TikTok On The Chopping Block: How To Prepare For A Ban
The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on a potential TikTok ban in the U.S. that would pose significant challenges for packaged food and beverage brands relying on the platform to reach its 170 million American users.
If a law banning TikTok is upheld, it will disappear from app stores by Jan. 19. For existing users, the app could be prone to bugs and glitches over time and may become incompatible with certain operating systems. (That is, unless it is sold off by China-based parent company ByteDance or the incoming Trump administration fights the ban.)
How would a TikTok ban affect the consumer packaged goods industry? And how can brands prepare now?
“A TikTok ban could have far-reaching effects on the CPG industry in ways that may be difficult to fully anticipate. The most immediate and direct impact will be on brands that have found success with TikTok Shop, which has become a leading sales channel for some brands,” said Jessyca Dewey, founder of social marketing firm The Y Collective.
She continued, “Additionally, brands that have heavily invested in building TikTok-specific communities with platform-exclusive content — content that can’t be easily cross-posted — will also face losing their followers and impressions, which will present more long-term challenges if they haven’t also built significant communities on other platforms like Instagram.”
Dewey recommends that brand operators ensure they have downloaded and catalogued their highest-performing TikTok videos, which can be optimized and reposted on Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts.
“Some industry experts are expecting TikTok users will head to YouTube Shorts. However, we predict more people will turn to Facebook and Instagram than other platforms,” she said.
To that end, brands driving sales through TikTok Shop should consider investing further in Facebook ads and Amazon to offset lost revenue, Dewey noted.
“We also recommend brands begin posting content on TikTok that drives followers to engage and follow on Instagram and other platforms,” she added.
Emily Steele, co-founder and CEO of marketing tech platform Hummingbirds, said a TikTok ban provides an opportunity for brands to “get curious and start experimenting” with other platforms to reach new consumers.
“It’s likely that TikTok users will flow over to Instagram or other social channels, so how can your brand create more content and visibility on other channels and start to learn what works? Finding unique ways to capture people’s attention is always the goal of marketing, right? My advice is to lean into the change versus fight it and feel frustrated,” she advised.
In addition to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, Neptune is another emerging platform gaining traction as an alternative for short-form content, according to Sara Heiden, senior strategy director at Sircle Media, a social media agency. Some TikTok users are also flocking to another Chinese app, RedNote, which became the most downloaded free app on Apple’s app store in the U.S. this past weekend, per The Washington Post.
Brands should develop robust email marketing and website strategies to build owned media channels that don’t rely on third-party platforms, Heiden suggested. She also recommends partnering with influencers who have cross-platform reach and staying informed about social media trends and legislative updates to adapt quickly and effectively.
