What’s The Best Way To Have Fun On Your Phone in 2019? Tik Tok — Its Addictive + SO much fun!
Having lived in Asia for a while I had heard of TikTok from team members, and friends who said that it was their new favourite way to relax and create content and connect with friends and family. What was interesting about TikTok for me was the fact that unlike other Chinese apps such as WeChat or AliPay, TikTok was breaking out of China and becoming hugely popular in large Western markets like the US. By the end of 2018, TikTok had more than half a billion active users (more than Twitter) — around 40% of them outside China.
What Is TikTok?
For those of you not familiar with the world’s most downloaded app, TikTok was launched by ByteDance in 2016. It’s a video sharing platform with a twist. Videos can be no longer than 15 seconds and they are based on various themes: music, cooking, travel, dance, fashion, and so on. Users create these short videos, use simple tools to add music and special effects, and share them on the site.
In just three years following the merger with musical.ly in 2018, a similar app which became popular for the lip-sync videos, the app saw a 31% increase from its previous month in September, reaching a total of 3.81 million installs, beating Facebook’s total of 3.53 million. This means the app became the most downloaded app in 2018 to Apple and Android devices in the US and Europe, unseating the likes of YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat. Why?
Because TikTok has become a unique cultural gathering place. It’s where teens and tweens define challenges, games and visual style. It’s also where, months after those memes are no longer cool, new communities rediscover them and make them their own. Most creators jump on to viral “challenges”, emote over famous monologues from movies and TV, or produce clever illusions through editing. The most popular clips are high on entertainment value, with a premium on instant gratification. Basically, playing on TikTok is fun, LOTS of fun and you can while away many a minute or thirty just having a plain old giggle!
So give it a whirl! I see 2019 being the year TikTok comes of age, we will see the platform monetise the user base through ad formats such as brand takeovers, in-feed native videos and sponsored hashtag challenges. I think the future is exciting for users and influencers on the platform as well as brands. I can’t wait to see how smart artists leverage the platform. DJ Khalid is already huge and highly entertaining!
As always please share your thoughts on your experience and whether you think your brand will look to connect with Generation Z and the Chinese market through a branded content strategy with a platform like TikTok.
