An interview with Jaime Rivera, Designer at TikTok
Jaime is an award winning creative. He’s been a senior creative for Harrods, L’Oréal, Sky, Virgin Atlantic and now TiKTok. I worked with him at Sky marketing on TV shows like Fortitude, Game of Thrones and Sky Original Dramas. He has been innovating in the social media creative space for many years, so much so that he’s now at the top digital entertainment platform TikTok for its Creative Lab team..
Jaime thanks for taking the time to answer these questions.
As a Creative in Lab Europe at TiKTok what does a normal day at work involve for you?
Creative Lab is an internal team at TikTok that advises clients and partners on what great creative looks like on the platform. Our purpose is to design the best and most original content for the biggest brands and agencies that use the TikTok platform.
As a designer, I'll pair with a creative and together create those ideas. We’ll design and art direct for a specific brand and campaign using TikTok’s amazing creative tools. One example is Brand Effect.
Here’s how TikTok‘s Brand Effect works: https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-US/blog/branded-effect-place-your-brand-center-stage
Big brands can be apprehensive about joining new social platforms. Is this something you’ve experienced at TikTok?
I think it’s much easier than it used to be. More brands are using the platform and have teams and staff members dedicated to creating great content for and working with TikTok. They are now much more focused on learning how the platform works and on creating content that resonates with their unique audience.
There are some great global brand stories:
https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-GB/inspiration
TikTok feels like one of the only social platforms today where one might be able to build a big following in a niche subject organically. What creative advice would you give a person or small business around content, tone of voice and posting frequency to help them succeed?
Here are seven rules I advise clients on on when it comes to TikTok.
Don’t be shy.
Post frequently.
Experiment with content.
Be part of the community.
Get involved in trends and duets.
Always jump on new trends with your own twist.
The most important thing is to have fun
We have loads more helpful TikTok content strategy advice here -
https://www.tiktok.com/creators/creator-portal/en-us/category/tiktok-content-strategy/
During your years creating content for social platforms what have been the creative principles that remained the same no matter the platform?
For every new display format and platform there are more and more opportunities for agencies and creatives to design amazing work. For Brands, what's important, as a creative, is the ability to edit down stories so they still make sense and engage the consumers in a 20 second video. It’s always been a challenge.
Finally, as TikTok releases new creative functionality for its users, what are the tools that most excite you? Are there any you can talk about that are coming soon?
Yes, TikTok LIVE is testing some really cool features:
. LIVE Events.
2. Go LIVE together.
3. LIVE Q&A.
https://www.tiktok.com/creators/creator-portal/en-us/foundations-for-success/going-live
Whats Going LIVE?
"Going LIVE is the perfect way to grow your audience because it gives you a chance to share more of yourself through a longer form video. It also lets you connect directly with your followers in real time. You can even raise money for charities through donation stickers. Charities are pre-selected, so people know to which ones they are donating. Unlike edited videos which allow viewers to comment after the video has been produced and posted, going LIVE gives creators and audience members the ability to engage with each other in real time. Creators can ask and answer questions, perform requests, and connect with their followers on a whole other level.
Before you consider going LIVE, remember not to actively solicit gifts or offer incentives for gifting as this type of gift-baiting violates our Community Guidelines. "