TikTok has inspired creatives at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, encouraging content creators to be bold if they want to ultimately win big.
Consumers deal with information overload on a daily basis. And as attention spans continue to shrink, conventional marketing techniques are losing their punch.
TikTok’s push for ‘Creative Bravery’ at Cannes Lions highlights the need for brands to take risks and experiment with new formats, now more than ever. That is, if they want to stand out in a crowded digital space.
TikTok at Cannes
According to TikTok’s head of Global Business Solutions, Blake Chandlee, “education has fundamentally shifted.” Brands who want to be successful on TikTok must “shift from occasional displays of Creative Bravery to infusing it into daily behavior and strategies.”
Why? Because consumers are spoilt for choice – more than ever before. Chandlee says that’s why TikTok urged marketers at Cannes Lions to “embrace vulnerability and push creative bounds.”
How? By exploring new creative tools and technology and figuring out how it enables scalable creativity while also growing your business.”
TikTok’s approach centers on tapping into the platform’s vibrant creator community and fostering authentic connections with audiences. In fact, some 58% of TikTokers are more likely to trust brands after learning about them from creators. This is creator-influence at its finest.
But how sustainable is that growth? And can this bold creativity be scaled?
Scaling ‘Creative Bravery’
TikTok’s suggestion to brands is to “embrace creative freedom and experimentation and create at the speed of culture to thrive in this new ecosystem.”
And the platform is enabling creators to do this by making available a suite of tools and solutions – not only to scale, but to build meaningful connections with audiences as well.
To support this creator-centric approach, TikTok has introduced these tools:
- TikTok One
- Symphony AI
- Adobe Express
These tools were created for brands to more easily reach younger consumers and align with their preferences. Especially Gen Z, since these tech-savvy consumers want brands to meet them on their terms, with content that feels genuine and relatable.
1. TikTok One
TikTok One is an all-in-one creative platform giving brands access to nearly 2 million creators. From agency partner potential to leveraging TikTok’s creative tools, it’s a one-stop shop for brands and creators.
All resources needed to scale a successful TikTok campaign are available with a single login.
2. Symphony AI
Symphony is an ad solution platform powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI). You can use Symphony to “blend human imagination with AI-powered efficiency to help scale content development, creativity, and productivity.
And you can do this regardless of the size of your business. The Symphony AI suite includes:
- Symphony Creative Studio, and AI-powered video generator.
- Symphony Digital Avatars: AI-generated representations of real people.
- Symphony Assistant to help advertisers easily implement their campaigns.
- Symphony Ads Manager Integration to generate, fix, and optimize TikTok ads.
- Symphony AI Dubbing is a translation tool to connect brands with global audiences.
- Symphony Collective: Industry Advisory Board to help facilitate important discussions around the development and use of AI in creative marketing.
3. Adobe Express
Adobe Express allows brands to access TikTok’s Commercial Music Library directly within Adobe’s design tool.
Thanks to Adobe coming on board as a ‘Creative TikTok Marketing Partner,’ the library enables brands and creators to quickly and easily create, score and publish high-impact TikTok content. Brands will have access to more than a million top and trending songs.
TikTok is betting big on the power of Creative Bravery to drive engagement and results. For those willing to take the plunge, the rewards may just include a fundamental shift in how they approach content creation and audience interaction.
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About the author
Cheryl has contributed to various international publications, with a fervor for data and technology. She explores the intersection of emerging tech trends with logistics, focusing on how digital innovations are reshaping industries on a global scale. When she's not dissecting the latest developments in AI-driven innovation and digital solutions, Cheryl can be found gaming, kickboxing, or navigating the novel niches of consumer gadgetry.
