Tag: TikTok

Singapore – TikTok has driven a 22% increase in sales of beauty products on social media platforms, according to a report from data analytics company Euromonitor International.

User-generated content and influencer marketing have sparked the sales increase on social media platforms, according to Euromonitor International’s report. Consumers’ elevated awareness of self-care and wellness also contributed to the increase in beauty products purchases.

In a separate survey done by the company in 2024, 36% of global consumers are planning to increase their spending on health and wellness.

According to the report, 59% of global skincare consumers are influenced through digital media channels.

Since online platforms are informing consumers about their self-care needs, consumers are shifting to healthier products and lifestyles. This led to a greater focus on healthy ingredients to have healthier skin.

Through ‘shoppable videos,’ influencers, dermatologists, skin care experts, and brands allow consumers to conveniently inquire about products or purchase them.

TikTok Shop also contributed to establishing a significant user base. According to Euromonitor, beauty and personal care products were the top sellers in 2024, which accounts for about 6% of TikTok Shop sales in the United States.

Additionally, the #Kbeauty hashtag was used on 7.7m posts on Instagram and 1.4m on TikTok, reflecting the surge in Korean beauty products.

Bob Hoyler, global insights manager for retail, at Euromonitor International, said, “With content creation at our societal forefront, businesses and marketers are leveraging these platforms for branding, advertising and consumer engagement to reach their target audiences, drive conversion, and enable product discovery.”

Jitong Li, consultant for beauty and fashion at Euromonitor International, commented, “The app is increasingly driving product trends in the US, particularly in the colour cosmetics and skin care categories. As beauty and personal care product prices rise and consumer awareness of ingredients grows, “dupe” products are gaining traction.”

Australia – Vaseline has launched a TikTok short film campaign with creator agency Amplify, enlisting emerging filmmakers from Australia and South Korea to showcase its lip care range in fun, unexpected ways.

The short film campaign follows characters in unexpected, extreme scenarios—like being trapped in a freezing jail cell or inflating 1,000 balloons—integrating Vaseline’s lip care range as part of the narrative.

The campaign features creators Mon & Han and Molly McCrann from Australia, alongside videographer YCN and duo Jin and Hattie from South Korea. Each brings a distinct storytelling style, using creativity and humour to highlight Vaseline’s lip care benefits in unexpected ways.

In just 48 hours, the short films have amassed over 300,000 organic views, highlighting the power of creative content to engage audiences beyond the brand’s existing reach. 

Rolled out like a drama series, the campaign includes teasers, short films, behind-the-scenes clips, and reaction videos. Updates can be found on the @VaselineANZ and @Vaseline_Korea TikTok profiles.

Hayley Adams, group operations and growth manager at Amplify, shared, “This campaign has been about creating stories that resonate rather than just showcasing a product. Working with Vaseline to bring fresh creative perspectives to life has been a rewarding process, and we’re excited to see how audiences respond.”

Beyond the short films, Vaseline is also supporting emerging talent through a film school initiative in Australia. The grant-funded competition selected Emma Smith and Damon van der Schuit, filmmakers and actors from Alice Springs, as winners, with their short film now in production. Sydney filmmaker Lara Brighton received an honourable mention for her playful, pop culture-inspired entry. The initiative further underscores the campaign’s focus on fostering creativity and storytelling.

Hui Su Li, assistant skin care manager at Unilever International, commented, “Audiences are looking for entertainment, not ads. This campaign has been an exciting opportunity to showcase our lip care range in novel, engaging ways. The process of co-creating with film producers, creators and creative minds from TikTok and Amplify has been extremely synergistic, and we’re looking forward to seeing how audiences connect and engage with these stories.”

Australia – Singapore Tourism Board (STB) Oceania has tapped global social media and influencer marketing agency Komodo to launch ‘The Journey’, a marketing platform for the travel sector that aims to redefine tourism marketing. Other official partners for the campaign include TikTok, Revolut, and luggage provider Samsonite.

The campaign, a gamified TikTok mini-series, will feature six Australian content creators with a combined following of over 34 million. These creators will participate in audience-driven, location-based challenges designed to highlight Singapore as a premier travel destination. Through engaging storytelling, the series aims to build credibility while inspiring increased visitor interest.

