Launching SpongeBob on Tiktok

Bringing our Bikini Bottom friends to a new corner of the internet took a whole sea village.

Leveraging one of the internet's most memeable characters provided an excellent starting point. Through months of ideation, my team and I developed a comprehensive 360-degree plan to transition SpongeBob to his new platform. Our consistent content stream, use of beloved characters, and alignment with TikTok's unique style significantly boosted our account. This approach exceeded our engagement and follower goals, positioning us as the fifth-leading TikTok account among all animated brands.

Editor: Jennifer Keen | Art Director: Kasey Regan

01 Building a library

Consistency and posting cadence are crucial for the growth of a new social handle. To ensure a steady flow of content on our new TikTok account, we developed a robust content library. The only question was, what goes first? We know SpongeBob as an instantly recognizable character, so having him up front in our first post was a must. We also wanted our first asset to be a welcome to the fans with a hint of internet troll culture. A “wait for it” graphic not only enhanced viewer retention but also encouraged engagement with comments like “who saw it first.” This strategy proved effective, enabling the account to surpass its 30-day follower goal of 100k within 24 hours.

02 Leaning into Tiktok culture

TikTok is known for its unique niche communities, one of which is "SpongeTok"—a blend of quirky and satisfying ASMR sponge videos. This presented an ideal opportunity for our favorite Bikini Bottom resident. We seized the chance to reclaim the hashtag by featuring an iconic scene, establishing SpongeBob's presence and demonstrating his embrace of all that TikTok has to offer.

Editor: Kelsey Vines | Art Director: Kasey Regan

03 Finding formats

With the page launched and our audience expanding, maintaining excitement was a key challenge. We took this as an opportunity to A/B test various assets to determine what resonated best. Identifying successful and repeatable formats streamlined artist workflows and contributed to account growth. This approach allowed artists and editors to efficiently produce content, giving our handle a distinct and consistent voice. The combination of these formats with occasional original content led to significant engagement and follower growth, helping us achieve our three-month goal of 1 million followers in under two months.