Blog #7: TikTok as an Ad Agency

This week we will be looking at how public figures, with varying levels of fame, are using TikTok and the trends as an advertising strategy for their music. Does this make them less genuine of artists? Continue reading to discuss Charlie Puth and Noah Kahan.

Charlie Puth

Charlie Puth needs almost no introduction. He is responsible for hits including, "We Don't Talk Anymore," "Attention," "Marvin Gaye," and "One Call Away." Infamous for having the incredibly rare trait of having “perfect pitch,” Puth is responsible for shaping the popular music we listen to today. Part of this perfect pitch, as he shows off on his TikTok account, includes being able to identify what notes a random sound makes. After doing this often on social media, it became an interactive trend on social media, where Puth would respond.

The four-time Grammy nominee has used the interaction with his fanbase on TikTok to not only promote his music, but to create it as well. After the COVID-19 pandemic took away the ability for artists like Puth to interact with their audiences on stage, Puth took to TikTok. He now creates songs with the help of his fans’ input by creating TikToks of his ideas and processes. His newer song, “Light Switch,” was highly anticipated due to the engagement on his TikTok account.

Charlie Puth continues to engage with his audience online as a way to promote his music. As he goes viral with the GenZ audience online, does he gain merit as an influencer or will he remain an artist, with an unconventional advertising strategy?

Noah Kahan

A lesser known example of music marketing through TikTok is a newer and upcoming artist, Noah Kahan. Although working with Republic Records to breakthrough in the industry for around five years, Kahan found larger success more recently with his new album, Stick Season. According to Billboard, “Released in July after Kahan first tested pieces of it out on social media, the album’s lead single and title track, “Stick Season,” has reached No. 10 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart and has logged 41.4 million U.S. streams.”

The key to this success has been the song’s large use on TikTok. As of today (10/7/22), the song has been used in over 19.6K videos on TikTok. Many of these videos include users creating covers and singing the chorus, which resonates as a powerful verse for many people. The love for this song has also spread to a couple of other songs after the rest of the album was released.

However, Kahan never intended for his activity on TikTok to be so important to the development of his career. In the comment sections of one of his videos, he responded to a fan explaining his song promotion is not favorable for him, but it’s “the gig” right now.

Are this “gig” and his trending TikTok sounds making him a more prevalent online presence than music artist? Where does this put him in the terms of artists and influencers?

Overall

Both of these artists are very different, but using TikTok to get the word out about their music. What are their differences? If they continue to take advantage of their platforms on this app, are they creating an image of themselves as influencers? Or are they simply using TikTok as their own personal advertising agency for their music?

Connect on Twitter and TikTok to join the conversation and share your thoughts! Then, stay tuned to discuss other figures in similar situations such as Claire Rosinkranz, charlieonnafriday, Arden Jones, Jake Cornell, Sammy Rash, and more!