TikTok Trends Among Gen Z and the New Era of Talent Management

The format known as "short videos," lasting just tens of seconds, has gained widespread user acceptance, with more companies utilizing it for advertising and PR. In this series, Akira Amano of Dentsu Inc. Media Innovation Lab shares insights on SNS marketing centered around short videos (previous articles can be found here ).

Continuing from the previous article, this piece features guest speaker Yuichi Kanemaru (CEO of N.D. Promotion), who actively produces short videos using talent and influencers. We discussed Gen Z TikTok trends and how the advertising and entertainment industries should engage with Gen Z talent and influencers. (Interviewed April 10, 2024)

N.D.Promotion is an entertainment agency primarily engaged in four business areas
- Talent agency business representing actors, influencers, and other talents with strong social media influence
・An advertising promotion business focusing on social media-based campaigns, including proposal planning, casting, and creative production
• Media division operating "Nom de plume," a platform disseminating the latest trends to Gen Z women
・Operation of the think tank organization "Z Research Institute," which conducts research and insight analysis on Generation Z
 

User creativity is the very source of TikTok's appeal

Amano: Mr. Kanemaru, who is also one of the representatives of "Z Research Institute," conducts research on Gen Z's SNS trends. Could you share something that stood out from your recent survey?

Kanemaru: For Gen Z, TikTok has become one of the primary sources for trends, with users posting a wide variety of videos. Within this context, we conducted a survey on Gen Z's digital skills. The results showed that, partly due to the popularity of the video editing app "CapCut," 81% of Gen Z have some form of video editing experience (*).

Kanemaru: Furthermore, as digital natives, Gen Zers routinely explore new filming techniques and editing methods. For example, the Chinese restaurant "Foo Foo Restaurant Kinshicho" is currently popular among Gen Z. This restaurant has luggage racks directly above the seats where customers can place their smartphones to film videos. Users thought filming from directly above might create interesting visuals, and videos shot and posted from this angle went viral.

While food videos, especially mukbang videos (videos showing the act of eating), were typically shot from the front or side, the top-down angle was novel. Following the buzz, the restaurant now promotes on its official website and social media that "you can shoot videos by setting your camera here." This kind of fresh thinking and creativity is truly a Generation Z idea.

Amano: It's fascinating how new filming techniques emerge from users themselves. The case of Hoo Hoo Restaurant has been featured in publications like the Nikkei newspaper and is gaining attention. I also shared my thoughts on the matter in that paper.

Kanemaru: While the range of content keeps expanding, classic dance content remains ever-popular. Recently, the official "Poké Dance" released by Pokémon has gone viral. Moves that feel challenging to us older generations seem simple and easy to imitate for Gen Z and younger users. With dance becoming a required subject in middle schools, I feel the barrier to doing a little dance has dropped significantly for Gen Z. Educational reforms like this seem to have played a major role in TikTok's growing user base.

Amano: That ties back to what we discussed earlier. That's precisely why new video-making styles emerge from TikTok and why various memes get generated daily.

Kanemaru: Exactly. For example, some people start posting on TikTok after challenging a friend to see who can gain more followers, and end up gaining huge attention as TikTokers. That culture feels very contemporary—it's like the "let's compete with friends to lose weight" vibe our generation had. The relationships surrounding Gen Z on TikTok are fascinating.

Amano: Everyone's approach is relaxed, like a game—they build followers casually and share content on a whim. It's resilient and wonderful.

Kanemaru: Furthermore, the survey results showed a very high percentage of respondents answered they "want to acquire skills like editing and filming to make it a career" (*). It feels like an era of universal creators is approaching.

*Survey Overview: Research Institute: Z Research Institute; Survey Period: September 8-10, 2023; Survey Method: Online survey; Survey Participants: Nationwide, 72 aged 17 and under, 70 aged 18-22, 11 aged 23-25, total 153 participants

 

An era where those who master their passions and access deep subcultures/fandoms will thrive

Amano: I see TikTok as a platform for discovering new talent. Its fundamental nature as a space for discovery supports this. While many users are gaining fame from it, I'd like to hear your perspective, Mr. Kanemaru, who also manages influencers and talents, on how to gather popularity in this era.

Kanemaru: The origins and paths of influencers and talents have diversified. In entertainment terms, about 5 to 10 years ago, there was a standard pattern where appearing in shows like "Kamen Rider" or dating reality shows served as the gateway to breaking through. But now, various paths exist—for example, cosplayers or niche YouTubers appearing in mass media. You truly never know what will trigger a breakthrough. It's what we call "being discovered," but even we professionals find it increasingly difficult to predict how that discovery will happen.

