What TikTok has in store for brands

After taking Indian internet users by storm following a brief ban, TikTok is eyeing to become the first choice of brands for reaching out to first-time internet users with the short-video content.

TikTok is the world’s leading short-video platform that enables people to share precious moments of their lives with users across the globe.

Users from the remotest towns of India are creating content across themes and verticals, generating diverse content on the platform. User Generated Content (UGC) has become the new point of entry for first-time internet users in India, making it the largest data consumer in the world. TikTok offers brands access to this unexplored set of diverse and yet unique audience and content.

Sachin Sharma

“With decreasing attention span and video becoming the preferred platform for content consumption, short-video format has become extremely popular among users, and we foresee it as the format that brands will adapt to advertise,” Sachin Sharma, Head, Ad Sales and Partnerships, TikTok India, told BuzzInContent.com.

The 15-second user-generated video content platform owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance claimed 200 million users shortly after the ban on the app was lifted by Madras High Court. The app was reported to have 150 million users before the ban.

ByteDance had last week appointed former GroupM CEO Sam Singh to lead monetisation for the Indian market.

According to Sharma, what sets the user-generated content platform apart is that everyone on TikTok is making every second count wherein users are either riffing on the trending challenges or creating a new one of their own.

Talking about their offerings, Sharma said, “We are constantly working towards creating a better in-app experience for our users and are also experimenting with advertising models that leverage TikTok as a viable promotional platform for brands. TikTok’s 200 million users in India from tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3 cities from varied backgrounds is a testament to its popularity as a go-to platform for social media users. This gives digital advertisers an opportunity to connect with deeper sections of society, who have recently joined the internet and have a distinct information-sharing pattern and behaviour.”

He added, “We have recently started experimenting with the platform to develop a creative way for the advertisers to connect with their audiences. TikTok launched its first innovative ad format — The Hashtag Challenge — in November 2018 at ad:tech Mumbai 2018.”

A cult globally, Hashtag Challenge by TikTok can be leveraged by brands seeking insights from the digital community, aimed to trigger more high-quality content and explore the most engaging way for branding.

In addition to the Hashtag Challenge, TikTok launched Brand Takeover and In-feed Native Video as new formats to further enhance the brand-consumer engagement and to address various needs of the digital advertisers.

Brand Takeover is a gateway for digital traffic and with full screen vertical display. It will help advertisers take a dominant visual position to achieve brand exposure. In-feed Native Video allows for more immersive, original, and interactive format for ads, which is designed to trigger more in-depth interactions from the users.

Additionally, TikTok also offers brand lens, designed with cutting-edge technology and tailor-made for advertisers. TikTok has various easy-to-use lenses designed for the new generation of creators. For example, 2D facial lens, multi-screen lens, raindrop control lens, hair dye lens and cosmetic lens. This technology empowers creators and give brands an instantaneous connection with the target audience.

“We have worked with some of Bollywood’s finest celebrities like Shahid Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Neha Kakkar, Badshah and Arjun Kanungo among others and have also partnered with popular movies like Jagga Jasoos, Race 3 and Zero among others. Our creative ad solutions have helped brands across e-commerce, BFSI and other verticals use TikTok’s innovative ad formats for their recent promotional activities,” said Sharma.

After the ban was lifted, TikTok launched the #ReturnOfTikTok campaign, targeted at both users and the marketers who became apprehensive about the platform.

“We have recently successfully concluded campaigns for consumer brands across verticals and have observed an increasing brand interest to experiment on TikTok. We are committed to the safety and well-being of our Indian users on the platform and will continue to build a positive in-app environment and user experience. This is a priority for us and we take the user safety very seriously, and our partner brands understand that,” Sharma concluded.