Dive Brief:
- Skims, the apparel brand co-founded by Kim Kardashian, made its first venture into live entertainment with “Kimsmas Live!,” a 45-minute holiday livestream event that was broadcast exclusively on TikTok, according to details shared with Marketing Dive.
- The live event, held Dec. 3, was hosted by Kardashian and sought to draw inspiration from classic holiday variety shows and was fully shoppable in real time. The livestream featured Skims collections and exclusive holiday deals.
- The event was teased ahead of time by Kardashian across social media, including with an animated spot featuring the celebrity and Kris Jenner set to an original jingle. The effort was produced in partnership with OBB Media and marks Skims’ latest effort to tap into pop culture.
Dive Insight:
As Gen Z continues to exert its influence on the holiday shopping season, brands are adopting marketing tactics that meet the cohort where they are spending their time, and that’s on social media. Nine in ten TikTok users are expected to use the app for holiday inspiration and advice, and one quarter of users have purchased or expect to purchase a gift that they saw on the platform, according to TikTok. Further, U.S. social commerce sales are expected to top $100 billion in 2026 and grow to more than $137 billion by 2028, per eMarketer.
“Kimsmas Live!,” which represents the biggest real-time event hosted by Kardashian on her TikTok channel, highlighted the star’s favorite holiday tips and Skims products, including special bundles, and included surprise celebrity guests. The special was executive produced by Michael Ratner, Scott Ratner, Simone Spira and Lana Womack for OBB Media alongside members of the Skims team, and was directed by Emmy Award-winning director Sam Wrench.
“Kimsmas Live! is an opportunity for us to deepen the way we engage our customers,” said Jens Grede, co-founder and CEO, Skims, in release details. “Livestreaming allows us to meet our community where they already are — in real time — and partnering with OBB Media and TikTok lets us build an experience that’s both entertaining and highly shoppable for the holiday season.”
Skims’ holiday livestream continues the brand’s efforts to tap into pop culture. In 2023, Skims entered into a multiyear partnership to become the official underwear of the NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball. Company and league executives characterized that deal as a union of pop culture, entertainment, fashion and sports. More recently, the brand partnered with Nike to create a new brand, NikeSkims, that will include apparel, footwear and accessories.
Other brands have also been making use of TikTok Shop this holiday season, and the platform has been offering a host of incentives, including covering delivery costs and cash rewards, to get retailers and marketers to set up shop on the platform. Those efforts have led several blue-chip companies, including Samsung U.S., Ralph Lauren and the Disney Store, to sign on in advance of the holiday season.
