Strategi Komunikasi Digital Melalui Tiktok pada Café Hedon Estate

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the role of digital communication via the TikTok Platform  in shaping the image of Café Hedon Estate in Surabaya. In the era of increasingly developing digital communications, TikTok has emerged as a strategic Platform  in digital marketing thanks to its personalization algorithm and viral reach through the For You Page (FYP) feature. This research uses a quasi-qualitative approach with in-depth interviews and documentation methods with three informants, namely the Café owner, the social media team, and new customers.The research results show that TikTok is not only used as a promotional medium, but also as a means of building consumers' visual perceptions and experiences before visiting. The content strategy implemented is cinematic and emphasizes Café ambience, not hard selling, so as to create more organic interest. Collaboration with Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) and active responses to audience comments also strengthens two-way communication between the Café and its consumers. Based on Pierre Lévy's New Media Theory, the use of TikTok reflects the characteristics of interactive, open, and algorithm-based new media. Through the five characteristics of new media according to Pierre Lévy—Digitality , Interactivity, openness, virtuality, and collective intelligence—TikTok functions not only as a promotional medium but also as a strategic tool for building two-way communication, expanding audience reach, and forming the Café’s image in consumers’ minds. The consistency between digital content and the actual experience of the Café is the key factor in maintaining consumer trust and satisfaction.