The Fascinating Reason Why Alcohol Companies Don’t Care About TikTok

My experience with the new social media platform, TikTok, started similarly to others. I had heard of it but didn’t give it much thought. Then the government issued lockdown started and I found myself with some extra free time. Some of this free time was used productively, and some, well, it was spent on TikTok. (By the way, is TikTok getting banned or what?)

For those unfamiliar with the app, it is the “new social media” app that younger generations are using. You can post a minute-long video, usually a dance or something comedic.

I downloaded the app thinking it would be a reincarnation of Vine. I was sadly disappointed. The first day I spent a little time scrolling through videos, realizing there is more of a musical element to the app. I decided I would try my hand at making TikToks. My mind was racing with Vine-Esque ideas to create.

I eventually was getting so many ideas I had to start writing them down. I thought they were all amazing ideas and would blow up, making me famous.

Becoming a TikTok Superstar

My first video was bad, I made it with the camera app on my phone, unaware you were supposed to record in the actual TikTok app. Regardless, I posted it and officially became a “TikTok’er.” Within an hour I got 200+ views. At this point, I had about five followers, all friends.

A couple of days went by and I thought “I’ll make another.”

A friend recommended I use the hashtag “#fyp” to get more views. I did not know what it would accomplish but figured it can’t hurt. Luckily, my third video is the only one I posted with the hashtag, as it was my best one.

Turns out #fyp displays your video on the “For You” page. When a user opens the app, the “For You” page shows popular videos, ones from people in your area, and ones from your contacts if they used the hashtag.

This third video gets viewed by people who have the app and my phone number. When I used the hashtag I was unaware so many people I knew would see it. The video got over 1,200 views, my most likes, and I now have over 30 followers. The best part was that many of my friends saw it and hit me up about it. I had people I have not spoken to in years shoot me a text.

After this “success” I thought of how I could capitalize on it through endorsements. I figured as a 22-year-old, the most relatable and noteworthy item I would want as a sponsor is a beer company. So my next video had to do with Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR), my beer of choice junior year.

TikTok And Beer Sponsorships

This video did well but I realized in order to get things rolling I needed to reach out to alcohol companies and pitch them my services.

My strategy was to target the local NJ breweries, as they are smaller and more likely to respond. I did my research and picked three to target, Flying Fish Brewing Co., Ship Bottom Brewery and Cape May Brewing Co. Flying Fish and Cape May are two of the biggest in NJ, while Ship Bottom is one I have been to and am familiar with.

I spent several hours one afternoon researching the alcohol market and specifically how to target these three companies. I found out Flying Fish recently launched their own hard seltzer (smpl), and found many statistics supporting the growth of that market. I crafted up an email and sent it to them. Check out the opening line of my email: “Hard seltzer could grow to be a $2.5 billion beverage category by 2021.” – UBS.

This email went on to talk about TikTok, the hard seltzer market, and even referenced some facts about the company’s revenue. I went on to introduce myself and the plan I had to be their ambassador.

I knew Cape May Brewing Co. and Ship Bottom Brewery relied heavily on the summer season for the sales, and with a lockdown in place, they would not do as well — so I pitched myself as a new opportunity to grow their brand and consumer base.

My next move was to target bigger companies. I went on Instagram and DM’ed the 15 largest beer companies. I sent the TikTok video and a short message to all of them — and not one got back.

Alcohol Companies Don’t Care About TikTok Getting Banned

A few days went by and Gene Muller, the CEO of Flying Fish emailed me back.

He explained that they looked into TikTok for advertising but are holding off on doing so; since TikTok has such a young user base and many of its users are under 21 years old.

Photo by visuals on Unsplash

Apparently there is a federal alcohol advertising code that does not allow alcohol companies to advertise if minors are more than 25% of the audience. While my dreams were crushed, at least I got some closure and the CEO took a few minutes to email me back.

I made a fifth and sixth video, but really what was the point, I realized I wasted time on it every day, so I deleted it from my phone, and haven’t looked back since.

While I retired from the TikTok game with no monetary gain, some good did come from it. I spoke with a friend in the entertainment industry about my videos and he was surprised — and impressed — at the creativity I showed. In the end, I made some friends laugh and had some fun with it, so I can’t complain.

Now, with TikTok getting banned by President Donald Trump, don’t expect alcohol companies to give two fucks.