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21st January 2025

What can we learn from the 12-hour TikTok ban?

What Happens When TikTok Goes Dark?

Are we prepared to change and adjust our approaches when a widely used platform suddenly becomes unavailable?

On the 19th of January, 170 million American TikTok users opened the app that would usually inundate them with dance trends and viral recipes, only to find a black screen and blunt statement of rejection.

Less than a day later, the company resumed activity amid ongoing negotiations regarding a permanent ban.  

Though it was a brief stint offline for the US, it forced marketers worldwide to reconsider their strategies. It raised an important question: Are we prepared to change and adjust our approaches when a widely used platform suddenly becomes unavailable? With UK Universities welcoming over 20,000 students from the USA, this serves as a reminder of the risks associated with relying on familiar advertising approaches and becoming complacent with organic and paid social strategies.

In higher education marketing, TikTok has become integral to media plans targeting younger, prospective students. It has redefined short-form, high-engagement video content, and set new standards for user-generated content and influencer marketing. TikTok’s ability to make ads feel authentic and seamless, has made it a go-to platform for student recruitment campaigns. With its strong presence among Gen Z, high ROI, and advanced targeting capabilities, it’s clear why the platform is so integral to media plans.

Naturally, the injunction sparked a shift in focus to other platforms. A similar trend was seen last year, when users of X (formerly Twitter) moved to BlueSky. In anticipation of the ban, TikTok users began to migrate in their thousands to the Chinese alternative, RedNote (Xiaohongshu). Over the past week, American users flooded Rednote’s feed, sharing cultural exchanges, and seeking a new home for their average 51 daily minutes of TikTok time.

While RedNote’s 300 million users pale in comparison to TikTok’s 1.6 billion, a potential permanent TikTok ban in the U.S. could see alternative platforms benefitting from redistributed marketing budgets. According to Upgrow TikTok predicts a significant “29% loss of total targeted global advertising revenue for 2025” if the ban is implemented, highlighting the major impact this could have on the platform and its advertising partners.

For UK advertisers, this uncertainty may seem like a setback, but it also presents new opportunities. In light of the ban, advertisers can adapt their focus to platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat, catering to similar demographics. Building first-party customer data, and diversifying marketing strategies across email, search ads, and emerging apps, can reduce dependency on any single platform.

A mix of emerging and established apps offers exciting opportunities to reach diverse audiences. BeReal enables authentic content, Discord helps them reach niche communities, and Triller offers a TikTok alternative. Those established platforms like Pinterest and Snapchat remain key for visual campaigns. Together, these all help brands reach their audiences creatively and effectively, with the potential for new apps to emerge as entrepreneurs tap into this market.

So, if you’re looking for an agency that thinks differently and knows how to make the most of these platforms, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today. kim.mclellan@hunterlodge.co.uk

 

 

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