On TikTok, Pepsi is opting for paid efforts over organic content. 

On TikTok, Pepsi is opting for paid efforts over organic content. YPulse’s Social Media Deep Dive trend report found that entertaining content is the top reason Gen Z and Millennials visit TikTok, but whether to launch paid campaigns on TikTok or try to break through with organic posts “remains a hot topic among marketers.” PepsiCo went for paid for their first-ever challenge (#PepsiChallenge) on the app. The brand relied on user-generated content, encouraging TikTokers to use the Duet feature to reply to videos from soccer stars like Leo Messi and Paul Pogba, sharing side-by-side screens of them mastering their own soccer tricks. The videos have been viewed over 600 million times in the markets where the campaign is live, but Pepsi reports the effort also boosted brand recognition and differentiation. YPulse found that viral challenges sponsored by brands are one of the top types of brand ads TikTok users prefer to see on the platform, and according to Pepsi, “Trying to play in the world of organic posting is a big waste of time.” (Digiday)