The digestive health care provider Supergut is shifting its social media approach to make TikTok its top priority. The business is shifting its marketing budget from Facebook to TikTok in order to create these short video advertising.
Supergut first appeared in 2020 under the name Muniq until a rebranding early this year. Brand awareness and product sales soared to 10,000 when the company leveraged Facebook and paid advertising to target people with diabetes and other chronic conditions. Despite their initial success on Facebook, Supergut has changed its attention to TikTok due to the platform’s creative limitations.
In contrast to Facebook users, TikTok users “prefer authenticity over perfection” and are “interested in being captivated and educated rather than being promoted to,” according to Supergut founder and CEO Marc Washington.
The brand’s use of TikTok is an attempt to reach Gen Z women, “gut-aware” millennials interested in or already investing in gut health, and busy parents searching for better dietary alternatives for their families. TikTok’s demographic may be younger, but according to Washington, they are also more interested in health and wellness news and information.
Supergut is capitalising on the growing popularity of vertical video platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTubeShorts as users migrate away from still pictures and GIFs and towards these formats. The company is promoting its products and spreading awareness about the science underlying the microbiome by leveraging the trendy hashtag #GutTok to talk about current issues related to gut health.
According to Washington, 85% of Supergut’s paid media expenditure in the first half of 2022 was spent on Facebook and Instagram, while the other 15% was spread across various digital channels. A significant portion of the company’s advertising budget has been directed on TikTok since July. But, how much of Supergut’s advertising budget was allotted to TikTok remains unknown as Washington refused to comment on the specific numbers.
Supergut’s mission is the same as that of rival gut health beverage brand Poppi: to quickly build a consumer base interested in learning more about gut health, Supergut’s products, and the research behind them. Instead of just posting photographs with words, Supergut focuses on making engaging social content and sharing it where it will get the most attention.
As Apple introduced iOS 14, there was a major overhaul of Facebook’s advertising options. Since iPhone users may choose to disable app monitoring, Washington claims that Facebook is no longer an effective channel for acquiring new customers.
According to Washington, “this issue” turned into “an opportunity to move more of our focus and resources to organic content,” with the long-term objective of expanding the company’s own marketing distribution channels, in addition to those of influencers and podcasts. “The timing couldn’t have been better, with gut health being a trending topic on TikTok.”
Not only has gut health become a trending topic among millennials, but this generation has been at the forefront of the discussion.
“It’s a space where Supergut can handle something difficult like gut health in an honest way while also having fun with its audience,” explained Jinia Shembekar, strategy director at content marketing agency Manifest. The company has found success and value in producing high-quality, engaging, and shareable content, which represents a departure from conventional marketing strategies.