentic content
Authentic TikTok marketing is the way to success. This is because the TikTok audience hates direct product promotions and overly polished ads. If you want to succeed, you need to lean into the raw and human videos that TikTok favors.
Use of trends + originality
It’s no secret that TikTok is the king of trends. If you can hop on them while it’s hot, you can be viral. Don’t forget originality though–you need to make the trend your own instead of simply copying others.
It’s also important to stay true to your brand voice. Don’t do trends that aren’t a fit for your audience or your brand values just for the sake of going viral.
How Small Businesses Can Replicate Their Success
You don’t need to be a big company like the brands above to enjoy success on this platform. Here’s a mini-guide on how to make TikTok work for small businesses:
Start with niche content
Don’t go for crowded or oversaturated topics as they have more competition. Focus on a niche instead. For example, instead of a general yoga content, go for specific topics like postnatal yoga or adaptive yoga.
Lean into authenticity
Don’t worry about not having the latest camera or a studio to record in. Authenticity is valued over production values in TikTok. So long as you have a genuine story or a creative idea, your audience will love your content.
Use TikTok’s business tools
TikTok has tools that you can use to grow your business. Some of them are:
- Ads Manager to boost the reach + engagement of your posts and TikTok ad campaigns
- Smart Performance Campaigns, which use machine learning to give you optimized ads automatically
- TikTok Creator Marketplace, where you can find creators and influencers to partner with
- TikTok Analytics, where you can track and learn important data such as best posting times or top-performing content types, which you can use to optimize your future content
Don’t be afraid to be funny
Humor is proven to be popular on TikTok, so there’s no harm in creating comedic content. As you can see, even serious or “boring” brands like Duolingo or Scrub Daddy have made TikTok work for them.
Have a distinct branding
Having a specific look tied to your business can make you more memorable. To make your content cohesive and recognizable, make sure to use the same color palette, font style, layout, and other visual elements.
A distinct logo can help, too. Icon logos like Target and Apple are easier to remember since they are more straightforward. Initials or letters like J logos or A logos are also better than writing out your whole company name (especially if they’re long!) as they are easier to remember.
Conclusion
An effective TikTok brand strategy in 2025 does not just focus on selling products. Instead, they aim to entertain, educate, and engage. To truly stand out on TikTok, pair eye-catching visuals with professional video editing, smooth transitions, synced audio, and polished effects can turn casual scrolls into lasting impressions.
You don’t need a huge budget or a celebrity endorser to get big on TikTok. Look at Ryanair. They just have a green-screened anthropomorphized airplane, and they go viral every time!
What’s truly important is creating content that fits TikTok’s culture, embracing trends as quickly as you can, and building an active community rather than just passive followers. Do all of these and you too can enjoy some TikTok business success.
Ready to start your TikTok journey? Feel free to use our TikTok Video templates, read our guide on How to Make TikTok Videos, or create a logo for your business with our tools like 3D logo maker or modern logo maker.
FAQs on TikTok Marketing
- What’s the best posting frequency for brands on TikTok in 2025?
Post 3 to 5 times a week, minimum. This helps you stay active on TikTok’s algorithm while also letting you test out multiple content types to see what works and what does not.
- Can B2B brands succeed on TikTok?
Yes! Tons of brands use TikTok to do more educational and informational content while still keeping it light and relatable. Some examples are Adobe with their graphic design tutorials, The Ordinary with their science-backed beauty videos, and Notion with their productivity tips.
- What’s the average engagement rate to aim for?
Ideally you should aim for a 7 to 10% engagement rate. People who create UGC ad campaigns or TikTok videos that go viral typically exceed that, but they are more of an outlier.
- How do I find creators to work with?
You can use TikTok Creator Marketplace or manually comb through relevant hashtags to find smaller or niche creators. We recommend going for creators with a high engagement rate rather than just a high number of followers.
- What’s a quick tip to go viral?
Make sure to hook viewers in the first 3 seconds. Use surprising visuals, trending sounds, or add a text overlay that poses an intriguing question or a bold statement. This should help catch your audience’s eye before they can scroll away.
Faviola Publico is an SEO Content Writer specializing in branding and digital marketing strategies. Outside of work, she enjoys reading slice-of-life novels and watching any mystery thriller-themed series.
Header Artwork by Selwyn Legaspi
Written by DesignCrowd on Monday, July 14, 2025
DesignCrowd is an online marketplace providing logo, website, print and graphic design services by providing access to freelance graphic designers and design studios around the world.
