Human beings love stories. Over the last two decades, social media has become a favorite medium on which to exchange such stories. One of the most popular of these platforms, TikTok, has become a particular favorite for younger people to share and engage with short form video (videos that range from a few seconds to 3 minutes). Recently, brands like Alexis Bittar, a jewelry brand, and Bratz, a fashion doll and media franchise, have begun to explore a new marketing tactic: creating their own brand-related sitcoms to promote their offerings. These organizations create content that is entertaining and features their product in action, whether it be jewelry a character is wearing or fashion dolls living in a fantasy world.
To capitalize on the trend’s popularity, Bilt, a payments and commerce network, developed its own short-form TV sitcom on TikTok, “Roomies,” which details the lives of four roommates living in New York City. The show is different from others, however, in several key ways. One significant difference is that the content is not branded, making it seem more authentic and less about trying to sell a product. Further, the brand is not seen or mentioned at all in the show, which allows for more diverse plotlines independent of the brand (the only mention of the brand occurs on the social pages themselves, which states that Roomies episodes are created by Bilt).
The power of “Roomies” lies in its ability to connect with its target audience, namely 24-34 year old renters who are focused on earning rewards on daily expenses. Focusing on topics such as being new to a large city like New York, finding a job and a place to live, and navigating everyday life as an adult, the show deals with issues that this audience cares about and can relate to. In fact, “Roomies” is in many ways perfect for the TikTok model. TikTok users are looking for genuine, relatable content, and “Roomies” provides just that to younger adults. With a format and overarching plotline that reflect “The Office” and “New Girl” respectively, two television shows that are well-known and well-liked by Millennials and Gen Z, the show has the ability to almost seamlessly fit into the viewing habits of these demographics. The “show” is also set up in a way that it is unbranded, allowing viewers to interact with the content without it feeling forced or that the creators are using it to sell a product.
Another excellent example of the use of this marketing tactic is Bratz, which became a major player in the fashion doll industry in the early 2000’s. Instead of adhering to norms, Bratz created dolls with a variety of skin tones, non-traditional facial features, and different hair styles, enamoring them to underrepresented groups not just in the United States, but around the world. In their first five years on the market, the dolls grossed $2 billion. After a contracted legal battle with Mattel, their main competitor, sales numbers sagged during the 2010’s. In an effort to re-establish the brand, the company began its short-form TikTok series in September 2023, which has played a role in the brand’s resurgence over the last several years.
But what relevance does this have for other brands’ bottom lines? It shows the power of fantastic content marketing. While creating a TikTok series might not be feasible for many organizations, there are a number of ways brands can create compelling content for their consumers. Through various social media channels or even a company’s own website, opportunities exist to create connections with customers on a level outside of promoting the traditional “selling points.” Even if the content is branded, as it is for Bratz, showing, as opposed to telling, consumers that a brand understands their situation can be extremely refreshing. So, what can we learn from a TikTok show like Roomies? That it pays to create content that is not about your brand, but is instead related to the lives of your consumers.
Short Form Sitcoms: The Splashiest Current Trend in Content Marketing
