Forty-something years young: How does TikTok impact older Millennial adopters
The general perception of TikTok still boils down to “that channel where kids do dance challenge videos on silly sounds.” It’s a state of affairs that has been perpetuated in marcomm as well – most marketers view the opportunity for brand presence on the platform with a fair amount of distrust. Nor does it help the pessimistic outlook of a part of the industry where short video content, specifically TikTok, is equated with shallowness, niched to a single unrepresentative target category and a waste of media budget. For many, it’s the next fad that will eventually go away.
Is it, though?
As the platform becomes accessible to a much wider audience, a number of interesting trends are emerging that point to the potential for massive use of TikTok for marketers and agencies like yours.
Let’s explore them.
Yes, TikTok is still the predominant playground for GenZ – over 60% of users are in this category. The platform’s appeal to young people is obvious: it gives them a freedom of expression that other social media channels didn’t. They can create short video content in which they find themselves, content that feels more authentic and less filtered, and that gives them the impression of a safe and defined framework of realness. Last but not least, TikTok is the platform that has spawned several cultural trends that have entered the mainstream in the last couple of years. So who is coming up fast?
Millennials are the 2nd largest user group, with a clear rising tendency:
For a generation already pushing 40, which at one point was all the rage to make fun of, millennials are becoming increasingly committed fans of TikTok.
Okay, but who are they and how do they use the platform? First, time is flying and already 60% of active millennials on TikTok are parents.
This makes them even more responsible, namely more focused on boring tasks like the daily shopping cart. 60% of them are the main shoppers in the family, while 35% actively contribute.
Family life has already become a continuous source of content for them. Yes, millennials are creating their own TikTok content. Sorry, Zoomer. Family or parenting hashtags are among those that are trending the most in the last two years: #momsofTikTok, #babiesoftiktok, #dadsoftiktok, #parentsoftiktok, #dadjokes, #siblinggoals, #coupleprank.
Although parents, they remained as early adopters as they were in their 20s. 42% of millennials on TikTok are early adopters who are trying new things, and 45% of them are on top of the latest tech trends. After all, they’re part of the first generation to grow up with PCs and internet at home.
It’s somewhat predictable that their current priorities impact the type of content they seek on TikTok. 67% of them come here for entertainment.
They are mostly consuming entertaining content in the categories: music, food/cooking & comedy.
Yes, millennials are at that point in life where they are “settleed down” with family, kids, loans, health insurance and a retirement plan. It’s that time when they start being more mindful of their health – exploring content like the one created by Doctor Mihail. Or they’re thinking about their next holiday, a reason to access content from Călător în bascheți. Maybe they’ve got a barbecue to prepare over the weekend and don’t know how to make a fire, so they learn from Grataragiul.
If there’s music, chances are they’ll be watching Delia or Smiley. Maybe they also have some heavy metal nostalgia, like Metallica or Mötley Crüe. Or they once wore hats on backwards and baggy jeans, and now they’re coming back for the vibe on Porc TV.
When it comes to festivals, they’re looking for line-ups for Electric or Neversea.
And when interacting with brands, they’re looking for entertainment first, then learning, and only then for new product information or other branded content.
TikTok is maturing, and while it remains primarily a GenZ platform, it’s clearly generating more and more interest from users of more mature generations. This is great news for marketers, who can invest in brand campaigns with much broader reach, for a much more diverse audience in terms of interests and expectations.
