After Bollywood debut, TikTok wants to insert itself into popular culture

It is the blockbuster of the season and the star, sharing screen space with a balding hero, is video-sharing social network TikTok. It flashes up on the screen right at the beginning; one half of the romantic lead couple of the movie Bala, Yami Gautam, is a TikTok star and a much sought after mini influencer on the platform and the other, Ayushmann Khurrana, works with a brand she endorses.

When they meet for the first time, Gautam asks Khurrana if they have met before and he replies, “TikTok pe miley to hai itni baar,” (We have met several times on TikTok). And from then on, the platform is never out of their conversations, their daily lives and the twists and turns their relationship takes. It gets equal billing with the stars on screen.

The Bala exposure gives the app mainstream acceptability, says Sandeep Goyal, founder of marketing and media consultancy, Mogae Media. Controversy has dogged TikTok’s heels since its launch. Be it the accusation of promoting lascivious videos or spreading fake videos, the social media app has always had the threat of a ban looming large. But that has not come in the way of its 200 million users or the rapidly growing list of brands on its platform.

However, the app’s debut on the big screen with Bala marks a shift in the way the brand is being projected. From being the platform that Bollywood markets its movies on and one where Hindi films dominate the videos shared (be it dance steps, cover recordings of songs or dialogues), TikTok is now part of the star cast. It has moved from being on the fringes of mass culture to its centre.

Goyal said, “Well the exposure works for both Bala and TikTok. For Bala it makes the plot and narrative so much more authentic and real. In showing TikTok as a slice of life portrayal, Bala gives it legitimacy. Makes it a part of a cultural nuance that viewers may want to emulate.”

It also adds vigour to the marketing of the movie. Hence a song that plays at the end of the movie, ‘Don’t be shy again’ (incidentally the subject of a copyright controversy) melds into an in-app engagement #DontBeShy Again and a filter for user-generated content. According to a spokesperson for TikTok, the campaign clocked more than 550 million views on the platform.

“In India, movies are one of the biggest inspirational forces that encourage users to bring out their creativity and showcase talent. Our users not only consume content but create as well,” said the spokesperson. 

With its Bollywood debut, the brand wants to switch lanes, from a platform for pop culture to becoming a pop culture icon. Goyal said, “Tiktok has become the pre-eminent video app of choice for middle India. Now ‘officially’ being featured in a film that has done exceedingly well, just adds stripes to its already bulging credentials.”

Owned by Chinese start-up ByteDance, the average age of a TikTok user in India is 13-14 years “We try looking at unique integration concepts that resonate with another purpose of the platform, which is to create an environment of acceptance and encouragement for people from diverse backgrounds,” the spokesperson for TikTok said.

The first step towards doing that was collaborating with brands and Bollywood in India. In the US too, it has followed a similar trajectory. It has recently tied up with actor Will Smith for his latest film release Gemini Man. The #GeminiMan hashtag challenge is inspired by a scene from the film. In India, TikTok began its movie collaborations journey with the Shahrukh Khan starrer, Zero last year and since then has worked as a marketing partner for several movies. Regional production houses are also signing up given the cache of language users on the platform.

While these partnerships are growing, the Bala model is also being spread across many formats. For instance, Sony Music has teamed up with TikTok for a music video that has TikTok in the song as well.