TikTok’s Matty Lin on fostering growth amid global challenges

As the pace of digital media accelerates, brands across the world are feeling the pressure to adapt to rapidly changing environments. TikTok is one such outlet navigating significant challenges on the global stage. The platform has been grappling with a complex landscape marked by regulatory scrutiny, data privacy concerns, and geopolitical tensions—including facing the threat of bans in key markets such as the United States, where new legislation could force its parent company, ByteDance, to divest. In other markets like Indonesia, TikTok has already been compelled to merge with Tokopedia after government bans.

As the platform continues to expand its influence, brand safety has become an increasingly critical concern, particularly in Southeast Asia—a region where social media is integral to retail growth. Ensuring that branded content is placed alongside appropriate material and aligns with the values of both users and advertisers is now a top priority for the platform.

Key to addressing these challenges in the region is Matty Lin, general manager for Global Business Solutions for Southeast Asia. With six years of experience at ByteDance and a background in leading agencies such as OMD and Razorfish, Lin is spearheading efforts to strengthen TikTok’s presence in Southeast Asia. Pivotal to his role is ensuring that the platform not only navigates these global challenges, but also continues to thrive and grow in a highly competitive market.

“Challenges in key markets are significant, but our emphasis on safety, innovation, and collaboration will help us manage these uncertainties and maintain investment and growth on our platform,” Lin explains to Campaign. Lin shares that TikTok is prioritising user safety by ensuring that branded content aligns with both brand values and user expectations, and leveraging careful systems and partnerships to achieve this—particularly as social commerce continues to surge in Southeast Asia, where platforms like Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok itself are creating new opportunities for retailers.

The economic climate in Asia has also influenced consumer behaviour, with challenges such as inflation and rising living costs leading to reduced non-essential spending. Price remains a primary factor in purchasing decisions, with consumers showing loyalty to brands that offer value through low prices or promotions. Retailers, especially small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), are responding by focusing on dynamic pricing technology to drive conversions while maintaining margins. Despite the emphasis on price, customer experience is becoming increasingly critical, with factors like free shipping, easy payment options, and free returns being top considerations for online shoppers in markets like Singapore.

In response to these shifts, brands are increasingly turning to live streaming, shoppable videos, and gamification—or ‘shoppertainment’—to engage consumers in real-time and drive immediate purchases. Platforms with live-streaming capabilities, such as Instagram and Amazon, are enabling influencers and brand representatives to host interactive shopping events, showcase products, answer questions, and offer exclusive deals. These methods heighten engagement and create urgency, which is essential in today’s competitive landscape.

For TikTok, the goal is to be the ‘shoppertainment’ link that connects brands and consumers. “Commerce on TikTok stands out by focusing on entertainment, aligning with our mission to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok’s 'For You' page content entertains and influences purchase decisions,” Lin elaborates. He highlights how interest-based communities like #BookTok and #BeautyTok not only encourage creativity among users, but also drive meaningful interactions that lead to purchases. By focusing on creating both quality and quantity in creative content, TikTok aims to make this content shoppable on and off the platform, building strong content communities in the process.

Supporting SMBs is also a crucial part of TikTok’s strategy in Southeast Asia. SMBs represent 90% of businesses worldwide and contribute to 50% of global employment, with their impact being even more significant in the Asia-Pacific region. Here, SMBs account for over 97% of all businesses and employ more than half of the workforce, contributing substantially to economic growth. The creator economy is reshaping this landscape, allowing SMBs to engage consumers directly through social media platforms. Consumers are increasingly turning to social commerce over traditional e-commerce, presenting a significant opportunity for SMBs to boost sales.

Lin also shares that TikTok has been proactive in supporting these businesses. In February 2024, the platform launched the ‘Southeast Asia Ad Awards’ to highlight campaigns by brands, marketers, and SMBs. To further assist SMBs, TikTok provides tools like the Ultimate Guide to Small Business Marketing and the E-Commerce Starter Guide, which offer strategies for creating content and optimising advertising on the platform. Initiatives like the #MajuBarengTikTok programme in Indonesia and partnerships with organisations like the Seoul Business Agency in South Korea aim to equip SMBs with digital marketing skills and support their growth in the digital landscape.

As TikTok looks to the future, it's also focusing on integrating artifical intelligence tools to enhance the creative process for its community.

"As AI becomes more deeply integrated into digital platforms to enhance creativity, we want to support transparent and responsible content creation practices. As part of that effort, we continue to invest in media literacy to empower creativity while giving people important context about content they're viewing," says Lin.

The platform is experimenting with AI features to help brands and creators connect more effectively. Rather than replacing human creativity, TikTok aims to use AI to support creators, agencies, and brands in producing content at scale. At TikTok World 2024, the platform introduced Symphony, a generative AI-powered creative solution designed to help users deliver impactful messages and engage global audiences. Symphony is intended to empower creators and amplify their reach using generative AI.

@tiktoknewsroom

Introducing TikTok Symphony: our new Creative AI suite that blends human imagination with AI-powered efficiency to help marketers scale content development, creativity, and productivity on TikTok.

♬ original sound - TikTok Newsroom

“Our creators are essential to our platform. We see AI as a tool to simplify the creative process and enhance the platform's capabilities. While we continue to innovate, we focus on supporting human creators and integrating AI to benefit the creator economy,” Lin notes. However, he also acknowledges the challenges that come with implementing generative AI, such as ensuring the quality and bias of training data, as well as addressing legal and ethical concerns.

TikTok also says it's committed to preventing harmful AI-generated content by implementing strict policies, developing tools to label such content, and educating users on spotting misinformation. The platform also collaborates with industry bodies to promote responsible AI use in content creation. For example, the ‘Face of Courage’ campaign in the Philippines used AI avatars on TikTok to raise awareness about domestic abuse, reaching nearly 36 million people.

@fmaph

A.I.-generated ang babaeng ito, pero siya ang magkukwento ng pinagdaanan ni “Flora” (not her real name) sa kamay ng asawa niya. Ginawa ito para maprotektahan ang identity niya. Kung ikaw ay gaya ni “Flora”, o may kilala kang nakaranas nito, ‘di kayo nag-iisa. Visit www.facesofcourage.ph para may makatulong sa inyo. #FaceOfCourage

♬ original sound - FMA

To further support content creation, TikTok has introduced Symphony Avatars through its Symphony Creative Studio. These avatars, offered in two types—‘stock avatars’ and ‘custom avatars’—allow businesses to quickly add a human element to their content and scale their likeness globally. Symphony Creative Studio also includes Symphony AI Dubbing, a translation tool that allows creators and marketers to translate their content into over 10 languages and dialects. “This tool is designed to help brands reach a broader audience and adapt their messages for different markets in a changing digital environment," Lin explains.