- Skims, the apparel brand co-founded by Kim Kardashian, made its first enterprise into live entertainment with “Kimsmas Live!,” a 45-minute holiday livestream event that was broadcast exclusively on TikTok, in response to details shared with Marketing Dive.
- The live event, held Dec. 3, was hosted by Kardashian and sought to attract 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 popular culture.
As Gen Z continues to exert its influence on the vacation shopping season, brands are adopting marketing tactics that meet the cohort where they’re spending their time, and that’s on social media. Nine in ten TikTok users are expected to make use of the app for holiday inspiration and advice, and one quarter of users have purchased or expect to buy a present that they saw on the platform, in response to TikTok. Further, U.S. social commerce sales are expected to top $100 billion in 2026 and grow to greater than $137 billion by 2028, per eMarketer.
“Kimsmas Live!,” which represents the largest real-time event hosted by Kardashian on her TikTok channel, highlighted the star’s favorite holiday suggestions 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 a chance for us to deepen the best way we engage our customers,” said Jens Grede, co-founder and CEO, Skims, in release details. “Livestreaming allows us to fulfill our community where they already are — in real time — and partnering with OBB Media and TikTok lets us construct an experience that’s each entertaining and highly shoppable for the vacation season.”
Skims’ holiday livestream continues the brand’s efforts to tap into popular culture. In 2023, Skims entered into a multiyear partnership to grow to be the official underwear of the NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball. Company and league executives characterised that deal as a union of popular culture, entertainment, fashion and sports. More recently, the brand partnered with Nike to create a brand new brand, NikeSkims, that may 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 bunch of incentives, including covering delivery costs and money rewards, to get retailers and marketers to establish shop on the platform. Those efforts have led several blue-chip firms, including Samsung U.S., Ralph Lauren and the Disney Store, to sign on upfront of the vacation season.
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