‘It’s a billion-person focus group’: How viral TikTok videos influence corporate America – transforming menus at fast food joints like Chipotle and product lines at make-up companies like Tarte

• Savvy companies are increasingly seeing viral trends as business opportunities
• Items such as ‘Pink Sauce’ are going from TikTok sensations to major retail stores
• Major companies are deciding whether to give into the whims of social media

TikTok stars are increasingly influencing the output of major brands – with corporate decisions made based on viral videos. 

Many big companies find they must either give in to the whims of social media or risk losing valuable business. 

Trending videos are seen as a savvy business opportunity, with firms keeping a close eye on TikTok and jumping at the chance to create new products – sometimes in a matter of days. 

Earlier this year, Chipotle introduced a new item to its menu after being bombarded by custom orders for an off-menu ‘hack’ invented by food influencer Keith Lee. 

But with a speedy turnaround key to keeping up with what is trending on TikTok, concerns have been raised around the safety of products, and the mass creation of thousands of dud items that then go to waste when something else steals the attention of the internet. 

In February, beloved Mexican chain Chipotle introduced the Fajita Quesadilla – dubbed the ‘Keithadilla’ – after food influencer Keith Lee, who has over 13 million followers on TikTok.

Lee, and fellow online reviewer Alexis Frost, went viral for their videos of Chipotle ‘hacks’ – or off-menu customized orders. 

Lee earned legions of fans, in particular, for his combination of the restaurant’s sour cream and chipotle-honey vinaigrette – which he paired with a customized quesadilla order made famous by Frost.   

The company was soon overwhelmed with custom orders, and when some staffers refused to make the off-menu item, customers began posting angry reviews online, according to The Wall Street Journal. This led the company to add the items to its permanent menu.

‘TikTok has not only changed the way we communicate with Gen Z, but it’s proven it can identify areas of opportunity within our business,’ said Chris Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer. 

The social media app also had a big part to play in how ‘pink sauce’ went from a TikTok sensation to being stacked on the shelves of retail giant Walmart. 

The divisive Pepto-Bismol colored dressing was created by Veronica Shaw, an influencer and private chef known as Chef Pii.

Videos of Shaw smothering chicken wings and tacos with the fluorescent condiment, which gets its color from dragon fruit, went viral, but the influencer hit various roadblocks when she tried to sell the product directly to her near 250,000 followers.  

Dave’s Gourmet, a Dallas-based specialty food company, saw an opportunity, according to Chief Executive David Neuman, and partnered with Shaw on the product, taking over responsibility for manufacturing.

The firm turned the sauce into a nationally distributed product in 90 days, something that usually takes more than a year – and Neuman said he still has ‘night tremors’ when he thinks about the pace of the turnaround.

Local investigators from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized samples of the sauce to be tested for any issues.

Neuman believes the product satisfied all the regulators’ needs because he never heard back, and the FDA declined to comment to The Wall Street Journal.

Fashion and makeup brands also rely heavily on TikTok trends to determine what they produce.   

‘Every single merchant and designer is looking at TikTok,’ Corey Robinson, chief product officer for fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch told the outlet. She called the platform ‘a billion-person focus group.’

Last year, employees at Tarte Cosmetics noticed that color-shifting products, makeup which change and react to the wearer’s skin, were going viral on the platform. 

In three months, the brand had created its Maracuja Juicy Lip and Cheek Shift, which changes its hue based on the skin’s pH levels. Normally, the process takes more than a year, said Anna Sponaugle, a senior vice president at Tarte. 

TikTok stars are increasingly influencing the output of major brands – with companies making corporate decisions based on viral videos

Replying to @chipotle #chipotlepartner The Keithadilla is in the chipotle app WITH the vinaigrette 💕 In my opinion it was the worth the wait 💕 #foodcritic

Tarte Cosmetics created its Maracuja Juicy Lip and Cheek Shift based on viral TikTok trends

According to the brand, the product is its fastest-selling product of all time – with three months of inventory selling out in four weeks. 

If companies do not work fast enough, however, they risk missing out on a craze. 

Fast fashion brand Edikted releases 150 styles a month based on viral clips, and even has technology which monitors TikTok to determine which styles to copy.

Founder Dedy Shwartzberg told the outlet that while brands in the past have looked towards high-end fashion and catwalk shows for inspiration, they just look to the app.

Edikted has an average turnaround of 12 days – it told the outlet – and often subcontract to third-party factories in China.

However some products can bomb if a trend is short-lived, leaving them with excess produce which they have to sell at a discounted rate.

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