Challenge

Despite 88% of users confirming sound as essential to the TikTok experience, the brand lacked an ownable approach to music and sound. As the brand’s reach continued to expand across diverse age groups, TikTok recognised an opportunity for a strategic branding shift through the creation of its first sonic identity. Their core objectives included:

Brand Recognition & Off-Platform Attribution

With the proliferation of short-form video platforms, TikTok needed to ensure their videos — be they funny, heartfelt, or informative — were instantly recognised as TikTok originals, even when shared elsewhere.

Brand Perception

To dismantle misconceptions about TikTok being solely for lip-syncs and dance trends, the brand aimed to clarify and enrich its identity, positioning itself as a trusted, inclusive hub for diverse creativity.

Community Engagement

Aligning with their mission to inspire creativity and spread joy, the sonic identity had to actively fuel the community’s creative expression.

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Approach

We designed TikTok's sonic branding to resonate across every global brand touchpoint, engaging its colossal audience of over 1 billion users worldwide. TikTok’s own Music Impact Report highlighted a user preference for international music that surpassed the average listener. This insight propelled us to craft a sonic identity mirroring users’ eclectic taste in global sounds – from emerging K-pop tracks to the vibrant energy of Brazilian baile funk.

TikTok’s sonic logo and longer-form sonic DNA track are meticulously designed to fuse universal appeal with cultural specificity. They feature a distorted 808 sub-bass – a deliberate nod to the hip-hop and bass music genres thriving on the platform – and an ascending E major 7th melody, designed to connect emotionally and resonate universally.

The UGC and genre-agnostic approach of the longer-form music ensures the sonic brand remains adaptable across various cultural contexts.

Solution

TikTok’s sonic identity embodies the platform’s vibrant creative spirit and inherent diversity. We leveraged TikTok's unique features to develop interactive components, empowering creators to engage with distinct brand sounds and inspire new content creation. This ensures TikTok’s content is instantly recognisable, distinguishing the brand on a global scale.

The sonic identity amplifies the brand message through:

Universality

A sound that effortlessly transcends genres, ages, and regions, bolstering global resonance and inclusivity.

Raw & Unpolished

Incorporating user-generated sounds authentically reflects TikTok's ethos of spontaneous and genuine creativity.

Onomatopoeia & Simplicity

The two-beat sonic logo mirrors TikTok’s iconic name, designed for instant recognition and impact.

Remix-ability

We engineered sonic sticker assets specifically for community interaction, actively encouraging creators to explore and integrate brand sounds directly into their content.

These elements collectively strengthen TikTok’s brand identity, ensuring the message of creative freedom resonates worldwide.

Results

Recent Kantar research unequivocally proves the sonic identity has rapidly connected with users, demonstrating global awareness and genuine impact within just one year of launch:

81%
of users are familiar with the sonic identity globally.
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84%
of users associate the sonic identity with positive attributes — including Entertaining, Welcoming, Authentic, and Unique.
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25%
uplift in the brand's expression of trustworthiness.
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Check out this Twenty Thousand Hertz episode ↗ to find out more about The Sound of TikTok.

Awards

  • Transform Diamond Awards 2025:
    Gold for Best Expression of a Brand on Social Media

  • Transform Diamond Awards 2025:
    Gold for Best Use of Audio Branding

  • Transform Awards 2024:
    Gold for Best Audio Brand

  • Transform Awards 2024:
    Gold for Best Expression of a Brand on Social Media

  • Clio Music Awards 2024:
    Gold for Sonic Branding

  • Red Dot Awards 2023:
    Best in Brands & Communication Design

  • King Street Ventures 2023:
    Gold for Sonic Branding

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