Hey there, social media aficionados and TikTok trend-chasers! Look out, because the University of Alabama’s sorority rush, hashtagged #BamaRush, just finished taking the digital stage by storm for it’s third year! This yearly viral trend didn’t disappoint with 9K posts and 395M views in the past 30 days. (These stats are only for #BamaRush there were also lots of associated hashtags too!)
From the over-the-top glam-packed OOTDs (that’s “outfit of the day” for those not in the know) to the insane brand name-dropping (everything from Target to Gold Hinge to David Yurman to Golden Goose to Kendra Scott to Cartier), the PNMS (those fearless women navigating rush) are redefining the influencer game. The TikTok views and engagement are crazy!
Dive into the individual sorority house feeds such as Alpha Chi Omega, Pi Phi, and Phi Mu (search TikTok for lots more houses) and you’ll find an extravaganza of over-the-top themed dances, lavish costumes, and décor that would make Hollywood blush. It’s a viral fiesta and there are tons of #RushBama superfans watching it all!
The content tsunami doesn’t stop there, though. Alongside the sorority houses and PNMS documenting every detail every day, there’s a cacophony of moms, random TikTok viewers, and typical reality TV drama enthusiasts adding their voices to the mix.
Not only are these super fans consuming every bit of content, but they are also adding their own. They are busy doing daily play-by-plays, making stitches, critiquing outfits, doing rush outfit price breakdowns (yes…over a million views!), shouting out companies with suggestions they should send products to particular rushing women, and of course, making lots of guesses on which sorority their favorite TikTok PNMS will end up joining.
The super fans are even loudly voicing their displeasure as women get “dropped” from the sorority houses (basically not invited back because each day each house has to reduce its number of invites as the week progresses). The engagement and comments on the posts are insane!
Deb’s POV As social media managers #BamaRush is a very interesting case study! I think it’s raising the bar for TikTok and short-form video creation.
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Looking at the quality of what the individual sorority houses are producing is impressive. Great edits. Good video. High-energy music matchups.
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Remember, most of the 24 sororities at the University of Alabama are creating these amazing videos FAST and DAILY! Social Media Managers…it IS POSSIBLE!
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Consider 2500 women went through rush this year…if only 10% of the women created TikToks of any kind…that’s 250 women who aren’t afraid to make to make videos! Gaining those skills and actually creating video so early on their road to their careers is amazing! Some of our clients should learn from their willingness to dive in!
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Peering into the future, one can’t help but wonder what these content-crafting students have in store for us. With video work and editing that could rival industry pros, they’re flashing some serious #MadSkills. These tech-savvy students are laying down a path, setting trends, and showing zero signs of imposture syndrome.
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If you’ve got a client with a product is there a way you can jump into the influencer marketing pool next year?
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Remember this example is ONLY the University of Alabama! There are more than 650 college campuses across the United States and Canada that have rush. Many of them are also using TikTok (and even Instagram) to promote their recruiting efforts! Just do a bit of searching!
PS yes…disclaimer…I’m a former sorority girl and a lover of reality TV! And as a pink lover…it was awesome to see all the trendy PINK this year! (Thank you Barbie!)
(editor’s note: Sadly we can’t embed TikTok in Social Media Pulse so if you don’t know what I’m talking about…go search #BamaRush on TikTok!)