TikTok Growing Stronger, Threatening Facebook and Inspiring Business

Taking into account all non-gaming mobile apps, this is the best result in the world, according to a report by Sensor Tower. The Chinese social platform is growing exponentially and has been threatening Mark Zuckerberg's empire—Facebook and Instagram—for a year now, but its success has also caught the attention of businesses.

– It all started in 2020, when the TikTok app broke download records and became the most profitable social app – says Grzegorz Kosiński from Audience Network, adding: – According to Sensor Tower's annual report, in Apple's mobile app store alone, App Store, TikTok's revenue skyrocketed over the past year by over 600% to $1.2 billion. – explains the expert from the Polish company, which uses big data analysis and artificial intelligence algorithms to precisely target online campaigns, including those on TikTok.

Birth of a Star

Birth of a Star

The TikTok boom continues. According to recent data collected by Sensor Tower analysts, in February 2021 alone, the Chinese social app recorded over 56 million installations worldwide. The app performs best in its home market, China, where it is called Douyin. Users from the Middle Kingdom account for 18% of global installations.

TikTok was also the highest-converting non-gaming app in the world – in February 2021, revenue from user activity (e.g., in-app purchases) exceeded $110 million, nearly double that of the same period in 2020.

– The Chinese platform's success is not just due to its ever-growing user base. Data from Global Web Index shows that nearly one in five internet users aged 16-65 uses TikTok – notes Jakub Dymitrowicz, CEO of creative agency BrandBridge, continuing: – What really matters is engagement. TikTok attracts users like a magnet. – says the market expert. His words align with the findings of the State of Mobile report. The average monthly time users spend exploring and consuming content on the Chinese app grew faster last year than on any other analyzed platform, surpassing even Facebook.

TikTok in Polish

So how are "TikToks" made in Poland? – On the TipTop Chef channel, we publish short, maximum 60-second video recipes and culinary life hacks that can be done at home. The materials met with great interest - in less than 2 months since launching the channel, we have over 17 million views in total. – explains Anna Sanocka, CEO of Prospero Film & Media, adding: – Contrary to appearances, TikTok is a demanding medium, also in terms of quality. We use our experience in branded content in major culinary TV formats like MasterChef, Top Chef, or Hell's Kitchen to create content on TikTok and integrate our clients' brands.

To further boost the channel's popularity and reach, the creators involved stars and influencers like Jakub Kuroń and Agata Jędraszczak.

– We want to educate through practice, showing that advertising on TikTok is a breath of fresh air in marketing and an effective way to promote quality. Most importantly, our initiative was warmly received by internet users. Under the videos, we find many enthusiastic comments praising the format, such as: "I could watch ads like these" or "why aren't there such ads on TV". Our regular viewer count is growing by about 20,000 monthly. – points out Dominik Bulwicki from Audience Network. The company he represents, along with Prospero Film & Media, responsible for video production and branded content, and creative agency BrandBridge, co-creates on TikTok a family-friendly culinary channel: @TipTopChef.

Why TikTok is increasingly strong for business

Recognizable Polish brands like Kasia margarine and kitchen accessories manufacturer Fiskars have joined the new project, with their products featured on the channel. This encouraged more partners, including from FMCG and home appliance sectors; soon new materials featuring their products will appear on the channel.

Social Wars

This practice of combining promotion and social media is called social selling. Given the growing time spent in front of laptops and smartphones, it's easy to see why social selling is gaining popularity. In an era of huge interest in digital commerce and services, effective ways to target online traffic are invaluable. – According to research by Kantar, 83% of consumers browsing TikTok say that viewing trend-aligned content inspired them to make a purchase. That's a good lead for business. – notes Bulwicki. The Warsaw company expert believes TikTok is better for business because it's more convergent. – It's a next-generation app, designed not only as a source of entertainment but also to direct traffic from the social platform to the seller. With Facebook, this is harder because it was created for individual users and didn't consider business needs in its early development.

Will Facebook lose appeal to the competitive app from the Far East? – The changes being introduced now resemble trying to convert a passenger car into a sports car. It can be done, but the final result will never match a vehicle designed and built for racing from the start. It's simply a matter of different priorities. The changes will be costly, and it might still be that the developed structure won't provide Zuckerberg's service with enough performance to gain an edge over the rival from Beijing – believes Bulwicki.

Summary

TikTok strengthens its position as the global leader among mobile apps, recording record revenues – in the App Store alone, they grew by over 600% to $1.2 billion. The platform also inspires Polish business, as shown by the culinary channel @TipTopChef, which gained 17 million views in 2 months and engages brands like Kasia and Fiskars.

As experts emphasize, TikTok stands out for its convergence – according to Kantar research, 83% of users say the content on the platform inspired them to shop. Meanwhile, Facebook, trying to catch up with the Chinese rival, faces limitations from its original design, which may hinder effective competition.