Re-considering TikTok? Here’s what it could it mean for the rest of your media mix

Over the last few weeks, conversations about TikTok have continued to evolve as Canadian brand marketers watched the social media entity face a growing list of countries that either partially or completely banned the platform. While bans have primarily focused on government devices or educational institutions, speculation has been stirring about whether countries will completely ban consumer access to TikTok altogether.

Why does this matter to marketers in Canada? With TikTok providing strong levels of engagement and paid results, advertisers have flocked to the platform in recent years - especially for brands engaging with the Gen Z population that makes up around 60 per cent of the app’s users. These potential restrictions have some marketers wondering if they’re investing in a platform that may become inaccessible to their target audiences over time.

While the situation with TikTok is developing, there are a few considerations brand marketers should keep in mind, especially as they look to diversify their marketing mix.

Activate an omnichannel approach

A multi-touch marketing campaign that engages with an audience at various points of their day is often the most effective. Imagine seeing an advertisement while scrolling on social media, then when you’re out running errands and again while watching TV later that day. By interacting with an ad through multiple touchpoints, including through channels like digital out-of-home (DOOH), a consumer may be more likely to recognize the brand, search for it later on or make a purchase.

That’s why marketers should view their media mix as a cohesive plan, rather than as siloed approaches. By integrating mediums such as DOOH at the beginning of a campaign, advertisers can leverage each platform as an extension for others and maximize the environments to engage with their target audience. This is critical when thinking about shifting budgets from one medium, TikTok in this case, and having another avenue to effectively allocate budget to.

Leverage content across several channels

Beautiful, eye-catching creative deserves to be seen. Regardless of where content will live - whether it is online or on a digital board - strong, engaging creative needs to be a top priority for any campaign if it intends to drive strong results.

Marketers can get the most out of their compelling creative assets by amplifying it on more than one channel. Not only does diversifying the media mix promote consistency with consumers, but it can also capitalize on the resources invested into creative by getting the most bang for its buck. In this instance, if a brand is thinking of pulling back its TikTok spending, the creative content they have already produced doesn’t necessarily need to go to waste. Instead, savvy marketers know that content can be adapted to work across different channels, such as a variety of place-based screens in out-of-home, to best utilize the content.

For brands looking to repurpose existing creative assets via DOOH advertising, they can partner with a demand-side platform (DSP) to access a wide array of screen placements based on where their creative will perform best. By evaluating the campaign results and assessing which content performed best, brands will have a guidepost for how they can pivot social creative when activating in various mediums, such as digital out-of-home.

Learn from the success and challenges of TikTok

Content creators or “influencers” are continuing to prove their value for brands all over the world - and it goes beyond TikTok. Brands, such as Levi’s with Hailey Bieber and A$AP Nast, have demonstrated the power of celebrity influence when activating outside of mobile advertising with DOOH placements.

Further, TikTok has instilled an appreciation for short-form content in consumers today. In fact, 66 per cent of consumers prefer it. This shift in recent years is worth being mindful of when creating new content for any platform and translates well to the engaging capabilities of dynamic creative through DOOH. This unique capability leverages data to inform specific elements within an individual advertising creative asset, such as live sports scores, local weather conditions, directions to the nearest store, traffic updates and much more, essentially unlocking a whole new way to reach consumers with increased relevancy.

It is important for marketers to consider an omnichannel approach with repurposed creative no matter which platforms they are planning for. These budget allocations and opportunities for quick pivots, especially amidst current shifts in the marketing landscape, can be streamlined by working with an end-to-end programmatic advertising ecosystem.

Author: Scott Mitchell, Managing Director, Canada, Vistar Media