They call it disruption—we call it opportunity. As the digital media landscape shifts, we’re not just keeping up; we’re setting the pace. And with the possibility of the TikTok ban looming (after the 90-days), we’re ready for a major shakeup.
1. Rethinking Short-Form Video: Beyond TikTok
If TikTok fades away in the U.S., the demand for short-form video content won’t go with it. YouTube Shorts is already stepping up, offering a seamless experience within a platform that’s deeply ingrained in consumer habits. With stronger search integration, higher credibility and a built-in audience that spans all demographics, YouTube Shorts isn’t just an alternative—it’s a powerhouse. We’re leaning in, crafting high-impact content that maximizes visibility while keeping engagement high. And let’s not forget Instagram Reels, which continues to refine its algorithm for broader reach and conversion power.
Notes From the Field: We began A/B testing YouTube shorts against TikTok in January, ahead of the first TikTok ban, and here are some of the insights gained:
YouTube Shorts as a Traffic Driver
- YouTube CPC Efficiencies: CPCs: $0.08–$0.35 (YouTube) vs. $1.30–$1.44 (TikTok).
- Stronger Click-Through: 3.74% (YouTube) vs. 0.62% (TikTok).
- Higher Click Volume: YouTube collectively drove nearly 4.5K clicks vs. TikTok’s combined 424 site clicks.
TikTok as an Awareness Vehicle
- TikTok garnered a total of 80K video views across a single campaign, while YouTube achieved 56.7K views across the same campaign.
- TikTok drives stronger in-platform engagement via video views, but YouTube achieved stronger ad engagement driving user to the website.
- YouTube reached a more balanced demographic population. TikTok attracted 35% of users aged 55+ (you read that right) while YouTube had a balanced spread across all age segmentations.
Insight: The combo is key! YouTube Shorts is best positioned to drive efficient website traffic. TikTok can drive a higher volume of video views, serving awareness goals more effectively.
2. AI-Powered Content Creation Gets Smarter
We’re seeing the power of AI extend into so many of the ways we work and while it will never replace anyone on the talented GJ team, it’s transforming the way we create content. While some see it as a shortcut, we see it as an amplifier. At Gunn Jerkens, we’re using AI to enhance storytelling, personalize messaging and optimize campaigns in real time—without losing the human touch that makes content truly resonate.
3. Community-First Marketing Over Traditional Ads
Consumers are tuning out ads and tuning into experiences. It’s no longer about who can shout the loudest but who can build the strongest connections. Brands that prioritize community engagement—through exclusive or interactive experiences and real-time conversations—are winning loyalty in a way that traditional digital ads simply can’t. Our approach? Creating digital spaces where brands and audiences interact authentically, turning passive viewers into active brand advocates.
4. SEO Evolves: The Rise of AI-Search Optimization
With Google and Bing rolling out AI-driven search experiences, the way people find information is changing fast. Traditional keyword strategies alone won’t cut it anymore. The new focus? Answer-driven, conversational content optimized for AI-powered search results. At Gunn Jerkens, we’re developing content that doesn’t just rank—it gets surfaced in AI-driven responses, ensuring our clients stay visible in an increasingly dynamic search landscape.
The Bottom Line? Digital Media Moves Fast—We Move Faster
At Gunn Jerkens, we’re not just following trends; we’re shaping them. Whether it’s pivoting from TikTok to YouTube Shorts, harnessing AI for better storytelling, or building communities that drive engagement, we’re always looking ahead. Because in this industry, the only constant is change—and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Why Everyone Loves TikTok
TikTok is the ultimate playground for personal expression, with an endless stream of content curated to your interests.
With billions in ad revenue every year, TikTok is no longer the exclusive realm of Gen Z. Not even close. By now, it seems nearly everyone is on the app, and that means advertising across all demographics.
As for Gen GJ, we launched the video platform in 2022, becoming fluent in the language and fascinated by the trends. Now, we are paving the way for our clients to become industry leaders on a platform where their target audience can be found scrolling.
Here are a few takeaways we have so far.
Authentic, unpolished content has staying power.
To the untrained eye, videos on TikTok might seem slapped together—but that’s proven to be their central appeal. Tighter budgets and smaller productions don’t just require more creativity. They need greater authenticity as well.
Over half of users feel closer to the brands they discover on TikTok, particularly when the content is less polished and more human. The more viewers are allowed to see the seams, the better. But it isn’t all bloopers and BTS footage.
