BBC 1Xtra's TikTok

SOCIAL / STRATEGY / RESEARCH / IDEATION / CONTENT PRODUCTION / ACCOUNT & COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT

THE CHALLENGE

1Xtra is the Black music arm of the BBC’s radio offering. 2022 marks the station’s 20 year anniversary and we were approached to spearhead the launch of 1Xtra’s TikTok channel to mark the occasion. The scope of work was primarily based on heritage & original content, competitor/counterpart analysis as well as an influencer strategy.

our STRATEGY + WORK

When launching on a new platform, no matter how you slice it, you're starting from ground zero. Our work was simple - establish the 1Xtra brand on TikTok, spread the word of the incredible work done over the last 20 years and spread all the current joy that the station continues to create.

TikTok is a new world. Compared to other social media sites, TikTok features a social etiquette that's different to more mature platforms (Instagram, Twitter). Early on, our social team prioritised understanding the platform, its algorithms, the wide range of content on there, and the creative capabilities, before collectively coming together to establish the 1Xtra TikTok tone of voice and brand positioning.

We devised a clear content plan focusing mainly on 1Xtra’s historical archive content, and the new content created day-to-day at the station. For our archive selections, we undertook a deep dive into the last 20 years of the station, focusing on finding content that told a story, was engaging, and is still relevant for the new 1Xtra TikTok audience.

For the new content, our in-house designers were quick to the scene, branding and subtitling freshly captured content to ensure a speedy release process.

Lastly, we oversaw the community management of the platform, and more intangibly, engaged in a constant audience understanding process to learn more about what the audience wanted to see from the 1Xtra account.