Kate Spade enters the TikTok dance with a love letter to New York

For Kate Spade, the new dance-driven campaign is a perfect segue into testing TikTok, after having posted for the first time at the beginning of May. The move also aligns with the goal of making the brand synonymous with joy. Kate Spade is amplifying the campaign on TikTok with the help of creators and dancers Todrick Hall (@todrick, 1.1 million followers) and Kelli Erdmann (@happykelli, 1.9 million followers). Both were invited to the filming of the spot, and worked with Pearce to create their own TikTok dance routines that complemented the film’s choreography.

The brand will launch a hashtag challenge in June that encourages users to share their own dances. Kate Spade store associates, which have become brand ambassadors on social media, are also taking part in the challenge.

Jenny Campbell, chief marketing officer at Kate Spade, says the brand was drawn to TikTok after seeing users post organically about their favorite Kate Spade products. Since January, the brand has seen three videos go viral on the platform, and in each case the products sold out quickly in stores and online.

In one instance, a heart purse sold out just two days after TikTok creator Nat (@natt.cova) posted a video that clocked nearly 300,000 views. The bag soon began appearing on resale sites like Poshmark, Depop and Ebay. Google search impressions for “kate spade” and “heart” spiked, the brand saw a 50% increase in customers searching for “heart” on the brand’s website and creator videos began popping up, discussing their search for the viral bag. Kate Spade later worked with the creator to do an unboxing video. The two organic videos from other users in March delivered nearly 6 million views each.