TikTok gives us the chance to be more direct in a number of meaningful ways. User-generated content is proving to be one of the best and most effective marketing strategies. Residents in housing developments throughout the country are giving free press to their communities with heartfelt video testimonials. Similarly, employee-generated content is an equally up-front way to tell the consumer what they need to know.
Social media is the new search engine.
Users are always looking for the low down on everything—including home buying. TikTok is the perfect platform to break down interest rates, market forecasts and complicated industry jargon in an easily digestible manner. It’s also the perfect way to dispel common myths and misconceptions about buying a home.
81% of users use TikTok to discover new products and brands. We don’t see why that shouldn’t apply to housing developments and apartment complexes. It might not be the first place people go to learn about real estate, but that makes it a great place to catch them by surprise. And since younger generations are increasingly using TikTok to problem solve, we are able to play things to our advantage with targeted content.
The ability to assign keywords to posts bridges SEO and video with great success, ensuring our content reaches the right people. With the right host, a little text and a popular song, we can assuage any fears and encourage consumers to take their first steps toward buying a new home.
Diverse content keeps things entertaining.
TikTok content creators are constantly thinking up new trends—which means no shortage of fresh faces to watch and original ideas to learn from. Unlike other social apps, 92% of users view TikTok with the TV off. That kind of attention is not easy to find. So trust us when we say that we are paying attention too.
It has been a blast using our personal TikTok to highlight Gunn Jerkens’ office culture, and we can’t wait to see what else we come up with as a team. Be sure to follow us there to keep up with the latest industry trends, market insights and lip-sync videos.
2023 Trends
At GJ, trends aren’t just something to chase after. They are a chance to check the pulse and take the temperature, to gauge where our industry is doing its best work and to decide how our energy will be best spent. At the start of 2023, we surveyed the landscape and picked out a few trends that are making us pay attention.
It’s all about the user (generated content).
You can’t put a price on user-generated content. These free, organic pieces of content give a fresh voice to unknown and well-established brands, cutting through the usual advertising noise with something heartfelt and direct. Most importantly, UGC drives strong engagement and gets brands more involved.
It has been a great tool to leverage as we spread the word about exciting new developments across the country.
Keep it brief.
When it comes to video content, we live by one rule: the shorter the better.
Our TikTok launch last year taught us how quick and digestible complicated topics like real estate can be when they are in the right hands. 92% of global users take action after watching a TikTok, and so are we.
But this goes so much further than one app. TikToks, Reels, YouTube Shorts – it’s all trending in the same direction. Short-form video is set to see more growth in 2023 than any other marketing strategy.
We could go on and on, but we’ll keep this concise. If you want to learn more, check out our blog on Why Everyone Loves TikTok.
SEO all the way.
Search-optimized ads are nothing new, but as the fourth most popular marketing trend, they are here to stay. And the applications only continue to grow. Increasingly, people are using social platforms like TikTok as their go-to search engines. The ability to assign keywords to posts is creating countless new possibilities to reach the right audience.
As more companies recruit experts, SEO is yielding greater insights, impressions and both long- and short-term returns. This year, 88% of marketers with a concrete SEO strategy will boost or maintain their investment. That is as sure a bet as any.
AR you ready, kids?
Augmented reality filters on social media are giving users new ways to see the world around them and offering companies new ways to connect with their core audience. Whether it’s trying on a virtual pair of Nikes or seeing what you would look like with Ray-Ban sunglasses, AR is proving to be the perfect interactive experience between brands and customers.
Apps like Instagram make these filters readily available and addictively reshareable. While some industries have been slower to adopt these dynamic tools, we only expect them to grow more ubiquitous as the 2020s unfold.
As GJ celebrates its 40th anniversary, we are continuing to pay close attention to the ways all these trends play out. As we look to the future, we hope you will follow along with us. Check us out on social media or here on our website for more industry observations!
Inspiring New Ideas
We love a good comeback story. And if this past year has proven anything, it’s that with enough creativity and inspiration plus an amazing team—anything is possible.
Where do we find our inspiration? It lives in the places we go and the actions we take. We find it when we’re traveling, walking, talking and connecting with the people around us. We find it in nature, where time seems to stand still for a moment so the mind can wander. Whether it’s in the faces of our little nieces and nephews, the playful spirits of kittens or the wise eyes of graying dogs—fresh waves of thought, emotion and ideas exist all around us.
As individuals, we’re diverse, storied, cultured, adventurous and then some. But when we come together as a team, we’re a force to be reckoned with.
So what’s the takeaway? It’s life that sparks inspiring new ideas. And that leads to meaningful work, happy clients, fulfilled team members and the motivation to follow our next vision and bring something incredible to life.
