<![CDATA[ABSTRAK Platform TikTok telah menjadi salah satu kanal pemasaran digital yang paling strategis di Indonesia, dengan lebih dari 160 juta pengguna aktif bulanan yang didominasi oleh kelompok usia di bawah 34 tahun. Namun demikian, kajian akademis mengenai penerapan trend-based content strategy pada brand produk perawatan rambut lokal masih sangat terbatas, khususnya dalam menganalisis bagaimana strategi ini diimplementasikan secara operasional dan dampaknya terhadap engagement audiens. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan proses penerapan trend-based content strategy pada konten TikTok Aepura sekaligus menganalisis efektivitasnya terhadap tingkat engagement audiens. Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif dengan strategi studi kasus, di mana data dikumpulkan melalui observasi partisipatif selama enam bulan magang, wawancara mendalam dengan manajer konten dan content creator, serta dokumentasi performa konten akun TikTok Aepura. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa proses penerapan strategi berlangsung melalui empat tahapan, yakni identifikasi tren, adaptasi narasi produk, produksi konten, serta pengunggahan dan evaluasi, dengan komposisi harian tiga konten berbasis tren dan tiga konten edukatif atau review. Dari sisi performa, konten berbasis tren menghasilkan tayangan tertinggi hingga mencapai 61.842 views, sementara format Skit/Drama mencatatkan engagement rate tertinggi sebesar 0,63%, melampaui format Talking Head dengan rata-rata engagement rate sebesar 0,07%. Temuan ini menunjukkan bahwa efektivitas trend-based content strategy tidak hanya ditentukan oleh penggunaan trending audio, melainkan juga oleh kemampuan brand dalam mengintegrasikan motivasi audiens - khususnya pendekatan empathy dan pain point - ke dalam narasi tren yang diadaptasi. Penelitian ini memberikan kontribusi pada kajian komunikasi pemasaran digital di Indonesia, khususnya dalam pengelolaan konten short-form video untuk brand produk perawatan rambut lokal. ABSTRACT TikTok has emerged as one of the most strategic digital marketing channels in Indonesia, with over 160 million monthly active users predominantly aged under 34 years. However, academic studies examining the implementation of trend-based content strategy within local haircare product brands remain scarce, particularly in analyzing how such strategies are operationally executed and their impact on audience engagement. This study aims to describe the process of implementing trend-based content strategy on Aepura's TikTok content while analyzing its effectiveness on audience engagement levels. A descriptive qualitative approach with a case study strategy was employed, with data collected through six months of participatory observation during an internship period, in-depth interviews with the content manager and content creators, and documentation of Aepura's TikTok content performance. The findings reveal that the strategy implementation unfolds across four sequential stages: trend identification, product narrative adaptation, content production, and uploading and evaluation, with a daily composition of three trend-based contents and three educational or review-based contents. In terms of performance, trend-based content generated the highest viewership, reaching up to 61,842 views, while the Skit/Drama format recorded the highest engagement rate at 0.63%, surpassing the Talking Head format which averaged an engagement rate of only 0.07%. These findings suggest that the effectiveness of trend-based content strategy is not solely determined by the use of trending audio, but also by the brand's ability to integrate audience motivations - particularly empathy and pain point approaches - into the adapted trend narratives. This study contributes to the field of digital marketing communication in Indonesia, particularly in the management of short-form video content for local haircare product brands.]]>
