TikTok Under Review: Advertisements in Social Media
TikTok hs recently begun including ads based on user preferences.
March 28, 2022
Could you count the number of ads you see daily? The answer is most likely, no – for two reasons. One, there are so many ads out there, “although there are no official figures, the average person is now estimated to encounter between 6,000 to 10,000 ads every single day.” Two, the noise of the aggregate ads makes it difficult for them to stand out – thus, most ads get lost in the clutter.
Wanting to make an impression on their audiences, brands are constantly adapting their advertising approaches. From newspapers, to TV, to radio, each strategy is fitted to the platform. Since social media is the latest and greatest platform to reach younger demographics, there has been a surplus of ads and influencer plugging products. Facebook made over $39 billion dollars in advertising revenue in 2017. TikTok advertising is growing at a more exponential rate. In 2021, TikTok made $4 billion in advertising revenue and is hoping to triple it in 2022. Considering the range and variety of influencers to paid advertising on the platform, “their integration into the content in a way that’s less interruptive than traditional ads, seems to contribute to their appeal to users.”
Paid advertising on TikTok is different than most apps. Even paid advertising is integrated into the for you page due to the style of content. Other than the sponsored label or the shop now link it can be hard to tell the difference between a normal user/influencer and an advertisement. This is even more apparent when they pay the users to participate in the ads. This level of integration goes deeper than who is in the ad, sometimes these ads will utilize a trending sound as well.
This combination of integration and trendiness can be dangerous considering the TikTok algorithm. When someone clicks the link to shop, more and more similar ads will flood that person’s for you page. Where is the original TikTok that had zero ads? Where is TikTok premium where you could pay to skip the ads?
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