• by Todd Wasserman , June 29, 2023

TikTok is a huge social media app, boasting about 45 million daily active users, which is a far cry from Facebook’s 131.5 million, but TikTok bested Facebook for daily minutes spent in-app during the second quarter of 2022, according to Hootsuite.

But TikTok’s immediacy and two-way communication abilities make it imperative for many brands to pay attention to what’s going on there. Here’s some recent activity on TikTok which shows how influential the app is.

Chipotle: The chain introduced the Fajita Quesadilla in February, but soon it was dubbed the “Keithadilla,” after food influencer Keith Lee, who has over 13 million followers on TikTok, went viral with “hacks,” or off-menu customized orders. As Chipotle was overwhelmed with orders, some customers posted angry reviews online. Chipotle eventually made the Keithadilla a permanent menu item. “We want to be at the pulse of culture,” Chris Brandt, the chain’s chief marketing officer, told The Wall Street Journal.

Dave’s Gourmet: Chef Pi, a creator on TikTok with about 245,000 followers, introduced a pink sauce. Chef Pi tried to sell the sauce directly, but hit various roadblocks. Then Dallas-based food company Dave’s Gourmet stepped in and distributed the sauce in 90 days. The item, which gets its color from dragonfruit, is currently out of stock.

Tarte Cosmetics: In 2022, employees at Tarte Cosmetics noticed that color-shifting products, which react to the wearer’s skin, were going viral on TikTok. Within three months, the brand created its Maracula Juicy Lip and Cheek Shift, which changes its hue based on the skin’s pH levels.