DUBAI: TikTok hosted its first global virtual event, TikTok World, at the end of last month. The event celebrated creators and brands and announced new tools and solutions to help marketers better connect with their audiences.

President of Global Business Solutions at TikTok Blake Chandlee said during the event that TikTok became the most downloaded app in the world in the last year.

Creators on the platform have produced a “whole new form of communication that’s refreshing, impactful and entertaining, and they’re surrounded by a community that’s changing culture at large,” he said. The cultural shift was evident at the Tokyo Olympics earlier this year when TikTok was the “human social platform,” he added.

When brands join TikTok, they are encouraged to think like marketers and act like creators — especially with 44 percent of users saying they want branded content on the platform to be “fun.” During the event, TikTok made a case for why brands need to be on the platform by citing data showing that 92 percent of users take action after watching a video and 70 percent say TikTok ads are enjoyable.

“TikTok has become one the most beloved platforms by defining a new form of entertainment for huge global audiences. This has massive implications for advertisers, which has shaped our journey so far and will keep guiding our vision for the future,” said Ray Cao, managing director, global head of product strategy and operations.

To further help brands, TikTok announced the following solutions:

TikTok Creator Marketplace, a self-serve portal that allows brands to find a variety of creators to partner with.

TikTok Creator Marketplace API, which enables access to TikTok first-party marketplace data for creator marketing experts — including Whalar, Influential, and Captiv8 — to provide brands with white-glove services to help manage the entire end-to-end process of creator marketing on TikTok.

Open Application Campaigns, which means brands can post campaign briefs to creators across TikTok Creator Marketplace so that they can self-apply and participate.

Branded Content Toggle, a tool that allows creators to mark videos and disclose commercial content.

Customized Instant Page, which is a landing page that loads 11 times faster than standard mobile pages and can be directly created by brands.

Additionally, TikTok also shared measurements and tracking tools such as the Brand Lift Study, in partnership with research consultancies Kantar and Nielsen; ad viewability in partnership with MOAT and DoubleVerify; and an inventory filter that allows advertisers to decide which inventory they want to place their ads next to.

Lastly, the platform announced TikTok Shopping. “Over the years, we have seen the platform evolve into a place to shop and tell,” said Tao Baecklund, director of product management. Users on the platforms like to share specifics on what they’re buying and make recommendations to their audiences — a behavior that emerged organically, explained Baecklund. In fact, the trend led to the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, and videos with this hashtag have amassed 4.6 billion views in 2021.

TikTok Shopping will allow first-party integration, providing brands with an end-to-end commerce experience from uploading products to managing payment and shipping directly from the platform. It will also allow third-party integration from e-commerce partners such as Shopify and Square.

In addition to the new announcements, the event also celebrated creators, artists, small-to-medium businesses, and brands that succeeded on the platform.

“We have witnessed time and time again the important role that brands play in the TikTok experience. We’ve also seen how our community enjoys engaging with the brands they love. So when businesses of all sizes come to TikTok, we're excited to help them connect with their community, market their products, and build their brand in a way they can't do anywhere else,” said Chandlee.