For Komodo, ‘The Journey’ concept redefines marketing in the travel sector, where social media has disrupted traditional strategies, leading modern travelers to seek increasingly unique and personalised experiences. The series will also serve as an educational platform, promoting sustainable and responsible travel in a candid and organic format.

Beyond showcasing the creators’ adventures, the TikTok LIVE Diary Room, hosted in TikTok’s studios, will provide a space for behind-the-scenes insights and personal reflections, offering audiences an exclusive look into the experiences and challenges faced throughout ‘The Journey.’

@thejourneylive

The Journey Singapore kicks off on 3rd February 🇸🇬 6 creators, 7 days, 4 challenges, 1 winner. Follow the action and vote for your favourite creator as they compete in 4 epic challenges across Singapore. The prize? An unforgettable trip for two for one lucky follower 🥇 ✈️

♬ original sound – The Journey

Nick Seymour, co-founder of Komodo, noted that tourism boards and global destinations are navigating a landscape that has undergone significant disruption. He highlighted that many consumers now base their travel plans entirely on what they see online and on social media, rendering traditional advertising less effective in capturing attention and driving conversions.

“Brands face similar issues, and with ‘The Journey’  we wanted to create a platform that could organically showcase a destination through gamified content while also integrating our brand partners, TikTok, Revolut and Samsonite together with their products and services in an engaging and entertaining way that doesn’t seem like an ad – ie connecting with audiences where they consume content in an innovative way, which is native to each social platform and their nuances,” he said.

He added, “As social media and influencer experts who’ve been planning travel activations since we launched eight years ago, we’ve seen first-hand the power that influencers, social media and particularly TikTok can have on a destination and how creator partnerships are revolutionising marketing strategies, breaking traditional rules and delivering superior results.”

Meanwhile, Oliver Chong, executive director, international group & Oceania at STB, stated, “We’re excited to partner with Komodo on the inaugural edition of “The Journey”, which is a novel and innovative way for us to connect with visitors and highlight the unexpected experiences Singapore has to offer. Showcasing what the destination has to offer through the lens of these six content creators is also a fantastic way for us to reach new audiences, and hopefully inspire them to come and experience Singapore for themselves.”

Thailand –The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) has approved investment privileges for projects totalling 170.5b baht (approximately US$5b), including significant digital infrastructure and cloud services initiatives from TikTok and Siam AI.

At a meeting chaired by deputy prime minister and minister of finance Pichai Chunhavajira, the BOI approved a 126.8b baht investment by TikTok Pte. Ltd. in data hosting services to support its affiliated companies, with operations slated to begin in 2026. 

Additionally, the BOI granted approval for a 3.25b baht investment by Thailand’s Siam AI Corporation in cloud services focused on artificial intelligence applications.

“TikTok’s and Siam AI’s investments mark a significant step in enhancing Thailand’s digital and AI infrastructure and supporting the national goal of becoming a digital innovation hub in ASEAN,” said Narit Therdsteerasukdi, secretary general of the BOI. 

TikTok’s investment adds to Thailand’s growing digital infrastructure, following data centre and cloud projects by Amazon Web Services, Google, Australia’s NextDC, India’s CtrlS Datacenters, and Singapore-based GDS IDC Services. In 2024, investment promotion applications surged 35% to a 10-year high of 1.14t baht, driven by major foreign direct investments in data centres and cloud services.

Singapore – TikTok has announced launch of Messaging Ads in Asia Pacific, aimed at empowering businesses to connect directly with customers through seamless, interactive conversations. For TikTok, these innovative ad solutions open up new opportunities for advertisers to engage meaningfully with TikTok’s dynamic community and beyond.

TikTok’s Messaging Ads are now available in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore.

The platform now offers two distinct options: Direct Messaging Ads and Instant Messaging Ads. 

Direct Messaging Ads allow users to engage with businesses directly within the TikTok app, making it simple to start conversations without leaving the platform. Meanwhile, Instant Messaging Ads redirect users to third-party messaging services like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, enabling businesses to connect with customers on their preferred apps for a smooth and personalised interaction. 

TikTok Messaging Ads are also tailored to help businesses achieve essential goals by leveraging the platform’s unique capabilities. These ads enable companies to reach new customers by tapping into TikTok’s vibrant and diverse community, expanding their audience and customer base. They also shorten the path-to-action by facilitating two-way communication that empowers customers to make informed decisions and act quickly. 

