TikTok appoints agency partner for branded content, looks to grow team

TikTok has appointed brand consultancy 8traordinary as its content partner. Through this partnership, 8traordinary will provide brands and app developers with short-form branded content and access to native advertising campaigns, including TikTok influencers on the platform. Advertising on TikTok is currently available by application only. 

In a statement to Marketing, Jeffrey Lim, founder and managing director of 8traordinary, said the appointment will be until the end of the year and is renewable for another year. 8traordinary will hold the rights to the Southeast Asia markets including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, as well as Japan, China, US, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, Europe, Russia, Turkey, Canada, UAE, and Saudi Arabia markets. The agency declined to comment if there was a pitch involved for the appointment.

Lim told Marketing that the agency recognises that TikTok has become a very important and leading platform for users and brands. "Content is still the key to succeed for brands; not just content, but content that is native to the platform, relevant to the audience and appropriate for the brands," he added.

“TikTok has taken off globally with a breakout success among the Gen Z and Millennials. We’ve progressed to an era where every kid wants to be an influencer or a creator, and TikTok is built just for this. With exclusive access to TikTok’s full suite of advertising solutions, we currently have one of the best capabilities to create impactful and relevant campaigns for brands," Lim said.

Meanwhile, TikTok is looking to hire across its Southeast Asian markets. In a LinkedIn post seen by Marketing, some of the new roles it is hiring for are B2B marketing manager for Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, project manager, graphic designer, ad solutions (research and sales enablement), and brand and content strategists for Indonesia and Vietnam respectively. Some of the other roles still open for hire include creative director, and data analyst and insights manager for SEA markets, as well as B2B marketing manager for Indonesia and Thailand respectively. Marketing has reached out to TikTok for additional information.

Last week, TikTok's parent company ByteDance appointed Cheryl Long as its head of communications for its TikTok's operations in Southeast Asia. According to her LinkedIn post, Long joins ByteDance after being with travel company TripAdvisor for three years and seven months. Long was previously senior communications manager at TripAdvisor, where she was responsible for the company's communication efforts in key APAC markets, and reinforcing TripAdvisor’s position as the world’s largest travel guidance site. 

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