What is a TikTok? If I were to ask this question to 100 people, I would get 100 different answers. If I were to ask the same question about the ad. The same thing would happen. And If I were to ask about the content. Again, the same different answers. Guess that there is no standard definition but the way how we see it.
As advertising industry transforms, we are all looking for the next big thing. For some, it might be TikTok. For me, it will always be creativity.
TikTok has unleashed the world's imagination, and for this, we need to give it credit. But even the best entrepreneurial ideas stumble upon a simple yet complicated thing. Ability to say, "It's not for you."
Before I dwell on the difficulties of saying, "It's not for you," I would like to share my view of what TikTok/ad/content is - from a brand perspective. It's a conversation brands have with people. Some brands get it right. Others are either having monologues, wrong conversations, or conversations with the wrong people. It's not easy to find what to say and those who would listen and talk back. With a plethora of social media platforms, conversations are getting more profound. Superficial jabbering doesn't work anymore. So, yes, it's a conversation, and it has active listening and talking.
Kudos to TikTok
What Instagram did to photography, TikTok is doing to short mobile videos. Instagram turned ordinary people into professional photographers. TikTok turned the same people into micro-production houses. Their creativity can put the best advertising agencies to shame. If we need to give credit to TikTok, it would be the role they are playing in unleashing the world's creativity. If you have a phone with a camera, you can create a video that might end up reaching millions of people. Sounds fantastic, right? Wait, what? There is an organic reach?!? I haven't heard this word in a while. Engagements rates are out of this world. And if you are an advertiser, this would sound like a dream come true. But one thing is to create an enormous and passionate community of content creators. And the other is to open this community to advertisers.
TikTok challenge
TikTok became a powerful force and attention holder that no one can ignore. It has created a unique ecosystem and community that is hard to replicate. Monetizing such assets doesn't look to be a tough job. Who wouldn't want to put their money behind those reach and engagements? In the global effort to monetize its platform, TikTok is opening up to all advertisers. In raising awareness, they used competitor platforms to pass the message. Even I was targeted with "Don't Make Ads, Make TikToks." Here are some questions: Why would TikTok use competitors' platforms for advertising? What does it say about TikTok? How can this be the right signal to all potential advertisers? I know that I would never make such a decision.
This leads to another challenge. TikTok expects that they can invite all the brands to join into their distinctive community. Imagine a 60-year-olds trying to make a TikTok for teenagers. Well, that is what I imagine most of the brands will do on TikTok. Some brands will find audacity and tenacity to make it a success due to their character and voice. They will be of the community. Yet, many others will struggle and add non-engaging (repurposed) content—the same content that already circulates across all other social media platforms. There will be no distinction, and it's already happening right now. What kind of value will these advertisers bring except for advertising dollars? How will this, in the long run, influence the reach and engagements? Is TikTok for every brand or only for those who are of the community?
Advertisers' challenges
All media and advertising agencies have something new to put on the table - a TikTok. It's not only YT, FB/IG, Snap, and Twitter anymore but also TikTok. With the best engagement rates, TikTok should become the most preferred platform. Yet, advertisers will not see it as such.
Challenge #1 - a commitment to the community. For the success on TikTok, brands need to be of the community. It's quite different from all other social media platforms. Being of the community means that you need to add value to the community through your content. It also means that you need to reflect the culture and add to it the same way all other members do. You cannot show up once out of thin air and then disappear until your next campaign.
Challenge #2 - there are no magic formulas. It is true for any creative work. Still, Google and Facebook will come with their ABCD rules. These rules put advertisers at ease as they know that it will work. There is no such thing to help guide creativity on TikTok. It's because of the viral nature of the platform. You cannot plan for something to go viral. This uncertainty impacts commitments and advertisers' willingness to test and try.
Challenge #3 - full-funnel capability. There is an obsession with measuring everything and direct response culture. Advertisers will want proof of the full-funnel capability. The pressure is even bigger with SMBs. In the best-case scenario, advertisers will add a little bit of TikTok to the mix. Actually, this will be the worst-case scenario as a little bit of TikTok is worse than no TikTok at all. It's true that for some categories, the business performance will be better. In some categories, people go from awareness to conversion in a split of a second. TikTok might be a perfect outlet for this. But with TikTok, you can impact the business in the long run - that is my view. And we know that the long run is not advertisers favorite word.
It's not for you
My concern is how this platform that was never built for brands to advertise is going about it. Guess that I would do something completely different. Instead of shouting to everyone, "Don't Make Ads, Make TikToks," I would start saying, "It's not for you." Better to start doing this now than much later when TikTok might look like Facebook. It's not for the brands that don't have any cultural stand or a distinct pov on the matters surrounding us. It's not for the brands that are not into the middle of things together with people. It's not for the brands that are not ready to experiment with their creativity beyond conventions. And there are many brands out there like that, and TikTok is not for them and will never be.
Can I propose one unpopular thing? If I were TikTok, I would only allow brands to advertise on the platform if they have made at least 50 TikToks. My guess that after 50 TikToks, you would know if you get it or not and whether it is for you or not. The guys in charge of monetization would hate me, but I will always go more for quality than quantity. And stay true to what made TikTok a success in the first place.
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