10 Questions on Advertising… with TikTok global ECD Tom Skinner

When I first met him in the late 00s, he wasn’t just on the UGC train, he was helping drive it, winning plenty of awards for his campaigns for Carphone Warehouse and TalkTalk.

Those successes – Tom was at CHI & Partners at the time – saw him promoted to creative director of the agency’s Team News offer, creating work for The Times and The Sun, before he moved to The Red Brick Road as senior creative director in 2013.

Tom would then reunite with some former CHI colleagues to set up BBH London’s below-the-line offer, BBH Direct, a role he’d hold for half a decade until TikTok came calling in April 2020.

An accomplished author, photographer and music video director – he’s written and published four children’s books and directed the video for Blur’s Graham Coxon’s debut solo single – Tom’s day job sees him create and consult for brands and agencies on TikTok, pushing the platform’s creativity, brand effects and commercial offerings.

We’re not sure about you, but we have a hunch that TikTok might be a big deal. So it’s time for him to face 10 Questions…

1. If you could go back and relive one day in your career, which would it be?

Apart from the obvious first day on the job at the then agency of the year, Lowe (and the resultant hangover the following morning after an evening in The Paxton’s Head) it would have to be two special days, 12 years apart – and the opening days of two Olympics.

I was privileged to work on campaigns for both London 2012 and Paris 2024, creating user-generated campaigns for Samsung, collaborating with my old agency BBH and a team who for Paris really embraced the authenticity of TikTok. Both campaigns showed how companies can connect in a meaningful way with culture and do good. I also got to see some amazing record-breaking sporting moments, which made all the hard work worthwhile.

2. …Now tell us about the day that still gives you nightmares.

I always remind myself that our industry isn’t saving lives here, so even on days where things might not go quite as well as hoped I try to take away positive learnings.

Indeed, we worked on a campaign with Under Armor which involved getting Anthony Joshua on to TikTok to feature in a content series. AJ said, “Ls aren’t for Losses they are for Lessons”. It’s something I pass on to the kids in the football team I coach. Fail fast and fail forward and wake up to a new day with a fresh start. A vital trait at TikTok which moves at the lightning speed of culture.

3. Who gave you the piece of advice you still live by – and what was it?

My dad told me to never have a flashy suitcase as it’ll have more chance of getting stolen. So I live by that, and maybe it’s a metaphor for what’s on the inside that’s most important?

Work-wise I’ve been lucky to work with amazing, inspiring creative leaders: Charles Inge, Ewan Paterson and Warren Moore, all of whom are incredible artists and Neil Boorman, who authored several books. All encouraged me to keep a passion for expressing creativity outside of work, which I maintain through painting, printmaking and the children’s books I’ve published.

4. What piece of work done by someone else are you truly jealous of?

Khaby Lame, the world’s most followed TikTok creator’s entire body of content is a masterclass in simplicity. In an industry that can so often overcomplicate, everyone could learn a lot from him. Khaby found a way to connect with as many people as possible with joyful and universally understandable human truths, which in turn gave him a huge following and huge brand partnership opportunities.

5. What’s your elevator pitch to people thinking about getting into the advertising industry for the first time?

I’d first ask what the last message they saw that persuaded them to buy or do something was. I guarantee it probably didn’t look or feel like ‘advertising’. So I’d encourage them not to set out to make adverts but to make content or experiences that connect to culture and entertain in an authentic way. And if they like the sound of that, I’d encourage them to go for it, work hard, meet lots of people and have fun.

6. Now you’re global ECD of TikTok’s Creative Studio, what’s the question you get the most from old colleagues still working within agencies?

After they joke about whether I know the latest TikTok trending dance and I point out that ‘dance’ is actually only the eighth most popular form of content on the platform, we move on to how TikTok can help their agency. We’re lucky to still connect and work with many agencies, like my ex-colleagues Neil & Jay at BBH (Now creative partners at Leagas Delaney) who led the Samsung Olympic Openness Medal campaign last year. This way our Global Business Marketing team get an insightful temperature check of where work is heading and what agencies and brands are looking for from our platform’s products.

I suppose the main question I get is how agencies can ‘keep up’ when culture moves so fast now. Hopefully, if we’re doing our job properly, we’re delivering new product messages in suitably authentic TikTok style on the TikTok For Business website, while everyone can keep up with TikTok trends in our Trend Report.

7. You’ve done some brilliant mass-participation UGC campaigns – and certainly before they became a trend. What are the secrets to setting yourself up for success with them… and does the fear that no one will get involved ever fully go?

That’s the fun of it! Obviously, you make educated decisions around trends, techniques and really research the communities you are aiming to connect with. But with genuinely new technology or products there must be trust between clients and creative and an understanding as to what everyone wants to get out the campaign.

Brands that are genuinely connected and ‘in the community’ rather than just on the platform will stand a much better chance of users interacting and engaging because they’ll show a greater authenticity of what will resonate and reward involvement. The first year I created the X Factor UGC campaign for The Carphone Warehouse back in 2006 we were happy that a few thousand people took part – and now we regularly have millions getting involved with TikTok campaigns.

8. Give us a personal favorite TikToker we should all be following…

Wow, to ask for one creator when there are over 1 million is tough! My FYP is a real mix of fun, food and football coaching tips. Helen Christie’s comedy content always brings joy to my day and we’ve worked with her to deliver some of our marketing messages. Alex Partridge brings a lot of important information about ADHD to light, especially for those in the creative industry.

9. What are you buying on TikTok shop?

My cats do very well out of TikTok shop, they get all the latest gadgets. And as a foodie who’s always looking to discover new recipe ideas in my feed, you’ll find I have cupboards full of trending flavors, and lots of Japanese mayonnaise in the fridge.

10. We ask a lot of creative leaders what’s the key attribute they look for when hiring talent. What’s your answer to that… and has it changed since you were leading agency departments?

The main attributes and attitude hasn’t changed over the years in that any budding creatives or creators joining the team need to have energy and enthusiasm. But how the ideas show up is a world away from marker pen scamps in portfolios. Nowadays, I’d be looking more for people who use the platform to its full potential, who are totally trend savvy and who are looking forward rather than back to find ways to bring their ideas and messages to life in new and innovative ways.