The business and marketing world has gone through quite the makeover, all thanks to how people make purchases these days. It used to be all about buying what you needed, but now, it’s about making purchases based on what resonates with your emotional demand.
In this new paradigm, profound experiences, genuine connections, and the additional value that businesses offer have become pivotal factors that shape a consumer’s decision to interact with a brand.
Despite these shifts, businesses have a savvy strategy within reach — immersing themselves in the age of content, where people and communities feel more compelled to participate in movements along with the mobile-first generation.
Today, the tables have turned, and people are no longer the ones looking for content; instead, with the power of technology, short and snappy content is the ones searching for a relevant consumer. This is where one can build brand trust and engage with meaningful connections through punchier, relevant content, which can serve as a powerful tool to convey a brand’s values, personality, and offerings while also catering to the needs of consumers.
It goes beyond just informing individuals about a brand’s identity and offerings; it also involves resonating with what matters to people today. For businesses ready to embark on this content journey, it is an opportune moment to reassess their strategies with a renewed emphasis on core components: creativity and content-driven commerce.
The next creative renaissance
To start things off, businesses should make sure that the content they create keeps consumers engaged, and that’s where creativity steps in. This means always looking for ways to refresh their creative assets to retain consumers’ attention and prevent creative fatigue in the long run.
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Embracing tech-driven innovations, such as video-editing templates and tools like CapCut and one-stop-shop creative production platforms like TikTok Creative Exchange, can breathe life into content, making it more captivating and dynamic.
The more entertaining your content is, the more powerful a business becomes through word-of-mouth influence. This can propel a product to its viral state as passionate customers organically spread joy and excitement about the brand.
Within TikTok’s diverse ecosystem, there are many thriving subcultures like #BookTok and #FoodTok, with over 202.6 billion views and 77 billion views, respectively. This diversity enables a personalised approach, leading to stronger connections and greater success in our ever-evolving landscape.
Content-driven commerce
According to a TikTok-commissioned study by Boston Consulting Group in 2023, the BCG study, 81 per cent of APAC TikTok users say video content influenced their recent purchase. #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, a powerful and well-documented cultural phenomenon which introduced users to new ways to discover new products on the platform, has generated over 80+ billion views, showcasing tremendous potential for consumers’ experiential needs that brands can tap into.
Instead of solely relying on traditional marketing methods, businesses are better off adopting a more personalised and interactive approach that seamlessly blends entertainment, content, and commerce. The BCG study has shed light on the emerging landscape of ‘Shoppertainment,’ which is forecasted to be worth US$1 trillion in the Asia Pacific by 2025.
This itself can be a game changer for businesses. Not only does it empower them to design an immersive and unforgettable customer journey that blends shopping seamlessly with entertainment and content, but it also positions them to captivate audiences and take their brand loyalty to new heights.
Learning from those around us
Several businesses and business owners have already embarked on their journey toward embracing the non-linear, infinite-loop purchase journey. This approach, centred around the convergence of content and commerce, has elevated shopping experiences to an entirely new level. Let’s take a page out of the books of some successful brands that we’ve worked with that exemplify this concept.
Also Read: Human creativity drives tech while AI accelerates it: Yee May Leong of Equinix
Mc JEANS, the Thai fashion brand, explored new marketing strategies by collaborating with creators on TikTok Creator Marketplace. They experimented with varying affiliate commission rates to maximise efficiency. The brand also optimised ad creatives on TikTok Ads Manager, utilising insights, trends and keywords identified from the Creative Center.
Additionally, they accelerated live streams and short video content to 10x the platform average and ran live shopping ads as always while doubling down on video shopping ads during key sales moments. They were able to tap into TikTok Shop Partners to manage content creation, live stream production and store operations, achieving >US$500K monthly GMV.
Similarly, the Skincare brand Garnier showcased the power of collaboration in Vietnam with content creators to launch their new serum product. The result? A 30 per cent uplift in sales on other platforms during a shopping festival, elevating their product to the top serum spot for the month.
Seizing your business opportunity
The successes of brands like Mc JEANS and Garnier serve as compelling evidence of the immense potential for businesses to fuel their growth through the power of content. Accessible tools and platforms that allow for live streaming, video editing, and seamless shopping offer an invigorating opening for brands to embark on the journey of the contemporary creative renaissance.
To initiate the process, businesses can begin by evaluating their existing assets and adapting them to fit various platforms with minimal friction. Exploring collaboration with creators to harness the power of creative storytelling can also further strengthen the engagement between the brand and its consumers, bringing creative ideas to life using the power of platforms and communities like ours.
The future is indeed brimming with opportunities for businesses, and the convergence of content and creativity is the ticket for those looking to cut through the noise for growth. By seizing the opportunities that come their way, businesses or founders can stay on top in the entrepreneurial world and navigate this dynamic landscape successfully, eventually attaining a portion of the US$1 trillion opportunity for growth.
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