Gamechanger: TikTok’s data-based targeting tools

Welcome to the week’s end. You’ve made it to Super Bowl weekend. What are your plans? What are your predictions? On Sunday, we’ll all find out together.

TikTok Sharpens Targeting Tools for Marketers

TikTok has added data-based targeting tools for brands. These new tools include profile page calls-to-action, message-focused calls-to-action, promoting others’ content, and new targeting parameters, allowing marketers to tailor content to reach their ideal customers. Marketers may rejoice at such tools, but TikTok still has its skeptics, i.e., the government.

US lawmakers are still wary of the Chinese-owned parent company of TikTok and are still calling for a ban of the app. Despite the scrutiny, TikTok continues to grow and it doesn’t look like marketers are pulling out spend dollars any time soon.

Since TikTok has lower advertiser competition and cheaper CPMs than Facebook or Instagram, this is great news for marketers seeking to speak to a specific group of consumers without blowing their entire budget.

Deinfluencers Tell Consumers What They Don’t Need

A growing sect of influencers on TikTok are now telling consumers not to just influencers on TikTik—this group is known as deinfluencers. They’re asking you to think twice about your next purchase, and over 122 million views on #deinfluencing suggests people are buying it—er, not buying it? Deinfluencer Alyssa Stephanie’s video about TikTok cult brands she hates has 799k likes.

But that doesn’t mean the deinfluencers don’t like anything. To the contrary, Alyssa Stephanie also has videos telling viewers what they should purchase instead. She also offers tips on how to buy quality products, whether your allocated money runs budget or deluxe.

The rise in popularity of the influencer trend is further support that consumers are being more savvy about how they spend their money. Whether this is an overall shift away from consumerism or if it’s just a possible-recession response remains to be seen. Either way, marketers need to position products in a way that makes them harder to deinfluence.

Sponsored by Masterworks

A Banksy got everyday investors 32% returns? 

It may sound too good to be true. But thousands of investors are already smiling all the way to the bank, thanks to the fine-art investing platform Masterworks.

Masterworks has built a track record of 11 exits, the last 3 realizing +10.4%, +35.0%, and +13.9% net returns even while financial markets plummeted.

But art? Really? Okay, skeptics, here are the numbers. Contemporary art prices:

• outpaced the S&P 500 by 131% over the last 26 years

• remained stable through the dot-com bubble and ’08 crisis

Offerings have sold out in minutes, but you can skip the waitlist to join now.

See important Regulation A disclosures.

Around the Web

• Nielsen finds YouTube leads streaming watchtime on connected TVs, ahead of Netflix and everyone else.

• 43% of Black Americans have listened to a podcast in the last month.

• Will TikTok usurp Twitter for real-time reactions to the Super Bowl?

• Roku and DoorDash have entered a multi-year partnership for shoppable ads.

• Use conversational shopping to help your site perform better and increase your conversion rate.

Just Can’t Get Enough

Inclusionary video games. And although some are doing it right, others are decidedly not.

• Doing it right: an update for The Sims 4 promotes trans visibility.

• Doing it wrong: a trans character in Hogwarts Legacy doesn’t erase J.K. Rowling’s transphobia.

• Meanwhile, Hogwarts Legacy is also facing accusations of antisemitism.

Which Super Bowl ad will win the number one spot in our hearts and minds? Will we see deinfluencers deinfluencing the Super Bowl? Reply and let us know your Super Bowl plans and predictions.

Thanks for joining us, and we’ll see you Monday!