Tiktok is not enough – Newspaper Kommersant No. 243 (7444) of 12/29/2022

The number of subscribers of top TikTok bloggers in 2022 did not decrease, despite the restrictions imposed by the platform, according to Traffic. However, to make up for lost ad revenue, bloggers are moving to other social networks: Telegram has become the most popular choice. Advertising investment in promotion through TikTok will decrease by the end of the year, although it was previously one of the fastest growing segments, experts say. Nevertheless, the general interest of advertisers in bloggers with a stable audience of short videos will continue.

Kommersant got acquainted with a study on trends in the blogosphere in 2022, conducted by the Traffic agency (part of Okkam, formerly Dentsu Russia). It analyzes the migration of the audience from TikTok and other social networks, as well as from the platform on which bloggers created their accounts. The total number of subscribers of 15 top Russian TikTok bloggers is 11 million people: it turned out that their number has not decreased, despite the restrictions imposed by the social network, there was even a slight increase in the indicator by 3% (data from January and July were compared).

TikTok has restricted Russian users from uploading new content and the ability to broadcast live after it criminalizes spreading fake stories about the Russian military. According to Traffic analysts, Russian bloggers managed to avoid a fall in the number of subscribers primarily due to the audience that left the Russian Federation and now lives in the CIS countries. According to Mediascope, the average daily coverage of TikTok in Russia, despite the restrictions, is also growing: in October 2021 it was 23%, in October 2022 – 21% (the share of the total population of the Russian Federation over 12 years old).

All top tiktokers already had personal pages and publics (communities) on VKontakte. Valya Karnaval (829 thousand people), Karina Kross (811 thousand) and Danya Milokhin (742 thousand) were in the top 3 in terms of subscribers there. Some TikTokers moved to Telegram: more than half of their channels there were created after February 24th. In Telegram, Valya Karnaval (561 thousand subscribers) is in the lead, Anya Pokrov (382 thousand) is in second place, and Karina Cross is in third (245 thousand).

At the same time, the involvement of Tiktokers in Telegram is higher than in VKontakte, according to analysts: in Telegram, 72% of the audience were involved in the content, in public and on personal VK pages, the engagement rate for Tiktokers rarely reaches even 20% (ER Reach is the average engagement rate). by views for March-July). From February to August, Telegram channels of TikTok bloggers increased the number of subscribers by an average of 350%, and VKontakte pages by 7%. Telegram generally leads in terms of audience migration. The frequency of its use, according to Traffic, increased by 70% of users, VKontakte – by 38%, YouTube – by 36%, WhatsApp – by 30%. The agency interviewed 200 men and women aged 25-44 in cities with a population of over 100,000 people.

At the same time, advertising investment in TikTok is falling, experts say. In 2021, Isobar Moscow estimated the annual turnover of the Russian advertising market in TikTok at 1.1 billion rubles. Until 2021, advertising investments grew rapidly, and in 2022 they fell rapidly, says Nikita Pribylovsky, executive director of SA Media advertising agency: “TikTok advertising remains relevant, but now Russian advertisers will not be able to place it normally there. Various workarounds are ineffective.”

It is unlikely that it will be possible to fully compensate for the losses due to other social networks. In VKontakte and Telegram, a smaller part of subscribers leave with bloggers, which, of course, affects the cost of advertising, adds Nikita Pribylovsky: “In addition, adapted content is required to be successful on a particular platform. Because of this, it is difficult for many TikTok bloggers to work on VKontakte and Telegram.”

At the same time, Roistat media advertising specialist Natalya Popova clarifies that although targeted advertising on TikTok is not available in the Russian Federation, placements may be relevant for advertisers who are promoting in the CIS: “Bloggers who quickly got their bearings in March have already scored a sufficient core of the audience in both VKontakte and Telegram. It’s still less than TikTok, but enough for many advertisers.” Therefore, she believes, in 2023, business will again reach out to bloggers who have gathered an audience around them.

Valeria Lebedeva