TikTok and Emergent Media
If you aren’t familiar with TikTok – when you first start browsing you are presented with a broad range of content. The algorithm tracks the types of content that you watch, what you like, and who you follow, to cater your viewing experience into your “for you page”.
This means that TikTok has mini spheres of influence. If you watch a lot of board game content, you get more board game content. Same goes with dogs, art, and conspiracy theories.
In a lot of ways, Board Game TikTok feels like a small world. Corporate publishing company accounts mostly have a couple thousand (if not hundred) followers. And a lot of big names in board game media either don’t have a TikTok presence (SUSD, The Dice Tower, etc), or have paltry follower counts compared to their other media channels (like the Brothers Murph with 535 followers).
But there are some content creators who are breaking the mold, and starting to rival viewership and engagement of the more entrenched media platforms.
@1MinuteBoardGames
TikTok is the opposite of long form. Videos are capped at 3 minutes – although most are about a minute. The swiping feature, with automatically curated content, rewards creators who can catch our attention in a very short amount of time.
This means strong visuals, concise content, and personality.
Raina and Phil of 1 Minute Board Games found the perfect marriage of content and platform. They produce cleanly edited, concise videos, that are oozing with charm. And it is paying off.
Their follower count is up to 335k which is within spitting distance of Shut Up & Sit Down’s 350k YouTube subscribers, and their most viewed videos are in the 3-5 million range.
Review Campaigns
Publishers are starting to take notice. I’ve seen an increasing number of games making the review campaign rounds on TikTok, including a couple of live campaigns on Kickstarter, like Steam Up, and Paint the Roses.
Here is some content that 1 Minute Board Games put together for Steam Up:
Both games seem well suited for the platform. They have strong visuals, and the feel of the games is easily communicated in a short amount of time.
Some Thoughts
TikTok seems like a great platform for boardgame reviews, previews, and marketing campaigns. We’re definitely excited about partnering with a number of creators on the platform.
My intuition is that in terms of conversions – a view on TikTok is worth less than a view on other platforms, because longer form content is a larger commitment on the part of consumers.
But, there are also benefits to TikTok’s algorithm. If a video does well and is engaging, it can reach a much broader audience. TikTok is a big place with broader nerd culture and D&D channels at millions of subscribers. If a board game hits a cross over with a larger TikTok sub-culture it could introduce the game to a much broader audience – something like Steamed Up edging onto the feeds of the millions of foodtiktok viewers.
What emergent media platforms do you follow, or have you seen utilized well in marketing campaigns?
