TikTok has started a new international campaign for its ad platform. The goal is simple: to show brands and users that TikTok is no longer just a place for entertainment. Instead, it also wants to be known as a strong platform for product discovery and in-app shopping.
Takeaways 🚀
✅TikTok promotes global ad campaign
✅Highlights in-app shopping growth
✅Focuses on product discovery journey
✅Slogan: “Watch it. Love it.”
✅Combines entertainment with commerce
At the same time, the campaign puts a spotlight on TikTok’s growing e-commerce tools. It also shows how the app fits into the way people now find, research, and buy products. With the new slogan, “Watch it. Love it. Want it.”, TikTok is making its message clear. In other words, the company wants to connect content, interest, and purchase in one place.
In this post, we’ll look at what the campaign means, why TikTok is pushing shopping so hard, and what it could mean for both brands and everyday users.
TikTok Expands Its Advertising Message
TikTok launched this new international marketing push to promote its ad platform more clearly. According to the company, the campaign reflects how the platform has changed. It is not only a video app anymore. Rather, it is also a space where people discover products, compare options, and make buying decisions.
More importantly, the new campaign focuses on the full customer journey. TikTok wants brands to see that users can move from discovery to consideration to action without leaving the app. This point matters because many advertisers still treat social apps as awareness channels only.
As a result, TikTok’s message is that its platform can now support much more than brand exposure. It can also support product research and direct sales.
What “Watch it. Love it. Want it.” Means
The slogan “Watch it. Love it. Want it.” is short, but it says a lot about TikTok’s strategy.
To begin with, “Watch it” points to TikTok’s core strength: video content that catches attention fast. Next, “Love it” reflects the connection users build with creators, products, and trends. Finally, “Want it” shifts the focus to shopping and purchase intent.
Together, this phrase helps TikTok frame itself as a platform where entertainment and commerce work side by side. Instead of separating content from sales, TikTok wants to show that both can happen in the same user experience.
Ultimately, that is a key part of its new ad platform campaign.
TikTok Wants to Own the Discovery Stage
One of TikTok’s strongest claims is that it plays a major role in product discovery. Already, many users go to the app to find new brands, trending items, and product reviews. Now, TikTok wants advertisers to take that behavior more seriously.
According to the company, people come to TikTok to discover what is new, engage with what they enjoy, and take part in what matters to them. As a result, brands have a chance to reach users early in the buying process.
This matters because discovery often shapes later buying decisions. For example, if a person sees a product on TikTok, watches reviews, and hears creators talk about it, that product may stay top of mind when they are ready to buy.
So, TikTok is using this idea to position itself as more than a traffic source. Instead, it wants to be seen as a place where purchase intent begins.
The Growing Importance of the Consideration Phase
TikTok’s campaign also highlights the “mid-funnel,” also called the consideration phase. This is the stage where people compare products, look for reviews, and decide what to buy.
However, for many brands, this stage is hard to influence. Consumers often switch between search engines, social platforms, review sites, and retailer pages before making a decision. Because of that, friction builds up along the way.
TikTok says its platform reduces that friction. For instance, a user can discover a product in a video, read comments about it, watch more content from creators, and then move toward purchase. In theory, this creates a smoother path from interest to action.
Therefore, one of the main ideas behind the campaign is clear: TikTok wants brands to believe they no longer need several separate platforms to guide users through the buying journey.
Data Behind TikTok’s Shopping Push
To support its message, TikTok is backing the campaign with several research points and market figures. These numbers help strengthen its argument that the platform now influences buying behavior in a real way.
Some of the most notable figures include:
- TikTok was ranked as the most influential platform during the consideration stage in Ipsos research.
- 93% of daily TikTok users said they use the app as a research platform before making a purchase.
- One in seven shoppers in Germany has bought something on TikTok at least once.
- 31% of online shoppers in the UK now buy on TikTok.
- TikTok says there are now more than 100,000 TikTok Shop merchants in the EU.
Taken together, these numbers suggest that TikTok is becoming more important in online shopping, especially in markets where TikTok Shop is growing fast.
