Over the years, it has been redefining entertainment powered by a global community. It’s a unique place where general knowledge, authentic stories and life hacks are shared every second (although we’ve never stopped laughing at funny videos and audio memes).

Brands have entered the TikToksphere as well – they’d be missing out if they didn’t. With TikTok being a sound-on platform, investing in music and sound on TikTok has proven to be a key component for brands and their marketing strategy.

When they asked us for a sonic logo that could become a true embodiment of their brand and culture, we knew we had to make something as iconic as TikTok itself.

We kept in mind their key goals of celebrating the TikTok community while driving brand affinity, and got to work.

Not only that – we all know the TikTok community loves to remix and re-use sounds, so it had to be loved by them too.

On TikTok, anyone can be a creator. For this reason, we needed to develop an energising, raw and unpolished sonic brand that could be unique to the community experience.

We also wanted it to capture the playful element of surprise and create something timeless, not restricted by genre or culture. We took inspiration from the onomatopoeic nature of TikTok’s name and experimented with different sound palettes, applied 808 drum patterns to honour TikTok’s musical heritage, and explored UGC sounds as musical elements.

There was just one question. How do we create a sonic logo and DNA track for a brand that operates at the speed of culture?

The solution was to create a fixed sonic logo that begins with an 808 sub-bass hit followed by an E major7 chord that is purposefully unresolved. It primes us for entertainment, asking: “What’s next?”.

Introducing the sound of creative democracy, a unique sonic identity that is already becoming known, loved and embraced by TikTok’s community.
We composed and delivered a full sonic identity package that, since late 2022, has been integrated across all marketing content globally, as well as synced on TikTok’s off-platform end cards, when someone shares a TikTok on other platforms such as Instagram or YouTube, for instance.

TikTok’s Sonic Identity Package includes:

• A 2-beat sonic logo that nods to TikTok’s musical heritage
• A DNA track made up of unique elements such as recognisable beats, hooks, melodies, sound design and UGC-inspired moments
• 3 long-form DNA adaptations (chill, daring, welcoming) for different touchpoints and needs
• Sonic stickers, a brand new feature that teases the brand new sonic identity and organically captures the community-driven entertainment and creative democracy concept
• Sonic guidelines for TikTok employees

The whole concept of what a sonic brand can be has been turned on its head with this project. Inspired by TikTok’s diverse creator community and the product’s unique functionality, we’ve been able to design a fully interactive sonic identity that will go on to be played with and heard by millions daily.

According to a recent research study by Kantar:

• 88% of TikTok users cite sound as essential to the TikTok experience
• 73% of respondents associated TikTok’s sonic logo with positive emotions, with ‘unique’, ‘entertaining’ and ‘welcoming’ being the strongest emotional associations
• TikTok’s new sonic identity is outperforming all sonic brands as referenced in a new sonic branding index, bucking the trend with demographic attribution by Gen Z at almost 50% just months after launch

Time is ticking. Warm up and listen to the sound of TikTok.

*MassiveMusic is also an Official Sound Partner for brands on TikTok

As proud sonic partners, we are honoured to say that the Sound of TikTok roams the world and is making waves all over everyone’s earspace, as it claims a win in 2023 Red Dot Awards in the ‘Brands & Communication Design’ category. Being one of the world’s biggest design competitions, we’re massively proud and humbled at the same time.