TikTok has announced to advertisers that the platform is now open for business. The company today officially introduced a new brand platform called TikTok For Business that will serve as the home for all its current and future marketing solutions for brands.
Sequel to the launch, the site will include access to TikTok ad formats, including its marque product, TopView, which is the ad that appears when you first launch the TikTok app. Other products under this TikTok For Business umbrella include Brand Takeovers, In-Feed Videos, Hashtag Challenges, and Branded Effects.
Brand Takeovers are the 3-5 second ads that can be either a video or an image. In-Feed Videos can be up to 60 seconds in length and run with the sound on. Hashtag Challenges allow brands to participate in the user community by inviting TikTok users to create content around a hashtag of their choice. This includes Hashtag Plus, which also adds a shopping feature to this experience.
Meanwhile, Branded Effects allow brands to insert themselves more directly into the content creation experience. The effects allow a brand or product to be added to a video in a 2D, 3D, or now AR format in either the foreground or background of the video. These can also be combined with Hashtag Challenges to boost engagement with the brand.
The new AR effect, “Brand Scan,” is being added today alongside the formal launch of TikTok For Business itself. Digiday had previously scooped TikTok’s AR ad plans, noting how these would present a direct challenge to Snapchat’s Sponsored Lens and Word Lenses AR formats.
Except for the AR effect, most of the marketing products on TikTok For Business were offered before today, but the new platform organizes them under one roof and provides a place to introduce new products, as they arrive.
Also, the platform is launching a new e-learning center that will help marketers learn about TikTok and its ad offerings. This center will include product guides, resources, and creative best practices to help them launch successful campaigns or learn about the Branded Effects Partner Program.
TikTok is not known for disclosures as it pertains to the pricing of its ad tools and solutions but it says pricing is based on what the brand wants to achieve and the scope of its campaign. Its own website details some of its budgeting requirements, like a $50 minimum on both daily campaign budgets and total budgets, for example. Digiday recently reported TikTok’s ad rates on a CPM basis have been cheap amid the recession, in comparison with Facebook.
Today, the brands work closely with TikTok on buying and managing their campaigns and on performance reporting. But TikTok is working to roll out new solutions that will make this process easier.
The launch of the new platform aims to move TikTok from being a place where marketers can experiment, to one that demands a seat at the table alongside other social platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat.
TikTok’s Managing Director for Global Business Marketing, Katie Puris said, “With the launch of TikTok For Business, we set out to embrace the creative, positive, and real moments that make our community so special with solutions for businesses to connect and grow with our wonderfully expressive community.
“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 brands a platform to inspire others, be discovered, and meaningfully connect with the TikTok Community.”
