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TikTok released the TikTok What’s Next Report 2022 Thursday, using its learnings from 2021 to predict how this year will play out.
The company said in a blog post introducing the report, “Over 1 billion people turned to TikTok in 2021 to be entertained, to find and share joy, to learn new things and to create and celebrate the moments and movements of the year. 2021 taught us a lot about our community, culture and how brands can play a significant role in both. From incredible small and midsized business founders taking us inside their community, workshop and daily lives, to automotive brands creating authentic, fun TikToks to launch new products, it was a monumental year for brands on TikTok.”
TikTok added, “The TikTok What’s Next Report 2022 provides a deep dive into the topics that caught our attention in 2021. The report is comprised of insight into our top-performing categories, case studies to help identify ways of unlocking success on TikTok and tips for brands looking for further inspiration. From the rise of community commerce and the importance of music to authentic partnerships with creators and continued focus on brand safety, it’s set to be an exciting year for brands on TikTok in 2022.”
The company’s top performing categories in the U.S. based on internal data covering October 2020 through October 2021, as well as tips for brands in those categories, follow:
- Beauty and personal care, up 186%: TikTok said before-and-after reveals get people excited to try products themselves, suggesting direct-response auction campaigns enabling people to purchase the product immediately. The platform also urged brands to show more of themselves, such as behind-the-scenes looks and highlighting the care and ethics that go into manufacturing its products. Finally, if applicable, brands should call out a self-love moment that their product can help create for somebody.
- News and entertainment, up 145%: Brands should find ways to chime in on relevant conversations, using native tools or popular trends to craft their timely responses. Behind-the-scenes content also works in this sector, including bloopers, easter eggs and breaking down scenes.
- Financial services, up 255%: Teaming up with creators who have financial expertise can help drive the message, with those creators calling out common pain points along the journey to financial independence and how the brand’s products or services can help. Branded hashtag challenges can drive awareness of key moments and events in the financial world. And brands with longer conversion paths can tease their offerings and use lead generation ads to collect information from possible customers.
- Food and beverage, up 60%: Brand can use feed ads to share useful tips and tricks related to their products, as well as invite users to partake in a cooking contest with their products among the ingredients. TikTok also suggested incorporating sound, writing, “Think the fizz of a freshly-opened carbonated drink, the crunch of an air-fryered treat or the first crinkle of a new candy wrapper.”
- Gaming, up 415%: The platform suggested partnering with rising creators in the gaming space and letting them use their own unique voice and style. Branded hashtag challenges work here, as well, along with new approaches such as inserting a game’s characters into existing trends and settings from other spaces.
And TikTok went into deeper dives on the following topics:
Community commerce
TikTok wrote, “Last year, the worlds of entertainment and commerce became even more closely entwined. Community commerce blew up as TikTok became a launchpad for product discovery and brands.”
The company found that 72% of respondents to a study conducted by Flamingo felt deeper connections to brands that they interact with on TikTok, while 67% said TikTok inspired them to shop even when they weren’t looking to do so.
This year will also be the first full year that TikTok Shopping is available, as it debuted last September.
TikTok predicted, “Community commerce will continue to evolve. Live experiences will embrace our appetite for entertainment and new ways to discover and shop. As long as brands bring joyful entertainment to the table, we’ll continue providing solutions that help you convert interest into real-life actions.”
Evolution of sound
The top trending songs on the platform in 2021 came from a range of genres and a mix of breakthrough, emerging and established artists.
According to a study conducted by Kantar, 88% of TikTok users said sound is essential to the overall application experience, while research from MRC Data found that 68% of people on TikTok remember a brand better when its content uses music they like and 58% feel stronger connections to those brands.
The company predicted, “In 2022 the brands that lean into immersive audio—standing at the forefront of adopting sonic branding to create a distinctive sound—will win the hearts of the TikTok community.”
The new creative dream team
TikTok wrote, “Say hello to your new creative dream team. Meet the TikTok creators: the bold personalities, cultural experts, trendsetters and pioneers who will empower brands to overdeliver against campaign goals and get impactful and tangible results. It’s time to trust in the creativity and influence of creators.”
A proprietary creative analysis by TikTok found that partnering with creators boosts view-through rates for TikTok-specific ads by 193%, while branded content from collaborations with creators delivers 27% higher ad recall.
And research conducted by Mindlab found that 62% o TikTok users believe creators are the best way for brands to connect with potential customers.
TikTok wrote, “2022 will see TikTok’s continued investment in fresh ways for brands to embrace creativity and help them to connect and collaborate with our diverse ecosystem of creators … Authentic creator collaborations in 2021 not only delivered effective results for brands, but also inspired them to play an active role in conversations around causes such as racial equality and mental health.”
Building for brand safety
TikTok detailed its four brand safety solutions for advertisers: Its own Inventory Filter; pre-bid solutions from Integral Ad Science and OpenSlate; and a post-bid solution from Zefr.
The company also spotlighted efforts including joining the Technology Coalition, participating in the inaugural Aggregated Measurement Report from the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, taking a board seat on the Brand Safety Institute and being certified worldwide by the Trustworthy Accountability Group.
TikTok wrote, “There is no finish line when it comes to the safety of our community. Looking ahead to 2022, we will continue to prioritize safety, solutions for brands, transparency and partnerships to build an even safer platform for creative expression.”
The company concluded, “2022 promises to be a year like no other for brands on TikTok. From the rise of community commerce to the proliferation of TikTok creators helping brands tell their stories in authentic ways, there has never been a better time to be a business on TikTok.”