• Background Context
• Theories Applied
• Kikiva Collection: When the Whole Team Is the Channel
• Velocity Activewear: When the Founder Becomes the Brand Voice
• When rapid growth outpaces the customer experience
• Key Takeaway
• AI Acknowledgement

Background Context

Velocity Activewear and Kikiva Collection are both West Australian activewear brands that have used TikTok to drive growth, but through very different directions. Velocity relies on founder-led content to build authenticity, while Kikiva uses employee-generated content to create personality and community around the brand. So, which approach delivers stronger and more sustainable results?

Theories Applied

PESO framework (Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned) helps marketers evaluate channel choices based on measurability, audience fit, and impact. RACE framework provides a structured, data-driven approach to planning, managing, and optimizing digital marketing across the Reach, Act, Convert, and Engage stages of the customer journey. Together, they offer a useful lens for comparing how Kikiva and Velocity use TikTok to strengthen brand value and improve long-term digital performance

Kikiva Collection: When the Whole Team Is the Channel

Founder Kia Buckley grew Kikiva from her apartment garage into a multimillion-dollar business, with TikTok playing a major role in that journey: “TikTok changed my business,” she told the Esperance Weekender in August 2025. Rather than centring the channel on herself, Buckley uses a team-led content model featuring employees and customers in energetic, playful videos, creating a distinctive brand presence that enhances Reach and Act through relatable and shareable TikTok videos

“Your employees are your greatest brand advocates.” Jay Baer

Store openings are transformed into content through staff preparations, meet-and-greets, reactions, FAQs, and celebrations, making the brand feel more human, dynamic, and accessible. Giveaways and in-person events further deepen participation, helping turn viewers into a loyal, self-identified community of “girlypops.” Kikiva is therefore not simply using TikTok as a promotional channel; it is building Owned media through connection and belonging.

This digital engagement successfully extends beyond views and likes into real-world support. When Kikiva launched its first physical store at Karrinyup in August 2026, hundreds of customers queued overnight, with some waiting more than 12 hours and others travelling from Bunbury to attend, according to PerthNow. Under RACE framework, Kikiva’s strength lies in the Convert and Engage stage, where ongoing online and offline interactions translates short-term social attention into loyalty, repeat purchases, and positive word-of-mouth, creating greater impact than one-off viral trends, as highlighted by Visibrain (2026).

Velocity Activewear: When the Founder Becomes the Brand Voice

Velocity Activewear challenged the traditional influencer-led model by making its founder the brand’s primary content channel. Milly Turley launched the business from a spare bedroom in June 2021 and used her personal TikTok account, @millyturleyfit, to share fitness content while organically introducing audiences to the brand, rather than relying solely on paid creators. With more than 470,000 followers, the account supports the Reach stage of the RACE framework by building awareness among a large and relevant audience.

What makes the strategy especially effective is Turley’s second account, @millyturley, where she posts as “Founder & CEO” and turns everyday business activities, from sourcing, logistics, and startup costs to warehouse updates, store openings, sales, and expansion, into engaging TikTok content. By openly documenting Velocity’s brand development, this build-in-public approach encourages audiences to move from Reach to Act and Engage, with campaign announcement videos featuring Milly wearing Velocity outfits generating millions of views, likes, and comments.

“People don’t just buy products, they buy into the people behind the product.” Maha Abouelenein

When rapid growth outpaces the customer experience

Velocity was named among 2025’s fastest-growing activewear brands, up roughly 70% on the strength of its technical-athlete positioning, according to SMBSports (sports retail analysts, February 2026), yet the brand sits at just 2.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot, with recent verified reviews citing AI-generated customer service replies and slow refund handling on faulty items (reviews dated November 2025-May 2026). In PESO and RACE terms, Velocity nailed Reach and Act through founder-led Shared and Owned content, but Convert and Engage, the trust layer that keeps customers after the sale, hasn’t scaled at the same speed.

Velocity should evolve its TikTok strategy beyond founder-focused acquisition content by using the channel more deliberately for post-purchase guidance, including transparent service updates, customer FAQs, and feedback-driven content that rebuilds trust and enhances retention.

Key Takeaway

When establishing a brand-owned channel, marketers should consider not only what to post, but who can maintain its momentum over time. Founder-led content builds credibility and recognition, but depends heavily on one individual. A team-led model is more scalable and resilient when employees actively contribute.

AI Acknowledgement

On 1 August 2026, I used Claude and ChatGPT to support background research into Velocity Activewear’s and Kikiva Collection’s 2025-2026 digital marketing activities. I then reviewed and fact-checked the AI-generated insights before brainstorming, outlining, and writing the content entirely in my own words and style, based on my experience of following the TikTok accounts of both brands and their founders.