On the 14th of September 2022, TikTok hosted its first ever #WhatTheTok For Business media event, the event took place in Sandton, Johannesburg with the aim to showcase how businesses can embrace the TikTok experience and reimagine how they connect with their communities.
Over the past year, brands have found success resonating with the TikTok community not because they had the glossiest ad or the biggest names in their campaign, but because of their ability to creatively engage and connect with users through feelings, actions, and sounds.
The magic of TikTok is not just the chance to create, but the chance to discover and to be found. With TikTok For Business, our goal is to give marketers the tools to be discovered and connect with the broader communities around them.
Brands are an important part of the TikTok experience, whether they are starting trends or connecting communities, they are creating authentic audiences built on the foundation of sharing joy. They are embracing the creative and authentic spirit of TikTok and giving users a new way to discover and engage with the products they love.
At the event, Thwaites highlighted how TikTok can help solve shifts in the marketing landscape, and identified four key drivers that are shaping this shift:
1. From measuring reach to measuring connection
Mass reach and frequency ad campaigns are not enough to move ad-fatigued consumers to take action. The lack of innovation in advertising has trained us to tune out. Relevance and authentic connection is what matters, and that is what TikTok can bring to a brand’s marketing.
2. From passive audience to immersed creators
While second-screen content consumption might have been the norm a few years ago, with TikTok, we’re seeing more immersion than ever before, which is leading to a more engaged and more entertained audience who is willing to create content with brands – this allows brands to speak with their audience, rather than at their audience, creating a two-way engaging conversation with the community.
3. From transactional commerce to consumer commerce
Shopping is moving away from transactional commerce to Community Commerce, the digitization of word of mouth. Consumers are no longer interested in ads that aim to interrupt and sell – they are looking for a more experiential and genuine shopping experience that is based on trust, authenticity, and communication.
Every month billions of people across the world come to TikTok to share real moments from their lives. While doing so, creators are sharing their honest opinions about products and services, which resonates with other users.
A testament to this impact is #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, which has racked up over 12 billion views, becoming one of the world’s fastest-growing shopping phenomenons. A few examples of diverse products that TikTok made people buy include mascaras, jeans, feta cheese, skin care products, and many more.
4. From witnessing culture to creating culture
Finally – perhaps the most important shift of all; brands are shifting from simply witnessing
culture and attempting to keep up – to actually being a part of the conversation and even
sparking cultural movements.
“As we continue to build a platform where brands bring immense value to the user experience, we’re excited to continue investing in solutions that give businesses in South Africa a platform to inspire others, be discovered, and meaningfully connect with the TikTok Community,” concluded Thwaites.
Guests took part in a fun-filled evening with interactive activations showcasing how businesses of all sizes can engage with diverse communities on the platform, with authenticity, creativity, and realness. The event also highlighted TikTok’s commitment to safety, as the platform is built with industry-leading safety measures, providing a safe environment for both users and advertisers to create and enjoy content.
For more info visit www.tiktok.com
