Tiktok flip-flop
I'm still reeling from last week's run-up and shutdown head fake. It was a wild 24 hours for us all, even those that aren't on the app. And even though TikTok is back online, has it changed forever? Is it brand safe anymore?
According to the data, advertising spend hit major gains the days preceding the shutdown and the days after. That makes sense, advertisers making the most of the moment. But we'll soon see if these spends will normalize or if Brands start to pull out.
There's a few things going on here impacting TikTok's future.
Let's start with the most obvious, TikTok only has 75 days to get themselves together. We could be right where we were last weekend in just over 2 months... lights out. Advertisers, creators, users all left in the dark again. But this time, very likely forever (at least in America), looking for other platforms to spend, create and consume. Knowing this is coming, these platform shifts may come sooner than later so folks aren't caught off guard again. Lots of creators already started their follower transition, pointing them to IG, Twitch or Substack... These creators may just stay and start adapting their content for these alternative spaces and beginning to start anew. And audiences are likely to follow them, one eye on these new spaces while keeping their other eye on TikTok, hedging their bets. They'll follow the content. And brands go where the audiences are.
Let's not forget that there are legitimate congressional concerns about how consumer data is being shared and used in China. That insecurity was, after all, the impetus for it to be removed in America. This wasn't messaged well, most consumers didn't actually know WHY their TikTok was being taken away and I imagine that as TikTok continues to be a question mark, we will all be made more aware the why we should all be wary. This will likely lead to a couple outcomes... consumers will cosign this insecurity and go to platforms that feel safer (therefore brands will chase them) and brands will start to question their own security and possibly consider TikTok a data privacy liability.
Alright, let's talk about that message. Really, what was that? For many users, the shutdown message and Trump plea was surprising. They felt caught off-guard even though this had been on the impending table for some time, it still felt sudden and unlike TikTok to make such a direct call-out. And then, less than 24 hours later, after a "Save TikTok" message, the app was back online, resurrected from the dead, with a special message thanking President Trump. But many creators and users weren't buying it. The tone of the message and the whiplash of pulling the app down and then up again just felt... off. Many of the 170M+ users carried on, got back on and started swiping, and many of those were left with a weird feeling that something wasn't quite right with how things went down. It felt almost manipulative, like it was all too quick and easy and blatant. Many users lost trust and confidence in the TikTok brand and uncomfortable with their platform experience. And as users begin to wane in their love for the platform, brands associated with a questionable brand start to get pulled down, too.
And finally, once considered a relatively politically-neutral space is now being reported (at least anecdotally) to have a "right-wing" tilt. Lots of TikTok users are claiming that their feeds are different. They're seeing a lot more conservative creators and content. They are noticing that certain progressive topics are no longer searchable (as they were before the shutdown and still are searchable in international markets). If this continues to be the reaction (ramped up even more if the Republican government takes some ownership of the app), the app will begin to be perceived as a politically-charged environment. TikTok was one of the safest spaces for brands because of its neutrality, everyone belonged and found community. Brands didn't have to worry that their ads or content would live closely to charged content. They no longer have that assurance.
In a matter of hours, TikTok went from one of the best places for brands to build and connect with audiences to a platform with more questions than answers. Time will tell how TikTok rebounds and where brands land.
