How Gen Alpha engages with video content
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Ofcom Children’s Media Literacy report 2025, notes that younger children (3–12) prefer fast-paced, short-form content with dramatic, loud editing, rapid transitions, sound effects, and animations (source).
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The same report identified thousands of TikTok videos under a #brainrot‑style category, and children said this kind of content leaves them ‘dizzy’, overstimulated, and unsure what they have just watched – apparently in a good way.
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Three key emotional needs that the content needs to meet for Gen Alpha are Autonomy, Play and Peace (source).
Why brand legacy and heritage aren’t enough for Generation Alpha
Traditionally, households have been filled with brands passed down through generations trusted staples that have long reigned as the default choice. But Generation Alpha is growing up in a radically different environment. They’re exposed to a vast array of brands, each curated by algorithms to match their specific interests, behaviours, and needs at any one given time.
In this context, why would they choose their grandparents’ or parent’s favourite brand when they’re presented with alternatives that offer evolving values, bespoke packaging, and superior functionality? Generation Alpha’s sense of identity is meticulously curated, from the clothes they wear and the food they eat to how these choices align with their favourite game avatars’ inventories. For this generation, relevance and personalisation often trump legacy, and brands must evolve to meet these expectations.
Traditional brands leaning into TikTok
Of course, brand presence on TikTok is crucial, but the brands that excel and stand apart from the rest have adopted a somewhat unique/brow raising approach. Here are some examples, that are a little harder to wrap your head around if you’re not Gen Alpha:
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Heinz UK – Heinz is one of the most socially attuned brands in the UK with an array of bizarre posts featuring trending sounds and personalised memes. The brand attempted to leverage the “Four Seasons Baby” trend with a post featuring “delectable beenage” (a play on the slang term “teenage”) using a simple greenscreen effect. The brand has also had many viral moments with the likes of their Clear Ketchup as well as partnering with Sam Thompson to create the tongue in cheek content he’s so well known for on the app.
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Currys – The traditional electronics retailer has totally reshaped its brand image on TikTok, relying on EGC, featuring staff in humorous, trend-led sketches and behind-the-scenes content in their instantly recognisable purple shirts. Their content feels authentically awkward and entertaining, generating viral moments that are considered more effective than their paid advertising. And if you aren’t impressed by their ‘low-brow’ content? Good, you’re simply not meant to be, as it’s aimed at Gen Alpha and Gen Zs that are chronically online.
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Marks & Spencer – M&S excels by allowing individual stores to run their own accounts and promoting specific products that go viral. They tap into the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt trend with popular food items like the “Big Daddy” chocolate bar or the Chicken Caesar dip, combining a focus on quality with an accessible, playful social media presence. And of course, mascots, Percy Pig and Colin the Caterpillar, are national treasures as far as TikTok is concerned.
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Loewe – The luxury fashion brand created a highly successful TikTok video using the viral “ballerina cuppacina” audio. The clip featured a ballerina wearing the brand’s sneakers while holding a cup of coffee. The surreal imagery and nonsensical voiceover played into the brainrot aesthetic, capturing attention without an overt product pitch. While this luxury brand isn’t likely somewhere these shoppers are currently purchasing from, they’ve certainly established themselves as an aspirational brand of choice.
More seasonal opportunities
Seasonality has and will always continue to be a sales driver for brands and retailers, and amplifying this opportunity on TikTok is no exception. In fact, it’s a time to get more extravagant with content and even bolster content with the likes of ‘unboxing’ videos, the use of community influencers and good will gestures. While the content doesn’t always have to be bizarre, it does have to be earnest, especially around Christmas.
Here are some impressive festive moves from brands last year:
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Lidl – Last Christmas “Ode to Bakery” turned real customer tweets about its bakery into a playful remix of Set You Free, released as a TikTok sound with an Open Verse challenge. The deliberately lo-fi (a Gen Alpha must), green-screen style encourages users to duet, sing along and create silly, festive-themed clips. It generated over 20 million impressions and strong engagement, making it one of the most organically playful UK brand moments on TikTok that Christmas (source).
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Waitrose – a light-hearted “pudding heist” detective-style social video, featuring well-known actors and leaning into fun, entertainment-led storytelling rather than a traditional advert. The TikTok-first version spread quickly, helped by the humorous plot, all-star appearances, and festive chaos. It reached around 610,000 views in its first three hours, positioning Waitrose as a standout for Christmas storytelling on TikTok (source).
What legacy means for consumer brands now
Brands with strong legacy and heritage aren’t about to disappear, and much like the generations before them, Generation Alpha will still pick up the products they’ve grown up with. However, their likelihood of shopping around for alternatives is far higher, leaving more personable or culturally attuned brands to claim that spot in shopping trolleys. Using TikTok alongside other platforms (YouTube, gaming platforms, etc.) helps refortify familiarity and trust by showing that a brand understands its audience and evolves with them, especially during key seasonal moments, when expectations for creativity and relevance are even higher.
Success now lies in agility and a willingness to embrace the weird, algorithmically absurd nature of TikTok, even when it feels like a risk. For brands willing to evolve in this way, the reward is cultural relevance, wider reach and, ultimately, deeper trust with the next generation of consumers.