TikTok Shop Continues to Grow
A major reason for this campaign is the rise of TikTok Shop. Clearly, the company has invested heavily in in-app shopping, and this new marketing push supports that effort.
TikTok Shop allows users to browse and buy products directly inside the app. Because of this, it can shorten the time between seeing a product and buying it. It can also help brands turn interest into sales more quickly.
According to TikTok, several categories perform especially well on the platform. These include:
- Fashion
- Beauty
- Home appliances
- Tech
At the moment, fashion leads the way, but beauty is also seeing strong growth. In the UK, TikTok said its beauty category grew 60% year over year in 2025. In addition, the company said TikTok Shop became the fourth-largest beauty retailer in the country.
That is a major milestone. More importantly, it shows that TikTok is not only attracting attention but also converting it into commercial activity.
Why This Matters for Brands
For advertisers, TikTok’s campaign sends a direct message: the platform now offers more than reach and engagement. It also offers a path to sales.
In many cases, brands struggle to connect social media awareness with real business results. TikTok is trying to solve that problem by showing that the same platform can support multiple stages of the funnel.
As a result, this may appeal to:
Brands that want stronger product discovery
TikTok’s short-form video format can introduce products in a fast and natural way. As a result, a well-made video may feel less like an ad and more like useful or entertaining content.
Retailers looking for in-app conversions
TikTok Shop gives brands a way to sell without sending users to another site. Because users stay in the app, this can reduce drop-off and improve conversion potential.
Businesses that rely on creator influence
Creators remain central to TikTok’s ecosystem. For that reason, their product mentions, tutorials, and reviews can shape how users think about a brand.
Overall, for many advertisers, the platform now looks more like a full commerce environment than a simple social media channel.
Why This Matters for Users
This campaign is also important for users, not just brands. In fact, it reflects how the app itself is changing.
People still use TikTok for entertainment, trends, and creator content. However, shopping features are becoming a bigger part of the experience. That means users may see more product-focused content, more shoppable videos, and more direct purchase options inside the app.
For some users, that may be convenient. They can discover and buy products in one place. For others, though, it may blur the line between entertainment and advertising.
Either way, the shift is clear. Increasingly, TikTok is building a platform where content and commerce sit side by side.
TikTok Follows a Proven Model
TikTok’s broader shopping strategy is not new. Instead, it follows a model already used by Douyin, the Chinese version of the app.
Douyin has shown how powerful in-app commerce can become when video, creators, and shopping tools work together. Because of that success, the model appears to be shaping TikTok’s global strategy.
At the same time, TikTok’s leadership seems to view shopping as a major long-term growth area. That helps explain why the company keeps expanding TikTok Shop and building campaigns around ad performance and buying behavior.
In that context, its latest international campaign fits into a much larger plan.
A Shift in How TikTok Wants to Be Seen
For years, many people saw TikTok mainly as a viral video app. Now, this campaign suggests the company wants to change that image.
TikTok now wants to be seen as:
- A discovery platform
- A research tool
- A shopping destination
- An ad platform that drives results
Clearly, that is a big shift in positioning. It also reflects a larger trend in social media, where platforms are trying to keep users inside their apps for more of the buying journey.
TikTok is not alone in that effort. Even so, it is moving aggressively.
Final Thoughts
TikTok’s new international ad platform campaign marks an important step in the company’s growth. With “Watch it. Love it. Want it.”, TikTok is presenting itself as a platform where discovery, engagement, and commerce happen together.
Overall, the campaign highlights the growth of TikTok Shop, the platform’s influence during the consideration phase, and its growing value to advertisers. At the same time, it shows how TikTok wants to shape the future of social commerce.
For brands, the message is clear: TikTok wants a bigger share of ad budgets and e-commerce activity. For users, meanwhile, the app may become an even stronger mix of content and shopping.
Looking ahead, as TikTok continues to grow its in-app shopping tools, this campaign could help bring more businesses into its ecosystem. It may also strengthen TikTok’s role as both a discovery platform and a serious player in digital commerce.
