A TikTok guide for brand owners

Apps provide brand owners with a new way to connect with and market to consumers, but how do you make the most of the opportunities while managing the risks of brand damage or infringement? In this guide, we set out marketing and IP considerations for brand owners taking a first step into TikTok.

If you hadn’t already heard about or used it, TikTok became practically inescapable during the COVID-19 lockdown as friends, family, colleagues and celebrities began to spend all their free time making dance and other videos for the mobile phone app. The video-sharing sensation has racked up 800 million active users worldwide with more than a million videos viewed daily.

During the pandemic, it also became known for more direct political commentary, as posts around the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as LGBTQ+ and feminist issues have gone viral. More recently, of course, it’s been making headlines for other reasons, with the threat of a US ban (due to the app’s origins in China) now potentially sidestepped thanks to a deal with Oracle Corp to set up a US-headquartered company, as well as an ongoing patent infringement suit filed by rival Triller.

Unsurprisingly, many companies have been unsure whether they should spend their valuable time on the app – or where to begin.

TikTok – too successful to ignore?

Nonetheless, TikTok holds opportunities and risks for many brand owners that should be considered as part of any marketing and IP strategy. To help you to get started, while navigating some of the trickiest brand protection issues, our latest white paper 'A TikTok guide for brand owners' covers:

• 1. TikTok – time for you to get on board?
• 2. The rise of the influencer
• 3. Marketing advantages for brands – including the ‘TikTok for Business’ proposition
• 4. IP considerations – including the all important issue of online brand protection
• 5. Guidance on how and where to get started
• 6. Additional considerations – other apps and future trends.

Download the TikTok guide now.