According to reports, short video and music sharing app TikTok is currently testing the first ads on its app.
TikTok, also known as Douyin in China, or “the app that took over Musical.ly” last year, is growing very fast, and not only in Asia. In November, a Variety report put downloads in the United States alone at a whopping 80 million, 10% of the total 800 million downloads reported by Sensor Tower. And while active users are reported to be around 130 million users, TikTok is certainly becoming a force to be reckoned with. Now, according to a recent Digiday report, TikTok is testing the first ads within its app.
The ad was spotted and reported by user Chris Harihar who explained that it appeared “right after the hero screen” and lasted around 5 seconds.
Think this is the first real ad campaign I’ve seen on @tiktok_us. @kerrymflynn pic.twitter.com/zt3JcSYCz0
— chris harihar (@chrisharihar) January 26, 2019
For the time being, TikTok’s move won’t be seen as much of a threat to Facebook which is struggling to keep its younger demographic interested – or even Snapchat which is struggling with its business model. It does, however, mean that marketers may soon have one more way to reach younger audiences.
And while TikTok’s might seem like a bit of a fad right now, it’s growth shows that it’s serious about sticking around.
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