What Happens if TikTok is Banned?

What happens if TikTok is banned in the U.S. and then in other democratic nations?

After Congress overwhelmingly passed Bill H.R.7521, that’s a very real scenario.

Without wading into the politics, this is very important for brands who use TikTok as a centra tenet of their marketing strategy.

Let’s dig into why this matters…

Big Win for Reels and Shorts

Looking to India as an example of how this might play out, it is very likely that a new player will step into the ring; but in the long term, there is a far greater chance that Instagram, YouTube and - to a lesser extent, Snapchat - will be the major beneficiaries.

Brands that don’t have those two (or three, depending on market priorities) as part of their channel mix should start experimenting with how they can use existing TikTok content on those platforms.

Choose Your Creators Wisely

Some influencers are TikTok-only or primarily create for that platform. If they make up a large percentage of a brand’s roster, it’s a problem.

For brands who have ongoing relationships with TikTok-specific creators, proactive conversations should be happening now to ensure that they can switch to another platform in order to fulfil their contractual obligations.

You Don’t Own the Community

Many marketers still feel they ‘own’ their audience of followers on platforms like TikTok. In truth, this is a rented audience, where attention has to repeatedly be earned. To get closer to an owned relationship, brands should explore whether new and existing customers can be moved to additional channels like an email database.

Finally, while it’s important to track follower growth, it’s largely a vanity number and shouldn’t be a primary metric. Almost every person sees the content in-feed because it’s engaged with by other people and/or because of paid media spend.

Why does this matter for marketers?

TikTok might end up being bought, which would avert the concerns laid out above (assuming the purchaser is able to ensure the algorithm continues to be so powerful).

If that doesn’t happen, every marketer who uses TikTok should be contingency planning for a world without it.

It’s a reminder that no brand should ever rely too heavily on one (rented) channel.