Marketing

Sofia Barberio

TikTok Marketing Strategies: How Beauty Brands Use Trends to Increase Engagement and Influence Consumer Decisions

A headshot of a young woman with warm skin, long dark wavy hair parted down the middle, and a gentle smile. She has dark eyebrows, subtle eye makeup, light pink lip gloss, small gold hoop earrings, and a gold chain with a white clover pendant over a black collared shirt. The background is softly blurred.

I am a fourth-year Communication student at Toronto Metropolitan University with a focus on digital media and marketing. My work explores how emerging platforms, particularly TikTok, are reshaping brand communication strategies and audience engagement. I am especially interested in social media marketing, branding, and how digital culture influences the way brands connect with consumers.

This research examines how beauty brands use TikTok trends, memes, and trending audio as marketing communication strategies. Through a qualitative content analysis of posts from brands such as e.l.f. Cosmetics, NYX Cosmetics, and Charlotte Tilbury, the study identifies key patterns in how brands create engaging and relatable content. Findings show that humour, trending audio, and short-form video styles are the most effective strategies for increasing audience engagement, while traditional product-focused advertising performs less effectively. This research highlights how TikTok is reshaping digital marketing by prioritizing authenticity, entertainment, and cultural relevance.

Lightning Talk

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A close-up portrait of a light-skinned person with dark brown curly hair and bangs, brown eyes, and a light mustache. They have a silver horseshoe septum piercing and multiple silver hoop earrings in each ear. A gentle smile is on their face, and they are wearing a charcoal-striped button-up shirt against a blurred, mottled background.

Patrick Elo

Beyond the Experience: Designing Audience Experience in Cultural Organizations
A portrait-style close-up of a young man from the chest up, centered against a blurred light grey background. He has fair skin, light brown, somewhat disheveled hair that falls across his forehead, and light green eyes looking straight ahead. He is wearing a fitted grey turtleneck sweater, and his expression is calm and neutral with a slight hint of a smile. Soft, even lighting illuminates his face.

Sean Kapić Gomes

When Seeing Is Not Believing: AI Video and Trust on Social Media
A front-facing headshot of a young man with dark brown, shoulder-length hair and light stubble. He has fair skin, green eyes, a gold hoop nose ring, and silver hoop earrings. He smiles gently, showing some teeth, and wears a grey, white, and red plaid flannel shirt over a dark grey t-shirt. The background is a softly blurred modern office or building interior with windows.

Jonah Milo

Let's watch the game: sports broadcasts and social interaction
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