Nearly 50% of TikTok users say they have purchased a product after seeing it in a TikTok video. This may explain why one company recruited Western Michigan University students to get creative with short-form videos to assist with the national launch of a new bath and body brand targeted at Gen Z buyers.

The new brand, NUDY RUDY, offers Australian-made natural soap bars and creams and has a playful brand voice. Myra Klingler, e-commerce and marketing manager for Value Max Products, NUDY RUDY’s parent brand, reached out to Dr. Scott Cowley, associate professor of marketing, in order to get some student input as the company readies for national distribution in Walmart stores and online retailers.

Together, they created a TikTok video creation project for Dr. Cowley’s summer digital marketing class to highlight the brand and its products in an authentic, engaging way. “These projects for clients are very co-creative,” says Cowley, “We want to structure them to be legitimately valuable for our partners while helping students refine their digital marketing skills.”

Students were given product samples and specific content objectives, along with some actual scripts from NUDY RUDY’s video agency. “The videos that students created for NUDY RUDY are an excellent example of how Dr. Cowley’s course structure helps the students follow specific guidelines where they learn real-life project expectations,” says Klingler. “These details, paired with Dr. Cowley’s class instruction, led the students to create content that exceeded expectations.”

While most students in the course were familiar with TikTok videos, many had never made one personally. Students found their creativity and focus were helped by embracing all that TikTok has to offer. “To find inspiration for my video, I decided to scroll popular TikTok videos to better understand the trends,” says finance student, Trenton Dally. “I found a popular song that I felt matched the vibe of NUDY RUDY, particularly their Sea Salt scent, and I went with it. I wanted to try and create a discernable before and after experience of using the soap to frame the product in the best possible light.”

Planning and preparation were key for digital marketing and eCommerce major, Aneesha Jain in achieving both a great video and learning experience. “My approach for the video included research on how to properly present a product and the most efficient way to do it. I wanted to represent the minimalistic and quirky soap brand in a light that millennials and Gen Z would relate to. I broke down each shot to ensure it was exactly what I wanted. It took many tries, but I was able to get a final video I was happy with. I had never created a video until this class, so I was out of my comfort zone but that is where the learning happens.”

In total, students delivered more than 40 videos for NUDY RUDY to consider integrating into its own video strategy, with some receiving special recognition from the company.

A company collaboration with many winners

The TikTok project isn’t the first collaboration between WMU digital marketing students and Klingler’s company. Klingler originally approached Cowley in 2020 about a potential student project for their flagship soap brand, Bela Naturals, resulting in projects in search engine optimization and digital ad creation.

Last year, Cowley and Klingler teamed up at a local social media conference to give advice to local business owners about how to hire a digital marketing intern, following Klingler’s experiences hiring multiple digital marketing interns from Dr. Cowley’s classes and the digital marketing and eCommerce program.

Learn more about the digital marketing and eCommerce program.