Boom. One second you’re watching a gorey accident that looks like the start of a Thrasher Hall-of-Meat compilation, and the next you’re learning about a Spring
sale for antiperspirant products. Carpe’s new line of ads is one of the most eye-catching campaigns on the platform, and sadly one of the only ones to do TikTok advertising right. So, what makes this campaign so great, and what can marketers and other brands learn from it?
In 2024, advertising on TikTok (and other short-form social media platforms like it) has proven to be quite the challenge, primarily due to low audience retention rates. TikTok’s scrolling feature has made it easy for users to quickly swipe by a video if they find it uninteresting in the first few seconds, making it extremely hard for advertisers to keep potential customers long enough to learn about their products.
But, Carpe has overcome this by hitting viewers with a burst of energy in the first instant of their ad. In fact, the first time I saw it, I initially scrolled by, then did a double take because of the hook itself. The shock from the start put me into an almost trance-like state, eventually pulling me back and causing me to stay for the entirety of the ad’s duration.
However, the effectiveness of a high-energy hook is not much of a secret at all: by now, it’s programmed into every social media marketer to start each video off with a slap in the face. But, Carpe differentiates itself in the way that they KEEP slapping you in the face, carrying the energy from the hook straight into the sales promotion pitch. The clever part that particularly caught my eye was how Co-Founder Kasper Kubica flies into the screen from the same angle and with the same energy as the casualty in the hook, one time even with a motorbike helmet for added realism. While most other TikTok ads start with a high-energy hook and then immediately switch to a low-energy product promotion, Carpe’s seamless transition keeps viewers engaged for the entirety of the video.
Finally, Kubica’s no-nonsense and to-the-point delivery of their spring sale promotion solidifies the effectiveness of this campaign. In just over 20 seconds, Kubica introduces their antiperspirant products, their uses for the summer, and their 40% off spring sale. In a market landscape characterized by short-form content and an overabundance of brand options, consumers desire a simple, to-the-point delivery of the facts.
Though, one criticism I have for Carpe’s otherwise stellar campaign is the questionable relevance of the hook to their products’ target market. At first glance, it might make sense that a brand with deodorant products would advertise towards high-energy, active, and thrill-seeking individuals, but Carpe’s current brand positioning leads me to believe otherwise. Currently, they seem to position themselves as a dermatologist-recommended alternative to battle sweat away from traditional deodorants. Potential competitors like Axe and up-and-comer Every Man Jack emphasize how their products enable an active lifestyle without BO or sweat. So, it makes little sense to me why Carpe would try to come into direct competition with these other brands when their current position as solely an antiperspirant is still being established.
All in all, Carpe’s new TikTok campaign holds many lessons for marketers and brands alike to learn from. High-energy hooks are crucial in this day and age, but even more important is the transition between the hook and the body of the ad. Although perhaps not fully understanding their target market’s content preferences, Carpe still effectively captures viewers’ attention in an era where audience retention is scarce to come by.
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