2020 has been quite the year. From a global pandemic that introduced us to social distancing to personal and economic uncertainties all over the world, it was a year full of mixed emotions. Throughout it all, many people from the MENA region turned to TikTok to share their stories and lift others up. We celebrated, cooked, listened, learned, supported, stayed at home together, and found creativity and joy throughout each twist and turn along the way making the TikTok community the thriving space it is today.

“The Arab region is a melting pot of immense creativity with a young population that has a high level of digital connectivity, and TikTok fuelled this creative spirit across the region in 2020. We are immensely proud of the creativity that has been born and which flourished on our platform this year. The TikTok platform sparks joy and our thriving community proved that joyful creative content has no limits on TikTok. We invite you to take a trip down memory lane with us and look back and celebrate everything the region has to offer and we look forward to a more prosperous new year in 2021!” said Rami Zeidan, Head of Video and Creative at TikTok

Through the TikTok community we spanned borders and generations, shared and celebrated life’s simple and best moments. With that in mind, here are the moments and people  laughs and tears, that made TikTok what it is today in this Year on TikTok roundup:

Top Trending Hashtags

Trends can start from a single video and turn into inspiration across the platform, quickly spreading across TikTok with the help of hashtags. These are the top hashtags the MENA region couldn’t get enough of:

  1. #LearnonTikTok      – Where learning never stops.
  2. #DontRushChallenge – Empowering women to embrace their beauty with and without makeup.
  3. #SubmarineChallenge –       Interactive submarine game.
  4. #BeautyMode – Transformations at their best.
  5. #WipeitDown – If only it was this quick to get ready.
  6. #FliptheSwitch   – Trading places with a simple ‘switch’.
  7. #AlbumCoverChallenge – Using particular songs and albums as the punchline for jokes made easy.
  8. #LoveStory – Dancing to Taylor Swift’s iconic song.
  9. #ChefReacts – Cook-off with six famous chefs.
  10. #RiseAgain – Hard times inspire great moments.
     

Read our interview with Rami Zeidan on the inspiration behind the #LearnonTikTok initiative.

Brand campaigns thriving on TikTok

The TikTok For Business MENA community, which now stands at over 60,000 registered businesses, came together to share moments of inspiration and positivity and saw brands shift in real-time to embrace authenticity and genuine connection.

Over 83 Arabic-first campaigns were launched in the region – from brands using TikTok to support local communities through the pandemic, to campaigns that put Creators at their heart engaging the TikTok’s thriving Arab community and bringing them along on their brand journey. To celebrate a momentous year for brands on TikTok, we’ve compiled the ads that our community has loved and ads that have embodied our “Don’t Make Ads, Make TikToks” creative ethos.

Top Branded Challenges that sparked creativity

  1. #FreeYourAwesome     
  2. #ShareTheCare     
  3. #اليوم_الوطني_السعودي_٩٠ (SaudiNationalDay90)
  4. #افتح_عينك (Openyoureyes)
  5.  #StylishVsSavage
  6. #Coffeebeats   
  7. #احسن_ناس    (BestPeople)
  8. #اغسلها_مع_لايفبوي (CleanwithLifebuoy)
  9. #عزوتنا ملايين (HonoringMillions)
  10. #SketchersMovesModesh

Top Branded Effects

  1. Vimto x VimtoMoments 
  2. PepsiCo x Cheetos Egypt   
  3. Lenovo x Lenovo Yoga Challenge   
  4. Clorox  
  5. بهجة العيد x Samsung
  6. Nivea x I Care For… Heart Effect    
  7. Etisalat
  8. Vodafone   
  9. OSN x OSN #افتح_عين    
  10. جولي فرايدي x Jollychic