TikTok unveiled a slew of new tools for advertisers at the company’s annual summit on June 3. The new products range from AI-powered advertising tools to new features connecting creators and brands, but the big picture is clear: content for advertisers on TikTok will become much more personalized and specific.
The company will provide brands with precise information about how their target audience uses the platform, including AI-generated advertising suggestions. Using a tool called Insight Spotlight, advertisers will be able to sort by user demographics and industries to see what videos are being watched by users in their target group and what keywords are associated with popular content. In an example provided by TikTok, an AI-generated suggestion recommends that the brand “create video content focused on ‘hormonal health’ for English-speaking female users” and include a specific keyword. Another feature, Insight Spotlight, analyzes users’ browsing history to determine the types of content that are popular.
TikTok gained popularity partly due to its “spinability” and seemingly randomness: anything or anyone can go viral overnight. Brands did their best to keep up by capitalizing on trends, popular formats and songs, and collaborating with influencers who seemed to be in the spotlight. The new tools will give advertisers even more opportunities to tailor their content to what’s already happening on the platform and what people are searching for and watching.
In this way, TikTok’s tools for advertisers are the equivalent of search engine optimization (SEO) – filling an area with content that tries to reflect organic user behavior. The idea that TikTok can be used as a search engine has been around for several years, and the company claims that one in four users searches for something within 30 seconds of opening the app (brands can also buy advertising space on search results pages).
The company is also launching a simplified way for brands to use influencer content. The new tool, called Content Suite, brings together verified user-generated content that mentions a brand; advertisers can scroll through the video and request permission to turn it into an ad – all in one place. Otherwise, brands would have to search for videos on their own and then coordinate permissions with the creator through side channels such as direct messages or comments. Content Suite makes this process part of the TikTok ecosystem.
