Marketing Dojo #91: My TikTok Debut Inside

My humbling TikTok debut, constantly online teenagers, a killer-way to learn and more.

Welcome to the 91st issue of Marketing Dojo!

Quick heads up: I will take a break from writing for the last two weeks 2024. My parents will be visiting us, and I want to take the time to rest, read, write long-form and gear up for 2025.

Meanwhile, I have made my uneventful (and humbling) TikTok debut—read all about it in the P.S section.

Here's what's brewing in the newsletter today:

📱 Teens Are Always Online
🎨 Creative Excellence: Killer Duo
🛍️ TikTok Shop Is Raking in the Moolah
😓 The Year That Broke Marketers' Backs

And lots more.

A quick request before we dive in - If you haven't already, consider subscribing to the Marketing Dojo. Every week, I share the best marketing news with you in an easy-to-read format. Sign up and join the gang!

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Fragmented & Constant: US Teen’s Online Presence.

If Pew Research’s latest report on US Gen Z’s social media habits is any indicator, YouTube’s future looks blindingly bright.

The platform remains the undisputed favourite among American teenagers, followed closely by TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat.

Here’s what’s even more striking:

• 46% of teens are constantly online.

• One-third of them use at least one platform—YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, or Facebook—almost all the time.

• Meanwhile, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) are in steep decline. The time teens spend on these platforms today is nearly half of what it was a decade ago—a massive erosion of value.

The media landscape isn’t just shifting; it’s splintering.

Teenagers now have more choices than ever and easier access to the internet, which means capturing their attention is harder—and more valuable—than before.

If you want to understand the content consumption patterns of this key demographic, Pew Research’s new data is a must-read.

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Creative Excellence: Learn Korean or Else…

Squid Game is making its grand return to Netflix on December 26, and if season 1's global phenomenon is any indication, season 2 is primed to shatter some serious records.

But the real marketing maverick here? Duolingo.

Their "Learn Korean or Else" campaign is a masterclass in cultural moment marketing. Riding the Squid Game wave, they've created a brilliant promotional strategy that's part entertainment, part language learning.

After season 1, Korean language interest spiked by a whopping 40% – and Duolingo isn't letting that momentum slip.

Picture this: Duo, their mascot, dressed as a menacing Squid Game guard, busting out dance moves to peppy music. It's viral content, language pitch, and 100% engagement gold.

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Attention Pays: TikTok Shop’s Wild Success

TikTok has successfully monetized attention.

Unlike Meta, TikTok isn't putting all its eggs in the ad revenue basket. Enter TikTok Shop - TikTok's eCommerce platform.

The New Consumer and Coefficient Capital's latest Consumer Trends 2025 study drops some jaw-dropping insights:

1. TikTok's relentless shop push? Absolutely crushing it. Despite launching as recently as in September 2023, 80% of monthly users know about TikTok Shop, with over half making purchases.

2. NGL. The second one left me stunned. TikTok Shop is now outpacing retail giants like Shein and Sephora. Just look at the exponential spending curve that TikTok Shop has achieved. In fact, for the research, Sephora users indicated that they spend the same money on TikTok shops as they do on Sephora.

   

3. Satisfaction is through the roof. 91% of survey respondents were satisfied with the products purchased on the platform, and 80% were ready to buy again. 87% of TikTok Shop customers see the shopping platform as a natural extension of the entertainment platform TikTok has become.

Sure, TikTok Shop's total spend is still a fraction of what people drop on Target or Amazon. But with Black Friday sales tripling to $100 million, the potential is massive.

Here's where TikTok shines compared to competitors like Shein and Temu. While Temu reportedly spent $40 per sale last year, TikTok Shop leverages the undivided attention of its platform's audience to grow at a fraction of that cost.

TikTok Shop has achieved what any retailer would envy: convincing its massive user base to open their wallets—again and again.

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Meme-time: The Toughest Year So Far?

Oh, for that? It will mean that 95% of what marketers use agencies, strategists, and creative professionals for today will easily, nearly instantly and at almost no cost be handled by the AI — and the AI will likely be able to test the creative against real or synthetic customer focus groups for predicting results and optimizing. Again, all free, instant, and nearly perfect. Images, videos, campaign ideas? No problem." - Sam Altman, CEO Open AI

As if the layoffs of 2023 were not enough, marketers' morale got a further beating with AI-based use cases built to handle marketing tasks. In 2024, overall budgets shrunk, and marketers were expected to deliver more with less. Add to this Gen AI tools that are both expected to make us more effective and extinct.

Will 2025 be better? Lemme answer with this classic meme from the Simpsons.

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Short Stuff:

• Meta, Google & TikTok will be forced to pay news publishers in Australia (Australian policymakers are working overtime).

• YouTube introduces new auto-dubbing feature for its creators (Expanding the reach of YT content)

• Apple and Google told to prepare to remove TikTok from their app stores (The ban is scaringly close)

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That’s a wrap on this week. Thank you for your time and attention. If you liked this week’s newsletter or found something interesting, please give me a like ❤️ or drop a comment🗨️. Your support helps drive the newsletter's discoverability.

I will see you in your inbox in 2025. Happy holidays!

Regards,

Garima

P.S: Stepping out of my comfort zone on TikTok.

This year, I made a resolution that scared and excited me in equal measure: dive into short-form video content. The reasons were both professional and deeply personal.

First, I've spent years understanding attention economics and preaching how brands need to meet their audiences where they are. Yet, there I was – all theory, no practice.

Most of us consume tons of video content, yet I stayed away from video for my personal brand.

Second, The thought of being recorded makes me cringe. Watching myself speak? Absolute nightmare fuel. So, I decided to use video as my exposure therapy – a calculated experiment in building confidence.

I started experimenting with TikTok. Why TikTok? Because I have no friends on the platform. It was anonymous and allowed me to experiment freely. I also then repurposed a couple of my videos for LinkedIn.

TikTok Adventures: I'm currently serving time in the 200-views jail. My content isn't hitting the viral sweet spot. I need to rethink my content strategy and understand what makes TikTok tick.

LinkedIn Surprise: Interestingly, LinkedIn was more welcoming. Two videos generated 8K impressions and were watched for over 7 hours. My existing network and the platform's video-friendly algorithm gave me a much-welcome boost.

Despite the TikTok tumbleweeds, I'm thoroughly enjoying this journey. Each video feels like a mini mental workout. I started terrified, stumbling through scripts, but I'm slowly building confidence.

Pro Tip: I didn't do this alone. My younger brother Shubham – a freelance copywriter – has been my behind-the-scenes hero. He helps revise scripts and handles editing, which saved me countless hours. If you're looking for video content support, he's got bandwidth for assignments. You can reach him at shubhammamgain24@gmail.com if you're interested in starting.

Here's the latest my latest TikTok on framing. Embedding the video in case TikTok is not accessible in your region.