Additionally, businesses can instantly qualify leads by identifying high-quality prospects ready to convert through real-time conversations. By engaging with customers where they are, these ads help foster stronger relationships, placing customers at the center and driving long-term value and loyalty.

Brands in the region who have already tested out Messaging Ads include beauty brand Clyn Thailand, beauty clinic Phương Đông, and home cleaning SMB HydroClean Indonesia.

“The launch of Messaging Ads in APAC marks a new chapter for businesses looking to engage with TikTok’s diverse audience. With the power to reach new customers, streamline interactions, and build deeper connections, TikTok Messaging Ads provide the tools advertisers need to succeed in today’s digital landscape,” TikTok said in a press statement.

New York, USA – Getty Images has announced an integration with TikTok to meet the diverse creative needs of marketers and advertisers. The integration allows advertisers and businesses direct access to Getty Images’ vast library of creative imagery and video content through TikTok’s AI-powered video generation tool, Symphony Creative Studio.

By integrating Getty Images’ premium creative content directly into TikTok’s Symphony Creative Studio, users can effortlessly craft TikTok-first ads and organic content that feels native to the platform and increases performance.

The integration with Getty Images is part of a wider expansion of TikTok’s tools, including Symphony Creative Studio, which aims to support advertisers and content creators with capabilities to make the TikTok creative production process easier and more efficient, bridging the gap between ideation and production.

With Getty Images’ unparalleled creative library at their fingertips, TikTok advertisers can push creative boundaries and deliver content that captivates and inspires, enhancing the overall impact of their advertising campaigns. As a result, businesses can achieve greater visibility, foster deeper connections with viewers, and ultimately drive higher conversion rates.

Peter Orlowsky, SVP of global strategic partnerships at Getty Images, said, “With the surge in demand for authentic storytelling in advertising, the need for captivating, high-quality content to convey these stories effectively to audiences has never been greater. At Getty Images, we take pride in empowering advertisers to streamline their creative processes.”

He added, “This collaboration offers seamless integration into TikTok’s Symphony Creative Studio, giving brands and businesses direct access to our vast library of millions of premium images and videos, ensuring they can create powerful, engaging TikTok-first content with ease.”

Andy Yang, head of monetization creative product at TikTok, commented, “At TikTok, we aim to empower advertisers and help them connect with their communities with the power of generative AI. Partnering with Getty Images unlocks a new avenue for marketers to scale their content and drive performance with commercially safe content globally. We are continuously building creative solutions that spark joy, imagination and action.”

United States – TikTok has announced that it is making its ‘Symphony Creative Studio’ tool available to all advertisers. Said tool is an AI-powered video-generation tool that can generate a video in minutes from minimal user input. 

With ‘Symphony Creative Studio,’ advertisers can turn their product information or URL into a video, add a digital avatar to narrate their video script, or localise existing videos into new languages using translation and dubbing capabilities.

Part of TikTok’s Symphony creative AI suite, ‘Symphony Creative Studio’ aims to support advertisers and content creators with free tools to make the creative production process easier and more efficient, bridging the gap between ideation and production.

TikTok’s Symphony Creative Studio introduces a range of powerful features to simplify and enhance ad creation. The Generate & Remix Videos tool allows marketers to turn product details or URLs into engaging TikTok-ready videos in minutes, drawing inspiration from top-performing content.

Meanwhile, the studio’s Avatar Videos feature uses AI-driven avatars to personalize content, offering diverse options in terms of gestures, languages, and demographics. For businesses targeting international audiences, the Translate & Dub Videos tool provides seamless language translation and dubbing, ensuring wider accessibility.

Lastly, the studio also includes a Video Editor that optimises existing content with TikTok-style elements such as captions, stickers, and transitions, ensuring alignment with platform trends. To streamline content creation further, Your Daily Video Generations delivers daily, auto-generated videos customized to a brand’s needs, leveraging insights from TikTok’s top-performing content and past activity.

All content created through Symphony Creative Studio is transparently labeled as “AI-generated,” reflecting TikTok’s commitment to innovation, efficiency, and ethical AI practices.

