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NEW YORK, United States— Celine typically builds marketing campaigns around celebrities like the acclaimed novelist Joan Didion and the actress Margaret Qualley. On Wednesday, the French fashion house went in a different direction, casting 18-year-old TikTok influencer Noen Eubanks.
Eubanks, an Atlanta native, became internet-famous for his eccentric "e-boy" style and goofy lip-sync videos. He's amassed over 7 million followers on the social media platform beloved by Gen Z.
The move is another sign that fashion is diving deeper into the viral world of TikTok; the short-form video network has become a new destination for brands to find talent, as its user base swells. Fashion has just begun to dabble in TikTok marketing. Brands like Burberry and Calvin Klein only began to post content to the platform this year, while startups like Poshmark now run ads on the platform.
In November, TikTok began experimenting with shoppable video content, although the feature is only in beta.
That month, TikTok hit 1.5 billion downloads, according to Sensor Tower, a market research firm. It has been the most downloaded app in Apple’s app store for five consecutive quarters.
Eubanks is one of TikTok's rising stars. His posts can generate up to 10 million views. In October, he signed with Kyra TV, a digital entertainment company that creates Gen Z-specific content for YouTube and inks deals between digital creators and brands.
In an Instagram post, Celine, which declined to comment, called Eubanks a “teen idol.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B57dtdAKNZR/
Many young social media users prefer TikTok's less-polished videos to Instagram's brand of glossy, curated content. About two-thirds of TikTok's global users are under 30, according to Business of Apps, a data analytics firm. The platform includes features such as filter effects, soundbites, and split-screen functions that encourage creativity (it's also currently under investigation by US lawmakers over potential censorship of content.)
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"While Instagram has grown into a well-established platform, TikTok has a young demographic who doesn't care about the whole perfect shot thing," Vicky Banham, a TikTok beauty influencer told BoF in June. "TikTok is making social media fun again. It's a place where you are enjoying other people's company online."
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