Why The Hunger Games has taken over TikTok and the lessons brands can learn

Over the past week TikTok has been awash with a fresh crop of Hunger Games content. Amongst the deep dives and side character explorations is a recurring question from content creators: Why is The Hunger Games trending again? Regardless of the answer, it’s a fascinating lesson in viral marketing for brands.

Why the Hunger Games may have been trending on TikTok

I personally noticed this late last week when my For You Page (FYP) went from zero Hunger Games content to every second or third video being about the franchise. Of course, I’m a big nerd who was engaging with the content so the algorithm did continue to serve it to me.

But I certainly wasn’t the only one.

Between the videos about the books and movies themselves, I noticed an uptick in creators asking their audiences if their FYPs were as inundated as theirs with Hunger Games content. And then the theory videos started, mostly involving Netflix.

Here in Australia there are a few streaming services currently streaming the four-movie franchise. But as it turns out, that’s not the case for the US. As some TikTok creators have pointed out, it’s only going to be on US Netflix until March 30.

Unless another service picks it up, people will have to pay extra to watch the films.

@daiisjah

idc it will always have 138 oscars TO ME #SeeHerGreatness #thehungergames #catchingfire #mockingjay #thg #hungergames #katnisseverdeen #peetamellark #primrose #suzannecollins #foreverfamous #goat #shapedmypersonality #shapedmypolitics #politics #presidentsnow #presidentcoin #downwiththesystem #nochosenone #pleaseread #readingcomprehension #katniss #peeta #gail #bookclub #booktok #earthsigns #capricorn #taurus #fangirl #tumblr #dystopian #oscars

♬ The Hanging Tree – James Newton Howard

The short window of opportunity has created a sense of urgency, with fans flocking to the platform to rewatch the franchise before it disappears. Consequently, they’re making videos about the lore, character backstories and more because the movies and books have a huge fanbase.

And this is great for Netflix subscriptions, regardless of whether the streaming giant planned the trend or not.

It also helps that the prequel film, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, is coming out in November. It’s possible that this is what sparked the renewed interest and plethora of content on TikTok. Perhaps Netflix benefited by accident.

It’s worth noting that out of the dozens upon dozens of videos, I’ve personally seen — none were tagged as sponsored. While brands and influencers have avoided disclosure in the past, it’s being cracked down on in Australia.

Back in January the ACCC did a fresh sweep of influencer pages to “identify misleading testimonials.”

Laws are of course different in each country. But beyond that, failing to tag sponsored content is generally looked down on by Gen Z and Millennials. Any hint of disingenuous promotion tends to get figuratively firebombed in the comments section.

So it’s entirely possible this trend took off by accident. Or perhaps I simply didn’t see the originating videos. SmartCompany has reached out to Netflix for clarification.

Viral TikTok lessons for brands

Either way, the outcome is an excellent lesson in viral marketing for brands that want to tap into these highly engaged audiences.

“If it’s not on purpose, they’re damn lucky. Timing is everything and the Netflix release ahead of the suspected new [movie] release is brilliant,” Mary Proulx, the co-founder of Bread Agency said, said in an email to SmartCompany. Bread Agency specialises in social media strategy.

“TikTok wasn’t around for the first phase of Hunger Games fandom, so to now tap into the power of the platform and give fans the chance to share, connect and enjoy is perfection.”

And this is perhaps a key insight. The Hunger Games has a huge fanbase that has the power to spread interest in an organic way — regardless of whether there are or not some paid posts in the mix.

“Brands can learn a lot from this approach with the most apparent factor being the power of community. If you want your message to go far and wide on TikTok, allowing consumers and users to make the story their own is your superpower,” Proulx said.

This is more important than ever, with TikTok creators having to get the attention of viewers within the first second or two before they jump to the next video.

“More and more, we’re seeing that what was once an easier platform to ‘go viral’ on now requires a more robust strategy and support. Overtly branded and brand-driven marketing efforts are quickly and easily scrolled past. Audiences don’t want to be talked to, they want to be engaged,” Proulx said.

But this doesn’t mean you have to have a well-established brand or franchise to be successful on the platform.

We saw this earlier this month when Clancy’s Auto Body in Florida-based auto shop went viral. Its first video had a giant cat dancing above the shop with the caption “Guys I lied on my resume and got a job doing the social media of this body shop, please blow this up so I don’t get fired.”

It’s had over 25 million views and the shop got an overnight cult following.

@clancysautobody

Job market is tough rn 😒 #bodyshoplife #shoplife #autobody

♬ オリジナル楽曲 – unicouniuni – I’m Uni.

This goes to show that you don’t need a big following or to hire an influencer with one to be successful on the platform. For Clancy’s, a simple video told a story and engaged the audience.

In the case of The Hunger Games and similar community-driven franchises, it’s about knowledge and content.

“Authenticity, credibility, and relevance are the key factors in choosing your influencer mix on TikTok. The beauty of the platform is that niche influencers have more power due to its algorithm pushing content based on interests. Which is much different from how other platforms operate,” Proulx said.

“When you open Instagram, chances are you’ll see a post from someone you know within the first few seconds. When you open TikTok, even if you are following a bunch of accounts, you may only recognise a few handles within the first 5-10 videos you’re served. TikTok has changed the influencer game from who you know, to what you know.”

From Proulx’s perspective, it’s better to let influencers on TikTok do their thing without much interference if you want to a successful campaign.

“Empower them with insights, information, or inspiration to create content on the topic and give them the freedom to bring it to life in their own way,” Proulx said.

“People don’t want to make brands famous, they want to make themselves seen and heard. When marketing programs facilitate that, they can make their marketing budgets go much further.”

While large followings are still worth tapping into, TikTok has changed the game when it comes to engagement.

“It all comes down to the objective. If you’re looking for awareness, a big follower count is much more important, but if you’re looking to tap into existing conversations or topics and insert your product or brand into it, look at those who are participating in the conversations in interesting ways.”

“There are more people with interesting perspectives than there are people with huge followings so by removing the follower count minimum from your search, you can open the door to so many amazingly creative opportunities and creators.”