Management structures have also changed significantly. Traditionally, talent development focused on securing TV appearances and large-scale events. An agency's power and standing depended on how much media exposure they could secure for their talent, and that's where most business resources were allocated.

Now, with SNS at the center, self-production and promotion are possible. I feel agencies are increasingly expected to focus on how to best develop an individual's unique strengths.

Amano: The diversification of origins is absolutely true. For instance, countless examples exist of charismatic game streamers gaining popularity and becoming influencers. Once they build a fanbase and form a fandom, they can branch out into diverse activities. If they're popular, they often get offers from various media outlets and become talents.

Kanemaru: Regardless of genre, if you have a solid base of fans who support you, that becomes the starting point for becoming famous. And once you're famous, various opportunities come your way – it's a cycle. The idea that you absolutely had to follow a specific route, like in the past, is fading.

Amano: From a production perspective focused on developing strengths, what qualities are most sought after in this era?

Kanemaru: People with an otaku-like passion—those who've mastered what they love—tend to thrive. If you just say "I love XX" after the fact, viewers and users see right through it. To genuinely gain fans, you need to pursue it with real, heartfelt enthusiasm. For example, former Hinatazaka46 member Yuka Kageyama is a die-hard soccer fan. Her deep knowledge of soccer has earned her attention within soccer fan circles. This pattern is a perfect example.

Amano: It's precisely because they possess genuine depth that they receive unwavering support from those who recognize it. To gain access to a community, "depth" – not superficiality – is crucial.

Kanemaru: People with an authentic feel are powerful. I notice this even when interviewing new talent. There are so many people out there who possess skills others can't replicate or have deeply mastered their own passions, yet they aren't sharing it. Some simply aren't good at communicating it. That's such a waste. If they communicated more effectively, fans in that genre would grow rapidly. So, first, they need to realize this. And it's not just about digging deep into what they love; having an attitude of being interested in various things is also essential. Both "deepening" and "exploring" are important.

 

In any era, the asset you should bet on is "people."

Amano: I believe technological evolution is transforming entertainment formats, and advertising is undergoing a significant transition period under this influence. As an advertising creator, could you share your outlook on the future of SNS marketing?

Kanemaru: Within the areas I'm currently working on, like short dramas and entertainment, I'm concerned about the current situation where short drama content itself may have fans, but it's difficult for stars to emerge from it. For example, old TV dramas used to produce stars through the content itself. So, I'm constantly thinking about how to create stars within this short drama space.

Amano: It's true that as media has diversified and simultaneously fragmented, the focal point of everyone's attention—the potential star—seems to be shrinking.

Kanemaru: This connects to the idea of everyone becoming an influencer. As individual tastes become more fragmented, it feels harder for mass stars to emerge. Additionally, and this is just a hypothesis, the shorter length might make it harder for viewers to fully immerse themselves in the performers. Comparing YouTubers and TikTokers, YouTubers seem to have more passionate fans. I'm thinking about how to increase the number, frequency, and duration of interactions between the talent and fans within the content, and how to turn them into fans.

Another point I'm pondering: while vertical content viewed on smartphones is currently trending, if services like a horizontal version of TikTok emerge, or smart glasses and MR devices with wide field-of-view become widespread, debates about vertical vs. horizontal content might become rather meaningless.

Amano: I agree that there's no need to be fixated on vertical orientation. TikTok itself is already adapting to medium-length, horizontal viewing, and structurally, vertical viewing is undeniably harder on the human eye. Changing gears, that's precisely why so many baseball pitchers rely on vertical breaking balls as their signature pitch.

Also, regarding the earlier discussion about people accessing fandoms and cultivating stars, I feel that no matter how technology evolves, what ultimately draws people in is the individual's background—their history and context. That's what fosters attachment and empathy. Recently, AI-generated virtual talents have been a hot topic, but even if AI could instantly create a human-like form, we probably couldn't deeply empathize with it.

Kanemaru: Exactly. The advertising industry shouldn't just focus on trendy platforms or technologies; it should bet on the asset that is "people." For us, that means consistently placing compelling talents and influencers at the center and ensuring we can operate across platforms. If we become dependent on a single platform, our business direction could shift drastically with its rise or fall.

Amano: If we draw a parallel to content being called IP (Intellectual Property), then this could truly be called Human Property. Investment in human capital is just as crucial as investment in intellectual property. No matter what new technologies or platforms emerge in the future, we've reaffirmed that the asset of compelling human beings will remain central to entertainment and advertising communication. Thank you for today!