TikTok will launch an AI-powered business solutions suite

TikTok made several major announcements at its 4th annual TikTok World product summit, unveiling new AI-driven solutions aimed at helping brands harness creativity, performance, and optimal placement on the platform. The recently announced creative AI tools, performance and measurement solutions, and enhancements to high-impact branding placements are the product of extensive research and aim at enabling brands to engage with TikTok's unique audience while improving the overall experience for brands, creators, and the entire TikTok community.

Unsurprisingly, the platform's top priority is optimizing the content creation experience for brands looking to advertise on the platform. According to TikTok's research, advertising with TikTok-first content boosts purchase intent and brand favorability, with most users demonstrating clear preferences for brands knowledgeable about TikTok-specific content creation. The newly launched TikTok One and TikTok Symphony bring an enhanced content creation experience, starting with TikTok One, a centralized platform where brands can access creators, top agency partners, and creative tools with a single click.

TikTok Symphony is an AI-powered creative tool suite and the indisputable headliner of the TikTok World announcements. TikTok Symphony includes an AI-based video generator called “Symphony Creative Studio”, which can generate full videos from a few advertiser inputs and suggest ready-made videos for campaigns based on brands' TikTok Ads Manager assets or product information. The suite also includes a "Symphony Assistant" and a "Symphony Ads Manager Integration" tool. The former is a text-based assistant that can help brands write copy, find out what is trending in the platform, or even brainstorm ideas to promote a new product. As the name suggests, the "Symphony Ads Manager Integration" tool enables brands to fix and optimize previously created content so it integrates better with the overall brand image.

To build on the statistics signaling that 61% of users have made a purchase directly on TikTok or on external sites soon after seeing an ad; that 59% of users use TikTok to decide which game to download next; and that 52% research cars based on content they saw on TikTok, the platform is also launching AI-powered performance and measurement solutions, including predictive automation solutions that will ask users for the necessary assets, budget, and goals, to ensure the platform places "the best ad in front of the right customer at the right time, based on the advertiser's objectives."

Additionally, the TikTok Shop Marketing Automation tool will help merchants optimize ROI across ads, payouts, and platform fees; and Unified Lift will combine brand surveys and conversion data to provide a comprehensive view of campaign performance across the consumer decision journey. Finally, TikTok is also launching enhancements such as the possibility of adding interactive elements such as pop-outs or countdown timers to boost engagement and interaction, and a TikTok Media Buyer certificate for marketing professionals to demonstrate their expertise in TikTok advertisements.

Unfortunately for the company, the excitement about these features and the financial potential of TikTok's ads business is dampened by TikTok's uncertain future in the US after President Biden signed a bill last month stating that TikTok will be banned in the country if ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, fails to sell the app.