Business as
Un(usual)
They call it the new normal, but we’ve always strived for more. What’s beyond the status quo is what holds our interest. As everything starts to make its comeback—we’ve realized that it’s never been about getting back to what’s typical and what’s everyday. It’s about the fresh ideas we get to bring to life. The face-to-face connections we make. And every new minute we get to innovate together.
With the return of lifestyle photo and video shoots, we’re taking our creative content game above and beyond.
Events are back—and better-than-ever is the goal, bringing our brand and customer experience dreams to life with a side of genuine human connection.
GJ on Location:
Miralon, Palm Springs
The Groves, Whittier
Brookfield Design Studio, Costa Mesa
Sommers Bend, Temecula
Stay tuned for scroll-stopping news coming soon.
#Backtonormal
Homes Worth
a #Hashtag
Infill community, meet big first impression. For Brookfield Residential’s townhomes paired with hip retail in Orange County’s quaint Stanton area, it was all about creating buzz, connection and ramping up the excitement. How do we grab attention and compel young professionals and families looking for an attainable option to believe in the new vision? The answer came in the personality—the bigger the better.
We leveraged high-impact graphics and fun, conversational messaging to put this community in the limelight and on the map, well on Beach Boulevard actually. Relatable phrases like “Homes worth a #hashtag” paired with Insta-worthy mural-esque art piqued interest and set the tone. Each touchpoint along the customer journey came together to portray a place that’s friendly, bright and downright magnetic. The result? Almost doubling monthly sales goals during COVID-19, with prices constantly on the rise.
“The goal was to create a destination—one that ups the excitement, grabs attention and radiates a sense of place.”
— Jennifer Stoddard
Performance That Measures Up
From the start we knew words and pictures wouldn’t be enough to launch Landsea Homes’ new High Performance Homes program into the world. When an idea spans the breadth and depth of life as we know it, we need to think bigger, more experiential and more engaging. The clear answer came from behind the lens and to screens everywhere with a clever commercial-quality video series. From casting calls, auditions, interviewing DPs and wrangling actors to extensive script development and storyboarding, the 32-person crew ultimately made the magic happen.
A New Take on Home Tech
“Hey Siri”
From Apple-powered technology to sustainable building practices and energy efficiency, each video needed to convey a story of home that was more connected, convenient and healthier than ever.
Adding to the mix, the website experience plus digital and experiential marketing all came together to showcase a builder with homes that truly change everything.
“Today’s homebuyers seek a balanced life through technology, the ability to stay connected and the option to be in control.”
Time to Get Smart
It was time to get smart. Taking our cues from the walkable BART station, we added a new segmentation to the marketing mix and lasered in on relatability. It was all about targeting the San Francisco DMA (San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose) looking for more bedrooms, garages, open space and parks at a more affordable price. That meant a campaign that showcased how the target lives and put the master plan attributes in the spotlight, all while reinforcing the big picture: Boulevard is a smart buy in the Bay Area.
Boulevard: Smart Campaign Social Media
Boulevard: Smart Campaign Video Series
Delivering Results
What started as simple homebuyer surveys soon became a full-fledged marketing experience. Qualified data not only provided insight into the lifestyle of residents but also allowed an opportunity to formulate creative and targeting tactics around a look-alike audience. The result? Exactly what we were looking for: increased leads and sales from the San Francisco DMA target market.
A Grand Virtual Opening
Introducing and building excitement for one of the most significant new master-planned communities in Temecula required a smart marketing solution. With the highly anticipated festival-like celebration put on hold to ensure the safety of prospective homebuyers and our builder partners, we needed to switch gears and take the show online.
Say hello to the first-ever Sommers Bend Virtual Builder Fair. What was once planned to be an in-person extravaganza became an engaging collection of virtual sessions between builders and prospects—a creative introduction to the community and its esteemed builders.
Answered: 176
With our builder partners anxious to provide an experience to the prospective buyers at Sommers Bend, Gunn | Jerkens set to task by coordinating and moderating three separate virtual sessions, including curating visuals, fielding real-time questions and obtaining key insights.
As for the results, they speak for themselves. We tripled the anticipated attendance with all three sessions nearing capacity, streamed and fielded hundreds of qualified questions, provided pertinent information to engaged audiences and most of all made a great first impression for Sommers Bend.
This may have been a master-planned community first, but as the marketing landscape continues to evolve, we know we’ll continue to level-up the marketing. Keep your eyes and screens open—you never know what’s coming next.