TKMaxx on TikTok
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Welcome to Good TikTok Creative! We are Simon Andrews and Anthony McGuire, two people who have been working in marketing, advertising, and media for decades. Find Simon and Anthony on Twitter.
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TikTok Case Study = TK Maxx
Simon’s Take:
TK Maxx is an intriguing business. It describes itself as a discount store chain - with over 20 stores in London alone.
It doesn't really have any competition, other than outlet malls and stores. This niche fulfills a crucial role for brands in giving them a high street outlet for discounted goods, avoiding - or lowering - the need for sale prices in stores. It’s gone from a grey market business to a legit outlet for lots of top brands
Because of the ever changing, often surprising stock it has a loyal audience who enjoy the discovery element. A visit to a TK Maxx sits alongside hunting in charity shops for fashion bargains.
In social in does all the right things - mainly focussed on product - but nothing stands out. Some branches have their own profile although most seem neglected.
But they are benefitting from a fascinating TikTok meme.
TikTokers are filming themselves asking have you got or do you have the most bizarre products - and finding TK Maxx has just the thing.
This mockery of the more arcane products is good humoured rather than mocking; coffee tables hat look like strawberry ice cream sandwiches, a stool in the shape of a Pomegranate, a mermaid key ring but instead of the mermaids a body its a fluffy Pom pom
It may be a dupe of the TikToks about US store homegoods - that seems to have equally esoteric stocks.
The hashtags #haveyougot and #doyouhave are the most used but in the UK its all about TKMaxx and they have leaned in - being active in the comments on lots of these videos.
It's a good example of a brand adapting to a social meme rather than ignoring it.
Anthony’s Take:
Content trends go viral on TikTok because they are authentic windows into popular culture. It is genuine passion and interest that encourages someone to watch a video and then imitate & remix the video by creating their own version.
This TK Maxx trend is a great example. People observed that TK Maxx sells pretty eccentric products and started making fun of this by creating a skit content format. Other people found this relatable and started creating their own versions of this content format.
Technically, you could create similar content to reflect what’s in other retailers, but the unique product offering of TK Maxx means they’ve essentially cornered the market for whacky, unexpected yet valuable products.
If I was on TK Maxx’s marketing team, I would consider this a deep customer insight. This content is genuine customer feedback on what elements of the TK Maxx value proposition they find most interesting.
As Simon pointed out, TK Maxx has commented on some of these posts but I don’t see the brand creating any directly related content on their own TikTok profile. That seems like a big opportunity for TK Maxx to create content that owns the uniqueness of their product and highlights their own stores.
On social media, retail stores themselves can become set pieces for content. Take a look at the Welsh TikTokers who went viral last month during their trip to New York. This group of young creators from Wales were blown away by visiting fast food restaurants and retail stores. One of their most watched pieces of content was them reacting to the uniquely American products they found while strolling through Target.
TK Maxx should use this content as inspiration to highlight their products, their stores, and leverage culture to drive more in-store visits.
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