InnFocus Summer 2023

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TikTok Won’t Stop: How TikTok’s Influence and Influencers Have Changed the Travel Marketing Landscape by Joe Pooley 20 <strong>InnFocus</strong>
Mention TikTok to people of a certain age and you’ll all too often elicit eye rolls, groans, or bemused looks. But regardless of where you stand on the increasingly popular video-sharing app, one thing is clear: it’s a dominant force in shaping consumer behaviour among Gen Z and millennials—demographics which make up close to half of the global population and increasingly important segments of the travel market. For hotel marketers, the platform—which boasts over 1 billion monthly active users—offers a unique opportunity to build awareness, engagement, and bookings from these key segments, not only because it’s so popular among them, but also because it allows you to showcase your property in a way that resonates with what’s important to them. (More on that to come). Besides, TikTok is not solely the domain of the young. 35% of its users are over 35. And it is increasingly being used not just as a platform for entertainment, but also for travel planning. According to a report by MMGY Global, around 40% of travellers over 30 prefer TikTok to Google as a search tool for travel. Addressing the Controversy The buzz that TikTok has been getting in recent months hasn’t just come from its growing popularity, but also from increasing appeals by lawmakers to ban the app in North America because of its ties to overseas powers. Amid all the controversy, however, TikTok is more popular in Canada and the US today than it has ever been. By some estimates, more than 150 million Americans are regular users of the app (up 50% from the company’s previously reported figure). Regardless of where you stand on the app’s future, it is simply too important to ignore for businesses looking to grow their audience and drive results through social media. What makes TikTok different? How does TikTok compare to, say, Instagram or Facebook, platforms that will have been mainstays for any hotelier concerned with their social presence over the last decade? To start, TikTok’s short-form video platform feeds users content that’s related to their interests, not necessarily their social circle. Although users can follow individual accounts, their “For You” feed curates content from across a wide range of creators, driven by an algorithm trained to identify what’s most likely to pique their interest. There are differences too in the way that TikTok’s content is perceived relative to other social media. A recent Nielsen study shows that users tend to regard TikTok content as “more authentic and more unique” than other platforms. 59% said they “feel a sense of community when they are on TikTok” as they find the content relatable <strong>InnFocus</strong> 21
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InnFocus Summer 2023

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