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It’s hard to grasp that TikTok, the short viral video app, didn’t hit the international market until 2017. Since then, despite bans in several countries, it has attracted millions of users around the world. Influencers, musicians, artists and politicians have all made use of the power of the algorithm-controlled app, as has increasingly companies.

Turning to a platform best known for frivolity and excess may be an odd move for business professionals and students alike. But the willingness to get involved with unknown platforms is becoming more and more important for companies of all sizes, the competition is tougher than ever – and that applies beyond TikTok.

Back in 2007, with the launch of the Facebook advertising platform, CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that “the next 100 years will be different for advertising, and it starts today”. That may have looked like the bravery of Silicon Valley, but in the second quarter of 2021 Facebook posted advertising revenue of $ 28.6 billion.

Adapting to a new advertising paradigm can be challenging, although the move from buying advertising space in the physical world to the digital world has been unstoppable. Purists who once sniffed at e-advertising are a thing of the past.

The value of TikTok only grew during the pandemic, says Ulrike Gretzel, senior fellow at the Annenberg Center for Public Relations at the University of Southern California. “In many ways, live streaming and TikTok have really been boosted by this crisis,” she says.

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TikTok became the fastest growing social media app in the world, recording more than 620 million downloads between January and July 2020 as young consumers enthusiastically embraced the ban. Companies, from small and medium-sized to international chains, are also experimenting with TikTok as a new space to promote their goods and build brand loyalty. Innocent Drinks, for example, has close to 100,000 followers for its main account, which mostly relies on comedy – perhaps the most common brand tactic. “Humor is important in times of crisis,” says Gretzel. “The bizarre allows perhaps a balance to be found.”

However, as befits its image, the luxury retailer Louis Vuitton (with 1.2 million followers) takes a different route with short videos of models showing the latest fashion trends. “[The space is] change so quickly that there is a lot of trial and error. There isn’t a lot of research to prove all of this, ”adds Gretzel.

Some degree of caution is needed to avoid news falling flat or backfiring. Comedy isn’t a guaranteed hit, and videos that look mundane or condescending are unlikely to appeal to young consumers.

Politics is another minefield. “The line between taste and appropriateness and activism, being completely off the mark and being attacked, has become so thin,” says Gretzel.

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TikTok isn’t the only disruptive platform brands should watch out for. Much discussion has revolved around the metaverse – interconnected virtual worlds full of digital avatars, buildings, and more. In June, more than a decade after Zuckerberg vowed to revolutionize advertising, he told Facebook employees that the company’s goal was “to bring the metaverse to life.”

Cathy Hackl, CEO of Futures Intelligence Group, a Metaverse consultancy, says companies are starting to understand the possibilities of digital worlds, which are being fueled by digitization during the pandemic, coupled with a willingness to innovate. “No company can afford to be ‘non-tech’ in the digital age,” she says. “Just as many companies have evolved and have embraced the story that every company is a technology company, we are seeing change again.”

Louis Vuitton is an early adopter in the fashion industry, says Hackl. In 2019 it published two articles from its collection on the popular online game League of Legends. Similarly, this spring, Gucci released its virtual Gucci Garden Space on Roblox, a platform that hosts millions of game worlds.

Consumers, brands, and the technologies that enable the metaverse are all converging

“It is always a challenge to support managers in preparing for the future,” admits Hackl. “Consumers, brands, and the technology to enable the metaverse are all converging at the same time.” Getting products into the digital world in a way that is consistent with overall branding and at the same time appeals to users is becoming increasingly complex.

As with existing platforms, flexibility is required, says Hackl. “Brands have to be open to trying new things, listening to their customers and willing to test different technologies. There is no set way of doing things in the Metaverse – much like it was in the early days of social media and the web. “

The future of advertising on these platforms remains unclear. What is certain, however, is that companies will have to grapple with them and take bold and possibly unconventional steps if they want to be successful in an increasingly digital world.