Social network TikTok ‘attacks’ the Belgian market

Just like Google or Facebook have done before, TikTok has decided to open a subsidiary in Belgium. The company “TikTok Information Technology UK” based in London (UK) and the bridgehead of social networking activities in Europe on August 8 established a limited liability company “TikTok Technologies Belgium”. headquarters in Brussels.

This company aims to attract major Belgian advertisers and provide them with local support. All Belgian companies were able to advertise on TikTok. The purchase of advertising space on this platform is fully automated and is done online. However, when a certain stage of development is reached, the largest social networks often build a physical presence in the countries of their interest to create links with major local advertisers and provide provide them with more personalized services.

According to Eurobarometer 2022, 13.1% of Belgians over the age of 15 said they had watched TikTok in the past 7 days. This is equivalent to about 1.2 million people. In a statement sent to the local advertising market, TikTok claims to be able to reach 3 million Belgians, especially young people who love this app. 45.6% of users are between the ages of 15 and 24 years old, and 4.1% are between 25 and 39 years old.

Brands are also “seduced”. Matthieu Vercruysse, Social Media Manager of Ogilvy advertising agency in Europe, Middle East and Africa, confirms: “TikTok is of great interest to advertisers. It’s the rising platform that all the brands are talking about, especially the young minds and those who want to create modern content. We receive a lot of requests. Marketers want to understand how TikTok works and how it differs from other social networks.” According to him, many factors explain this attraction. First of all, a growing audience. Matthieu Vercruysse emphasized: “TikTok has expanded to older age groups, over 25 years old. For certain areas of interest such as cooking, cycling… TikTok reaches 40-50 year olds. It’s not just a teen video platform anymore.”

Brands are also attracted because TikTok does not position itself as a social network but as an interest-based entertainment platform. The content offered is related to areas of interest rather than on Facebook or Instagram, which highlights the first publications of friends. Moreover, brands are also attracted to the “trendsetter” aspect of TikTok as the social network is the tone-setter, the innovator, the one launching new talent. TikTok is the leader in cultural formats.

Founded in 2016 in China, TikTok is currently the 6th most popular social network in the world. TikTok attracts users with funny short videos. Currently, popular social networks such as Facebook and Instagram have also begun to copy TikTok’s formula. As of the first quarter of 2022, TikTok has more than 1.39 billion users worldwide.