TikTok's US operation is for sale to one of them several suitors with deep pockets, something that could be the kiss of death for any ultratrendy social platform. There are many brands and their influencers on the platform now asking what?
"When you think of the (social) platforms that are thriving, it's because they have a central utility that consumers won't let go," says Nigel Morris, former CEO of global media agency Dentsu Aegis and investor in UK influencer agency Fanbytes who made a big shift towards TikTok. "About 18 months ago, over 50% of Fanbyte sales came from Snap. Now over 50% is from TikTok," says Morris. "Gen Z really wants to be in TikTok."
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Whether Gen Z wants to be there after the sale of TikTok depends on the benefit. "The benefit of TikTok is the ability of young people to express themselves and quickly build their own media channel," says Morris. The same can be done on YouTube, but Morris argues that TikTok feels like a private club for Gen Z. "It is not shared with parents. It is not shared with other generations."
Authenticity is a coin tossed around like a penny in influencer marketing circles, but Morris says it can't be emphasized enough. "The purity of not only the viewing experience but also the content creation experience" on TikTok will be the acquirer dealing with the rise in commercialization. Hoary old social platforms like Facebook and Twitter have been permanently migrated to intense commercialization, but Vine, Snap, and MySpace suggest that impermanence is more common. "It is absolutely buyers pay attention."
Nigel Morris had many other insights into the future of TikTok that he shared with CNET's Brian Cooley on Now What. Hear them all in the video above.
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