_1582089982574.jpg "Nikhil Gandhi, India Head - TikTok")
TikTok, a video-sharing app owned by ByteDance, was the most engaging application in India in 2019, according to a report by data analytics firm App Annie. India accounted for 44%, or 323 million, of 2019’s total TikTok app downloads, a 27% increase from 2018. Nikhil Gandhi, India Head - TikTok tells Mint what makes the Chinese app tick in India. Edited excerpts:
What makes TikTok engaging to Indian users?
Increased content consumption on smartphones and shorter attention span trend driven by millenials and GenZ has led to an explosion in creation and sharing in the vertical short-format content. TikTok offers a unique opportunity for its users to be their authentic selves and present their fun side. In addition to that, it offers an unprecedented experience of content creation and consumption. TikTok's personalized content recommendations makes it a great experience for users to consume content of their interest. The platform’s easy-to-use tools have democratized creativity to create content for a global audience.
What is the strategy and focus for TikTok in India in 2020?
TikTok’s mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok offers a free platform to create, share and connect to a wider audience. We have made TikTok intuitive and easy to use. This has given rise to a new generation of entertainers, content creators and artists. In 2020, we will continue to ensure our over 200 million users get access to interesting, innovative and fun content. Global and Indian users, creators and celebrities continue to add to the content diversity of the platform.
The monetization of content is still relatively underdeveloped on TikTok. How do you plan to address this issue?
Short form ads are driving disruption and are arguably the most common form of advertising we interact with. Brands looking to tap into this audience have certainly benefited by being on a platform like ours. TikTok allows brands to effectively connect with audiences, across the length and breadth of the country, in an interesting and innovative format. Our wide user base gives digital advertisers an opportunity to connect with different sections of the society. This has made TikTok a preferred destination for brands to creatively engage with audiences. In the last few months, we have successfully partnered with various brands in the finance, eCommerce, internet, FMCG, BFSI and education space. Some of the brands we work with include PepsiCo, ITC, SBI, Marico, Moov, PUMA, and Clean & Clear.
TikTok has come under fire for allegedly allowing ‘pornographic’ content to propagate, especially among younger audiences. How do you address this?
We have several measures in place to protect users against misuse of the content they share on the platform including giving users the choice to make their accounts private, blocking another user, reporting an account or content on the app, disabling the ability to receive messages among others. We have also implemented a moderation technology powered by machine learning technology and a robust human team. The moderation team based on the expansive community guidelines ensures the digital wellbeing of our users. Most importantly, TikTok enables users to help in content moderation as well. TikTok’s users can report content that they believe violates any of the community guidelines or that they find offensive directly from the app itself.
