Observed Signal · Aug 13, 2026 · Opinion · Source: The Drum · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Brands Shouldn’t Copy Andy Burnham’s TikTok
Opinion by Alvin Owusu-Fordwuo of Tag Agency argues that brands who merely copy Andy Burnham’s TikTok formats will fail. Burnham’s social success comes from attaching clear, useful actions or policies (eg. £2 bus fares announced with creator Bemi Orojuogun) to platform-native formats and working at scale with a consistent purpose. The piece urges brands to prioritize what they add (information, access, product change, real power-sharing) and to practice genuine co-creation rather than surface-level casting or executive-led performative relatability.
Practical guidance on creator strategy, co-creation and platform-native publishing is relevant to brands, agencies and social teams but does not represent a platform policy change or industry-shifting event.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Alvin Owusu-Fordwuo, co-founder and strategy director at Tag Agency, wrote the opinion piece advising brands not to copy Andy Burnham’s TikTok format.
- Andy Burnham used social video to announce a £2 bus fare alongside creator Bemi Orojuogun (Bus Aunty), a post that passed two million views.
- Burnham borrowed a camera-tap format associated with Zohran Mamdani to announce a VAT cut on energy bills.
- Tag Agency cited its campaign for V&A East’s 'The Music Is Black' exhibition as an example of co-creation where young Black creatives shaped the work rather than simply adding youthfulness.
- The article criticizes staged executive-led social moments, citing McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski’s unconvincing bite of the Big Arch burger as corporate theatre.
Connected Companies & Entities
2 Entities mapped“The internet immediately clocked the corporate theater of McDonald’s chief executive Chris Kempczinski taking a tiny, deeply unconvincing bi...”
“Burger King then used the moment to sharpen its own executive-led pitch....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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