TikTok: Reaching the Next Generation

The struggle to recruit new employees always requires new ideas, observes Rainer Grill, head of public relations at Ziehl-Abegg, the Künzelsau, Germany-based motor and fan manufacturer. That’s why, two years ago, Ziehl-Abegg turned to TikTok, the short-form, video-sharing app beloved by young people, to strengthen its brand with a little humor. Employees starring in the short videos on the company’s own TikTok channel speak German, but some “skits” have a universality that goes beyond language. Case in point: A piece titled “Lone Office Worker,” in which a young, male employee skips into the office assuming he is alone, helping himself to the candy bowl and singing Redbone’s 1970s hit “Come and Get Your Love” to the top of his lungs. Suddenly, a female colleague pops up from behind a cubicle wall and joins in on the song. Party over! 

Ziehl-Abegg’s TikTok channel has been noticed, with 94,500 followers, 2.4 million likes and more than 60 million views. It has been featured in local newspapers, podcasts and television shows. Most recently, Ziehl-Abegg’s Hohenlohe, Germany, team took home two awards in the German Awards for Online Communication (DPOK) competition, which had more than 500 submissions. A jury of more than 40 were impressed by the team’s TikTok concept, and bestowed awards in both the “Industry and Mechanical Engineering” and “Campaign on a Small Budget” categories. At the DPOK awards ceremony in Berlin, finalists had eight minutes to demonstrate what sets their project apart. According to Ziehl-Abegg E-Learning Content Developer Rebecca Amlung, described as the “creative force” of the TikTok team: 

“We primarily do our filming outside of working hours. We are a team of employees from various departments who are keen to create humorous short films. The viewers then also get a sense of the fun we have during filming.”