Limit Less TikTok campaign

As part of the Limit Less campaign to support more young people from under-represented and underserved groups to do physics post-16, the IOP has taken to TikTok. 

In discussion with student members of the IOP, the standing on eggs challenge was selected as something that would be interesting and accessible to all. Working with PR specialists Gerard Kelly and Partners, we shared the general idea with selected social media influencers and they set to work creating videos that had the common theme of standing on eggs but in their own inimitable styles.

The TikTok videos are not intended to teach physics, but instead aim to make the idea of physics more accessible. They aim to challenge the misconceived ideas that young people are told about physics – such as it is boring or it’s not for them – with engaging content that communicates the key campaign message that ‘physics is for everyone’. 

Over the Christmas break in 2021, when social media consumption by young people was very high, five prominent TikTok influencers, including the fourth most popular in the UK, introduced the Limit Less campaign to their followers through the medium of standing on eggs. 

At the time of writing, the videos have been viewed more than 500,000 times and have received more than 63,000 likes! Viewers are also pointed to the webpage standoneggs.iop.org which contains more information about the ‘eggsperiment’ and the campaign. 

​​​​​​You can view the videos here:  

• Tamzin 
• Shauni 
• Ishaan 
• Matthew and Ryan 
• Morgan M James 

This was the first Limit Less campaign activity on TikTok. The TikTok influencers were selected for their young audience, and demographics related to our target audience, and to provide the foundation for more activity throughout 2022. This has included the Eurekas competition that we launched this year – find out more about the Eurekas.

We were very pleased to see that the TikTok campaign generated media coverage in the Times, Telegraph, the Daily Mirror and Daily Star. Furthermore, Rachel Youngman, Deputy Chief Executive at the Institute of Physics, was interviewed on Radio 4 and Radio 5 and Ray Mitchell, our Head of Campaign Strategy, was interviewed on Times Radio. This work was also featured in Nature. 

Now, who is brave enough to try standing on their own eggs and uploading the results?!​ 

In March 2022, the Limit Less campaign released a further four new TikTok videos showing that an everyday piece of cloth can seal a full glass of water even when it’s held upside down (over someone’s head!), and that this can be explained by physics.

The “Don’t Ruin My Hair” videos – also featuring prominent TikTok influencers – have so far clocked up more than 750,000 viewings. 

As a way of reaching as wide an audience of young people as possible, we have worked with a couple of new influencers as well as some of those we worked with before.  

You can check out their videos here: 

• Matthew and Ryan
• Ishaan 
• Rhia
• Okulaja

In total, we have had over 1.3 million views across TikTok, which totalled over 18,200 hours of viewing time – the equivalent of more than two years’ worth! 

Since the videos were launched, the TikTok campaign has been shortlisted for three different awards:

• We received a ‘Highly Commended’ at the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) UK Awards, described as the UK’s most prestigious PR awards. 
   
  The TikTok campaign was nominated under ‘Digital and Social Media Award’. We were shortlisted to a final six, competing against campaigns from Lenovo, Bodyright, Netflix, the O2 and PurpleBricks. See more about the PRCA UK Awards entries.

• The Creative Moment Awards celebrates the creators and the makers of exceptional creative work across the PR, advertising, marketing and communications sector. The awards consider innovative thinking, exemplary execution and memorable ideas as the foundations of the creative industry, and recognise and reward "brilliantly exciting creativity". 
   
  The TikTok campaign was nominated under 'Most Creative Social Influencer Campaign of the Year', alongside Lenovo, Goodyear, Netflix, Sports Direct and the International Planned Parenthood Federation. See the list of Creative Moment Award winners.

• The Drum Awards is a global awards program which recognises best practice, the best companies and the best people from across the marketing and communications industry. 
   
  The TikTok campaign has been nominated under 'Most Effective Use of Influencer Marketing'. We are in the final six competing against campaigns from Persil, Heineken, Pantene, McDonald's and TiNDLE. See more about the Drum Awards entries.