• by Adam Telian , January 17, 2025

The influencer and content marketing world is bracing for impact with the pending TikTok ban set to hit the U.S. on Jan. 19. This has many advertisers scrambling to figure out what this means, and how they should adjust their plans.  

First, let’s talk about what the ban could look like.

It’s likely that Google and Apple will have to remove the app from their app stores, but it does not require them to delete the app from your phone. This means that people will not be able to download or update the existing app, but users who already have the app will be able to continue to use it. 

The ban may also impact Oracle, the US-based company whose servers power the app. If Oracle is forced to shut down those servers, it won’t matter if the app is still on your phone because it will immediately cease to work.

Below is a list of four ways your brand should consider pivoting if TikTok is part of your marketing and customer engagement strategy. 

Paid media: You should be prepared to reallocate budgets to the platforms and formats most likely to capture the eyeballs displaced from TikTok, mainly IG Reels and YouTube Shorts. It may not be an immediate shift based on how the ban takes shape.

Immediate next step: If that’s the case, a close eye should be kept on CPM, reach, and performance to understand how media is being impacted and if there are signs that efficiency is falling.

Influencers: Brand marketers should also be prepared to adjust their influencer and creator approach, especially for nano and micro-influencers, who have found more success breaking through and building a following on TikTok than other platforms. It’s not clear right now where all the creators will focus their energy, but most data suggests the majority will migrate to IG if they aren’t already active there.

Immediate next step:Any existing or currently planned partnerships should include content being developed and/or posted for platforms beyond TikTok to ensure continuity and useability of the content.

Trend tracking: As we all know, many internet and pop culture trends are born and grown on TikTok. This has given brands a go-to place to identify trends early on to leverage within their organic and paid social content and creative strategy.

Immediate next step:Be prepared to shift your focus to IG Reels to identify emerging trends, or start leveraging your social listening platform to automate trend reporting for your team.

Aging down: TikTok has been a superconductor for introducing brands to younger generations. We may not see the adoption of IG Reels or YT Shorts with the younger Gen Z cohort as their current usage rates are lower than other platforms. We could see some of this attention shift to Snapchat or other emerging platforms, like Whatnot.

Immediate next step: Start to lay the groundwork for paid and organic strategies for platforms that you may not be leveraging yet, but could see an influx to following a ban. Analyze your current reach against each age group in your current paid and organic mix and see if that mix is maintained as users migrate from TikTok.

A couple of final thoughts on how to move forward:

Don’t overreact. Let’s see what happens when the ban rolls out before making any major changes

Don’t reallocate all your spend immediately. If TikTok ceases operations completely, your budget shift should roll out over a few weeks, as there will likely be a large spike in activity in the other platforms that could come with a big premium in CPMs.

Stay flexible. Your plans and budgets should remain flexible and fluid as more changes roll out, as consumers find their footing in this new environment, and as CPMs/budgets begin to stabilize.