Singapore – TikTok is laying off hundreds of employees globally, including a significant number in Malaysia, as it shifts towards increased use of AI for content moderation, the company announced on Friday. 

Sources previously told Reuters that over 700 jobs were cut in Malaysia, though TikTok later clarified that fewer than 500 employees in the country were affected.

Most of the impacted employees worked in content moderation and were informed of their layoffs via email on Wednesday, according to anonymous sources who were not authorized to speak publicly. 

In response to media inquiries, TikTok confirmed the global layoffs, stating that several hundred employees would be affected as part of a broader plan to enhance its moderation processes.

It is also planning more retrenchments next month as it looks to consolidate some of its regional operations, one of the sources said.

“We’re making these changes as part of our ongoing efforts to further strengthen our global operating model for content moderation,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.

TikTok combines both automated tools and human moderators to review content on its platform. Parent company ByteDance, which has more than 110,000 employees in over 200 cities worldwide, is reportedly planning further layoffs next month as it consolidates some regional operations, according to one of the sources.

New York – Social media platform TikTok has revealed new advertising solutions designed to help businesses achieve better results. Its new solutions include automated performance tools, additional measurement capabilities, and privacy technologies.

The new tools aim to help brands unlock the potential of TikTok. While the platform is used for entertainment, TikTok reports that 61% of users have purchased products after viewing content.

One of these tools include Smart+, which automates the advertising process, from targeting, bidding, and creatives. Meanwhile, the Out of Phone Retail offering bridges the digital and physical, bringing TikTok content in-store.

To provide a measurement solution, TikTok introduced the Conversion Lift Studies, which evaluates the real impact of TikTok ads. Additionally, it revealed Privacy-Enhancing Technologies that help advertisers protect user data.

“TikTok is building for the future. We have been listening, learning, and innovating with our advertiser partners to continuously develop solutions that deliver performance. TikTok is a unique ecosystem where culture, discovery, and commerce come together. Our goal with these new solutions is to empower brands to engage their communities on TikTok and achieve business results,” David Kaufman, global head of monetization product solutions and operations at TikTok, said.

Singapore – Social media platform TikTok has announced the launch of ‘Search Ads Campaign’, a new campaign type that enables advertisers to connect with high-intent audiences in the moments that matter most for their reach.

‘Search Ads Campaign’ enables sophisticated keyword-based ads which specifically target TikTok’s search results page. From a user experience perspective, the ads are the same, but for advertisers, a whole host of new features and targeting capabilities are now available.

Moreover, with ‘Search Ads Campaign’, brands have full control over how their content appears on the TikTok search results page, ensuring the right creative is served to the right users. This service currently supports both traffic and web conversion objectives, meaning that advertisers can optimise their campaigns for both scale and performance.

“This innovative new campaign type offers brands a unique opportunity to tap into the moments when users are actively exploring content, whether they’re searching intentionally or stumbling upon something new. This allows ads to be served to audiences at key decision moments, using keyword targeting to drive impactful engagement and conversions,” TikTok said in an online blog announcing the service.

With this service, advertisers can now tap into TikTok’s multifaceted search behaviours, where highly motivated users discover content both intentionally and serendipitously. Moreover, with its comprehensive planning tools, advertisers can effectively align their content with the varied search behaviours of TikTok’s users.

As TikTok’s diverse search landscape allows advertisers to connect with audiences across all demographics, and capture demand across a wide variety of interests, ‘Search Ads Campaign offers unparalleled control through keyword targeting, enhanced bidding capabilities, creative flexibility, and comprehensive search budget management, enabling advertisers to target high-intent users with precision.

It is worth noting that the ‘Search Ads Campaign’ begins with the typical search journey with a user clicking the search button at the top of the For You page. From there, they type in a search query, which then yields a series of search results. The ads appear among these search results and can be viewed within the in-feed experience. Once a user clicks on a Search Ad, they are able to continue scrolling through the search results in the order they appear on the page.

“We are excited to continuously innovate the TikTok search experience and deliver more ways for brands to connect and engage with the TikTok community. With Search Ads Campaign, brands now have increased control over their targeting to ensure they show up next to content relevant to their business, product, or service, while providing users with a more personalised ad experience,” TikTok further added.

As of this writing, TikTok’s ‘Search Ads Campaign’ is available in the United States, and testing in other markets.