TikTok will teach Publicis clients about viral commerce

TikTok has a new program with Publicis Groupe to teach brands about “community commerce,” which is TikTok’s name for the online shopping happening on its app. On Tuesday, TikTok and Publicis announced that they would collaborate ahead of the holiday season to introduce marketers to concepts like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, a popular hashtag used by consumers to show off which products they discovered. TikTok announced that this is its first relationship with a holding company that focuses exclusively on commerce. Subscribe to Ad Age now for the latest industry news and analysis. “Publicis clients will be chosen to participate in TikTok's first-ever ‘Community Commerce Sprint,’ a bespoke incubator program that will prepare brands to create impactful commerce campaigns for TikTok ahead of the holidays,” TikTok announced. “Through this multi-week program, participants will receive access to cross-functional support and coaching on Community Commerce best practices from dedicated TikTok teams.” This is not TikTok’s first special relationship with a top agency. In February, TikTok struck a partnership with WPP to give it early looks at new ad products. That announcement was timed around the yearly digital NewFronts, when video platforms show off content and advertising technology to potential advertisers. It’s not unusual for platforms to create custom programs for ad agencies to keep brands informed on how the services work. Commerce is a competitive category, too, with YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Snapchat all developing their shopping potential. TikTok has proved to be a place where products, often obscure ones, can take off in an instant. The hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt has garnered 3.8 billion views, and even Amazon has sought to capitalize on the popularity of viral shopping with a web page dedicated to products that are “internet famous.” TikTok said it would lend Publicis clients its expertise on what makes products pop on the app and drives consumer intent to buy. "As we've seen time and time again, the TikTok community has an incomparable ability to make products go viral, and sell out, almost instantaneously,” Khartoon Weiss, head of global agency and accounts at TikTok, said in the announcement. TikTok declined to name the brands that would participate in the program, but Publicis Groupe works with a number of clients through its family of ad agencies that includes Leo Burnett, BBH and Publicis Worldwide. The holding company’s agencies have worked with Diesel, Samsung, Tide, Ikea, Walmart, Nike and other major advertisers. High-quality journalism isn’t always free. Subscribe to Ad Age now for award-winning news and insight.

TikTok will teach Publicis clients about viral commerce

Featured Stories