As TikTok heads to court docket on Monday to argue towards a U.S. ban, mother or father firm ByteDance’s newer social app, Lemon8, is as soon as once more surging to the highest of the App Retailer within the U.S. The push is due, partially, to elevated promoting. Described by TikTok influencers as a cross between Pinterest and Instagram — or extra just lately, as “Pinterest on steroids” — the app had beforehand appeared within the App Retailer’s prime charts when a TikTok ban was being mentioned by U.S. lawmakers.
Seemingly poised to function a backup plan if TikTok had been to be faraway from the U.S. market — or divested from its Chinese language mother or father firm — Lemon8 gives TikTok creators a brand new platform they may port their followers to within the occasion of a ban.
The app launched globally in 2020, however U.S. advert spend and influencer advertising started till final yr.
To attain its newest rating because the No. 10 app within the U.S. App Retailer as of earlier on Monday morning, ByteDance has once more invested in App Retailer promoting. In keeping with information from app intelligence supplier Appfigures, Lemon8’s Beijing-based mother or father firm over the previous few weeks has been operating a “huge” Apple Search Advertisements marketing campaign that noticed the usage of 5,300 key phrases simply previously week alone. This marketing campaign focused branded key phrases like TikTok, CapCut, Instagram, Canva, and others which have the most important share of advertiser impressions, the agency famous.
The corporate has additionally been operating adverts for Lemon8 that seem within the “For You” feed on TikTok, driving customers’ curiosity. Plus, TikTok creators are as soon as once more discussing the app on their very own profiles. Lots of these posts don’t disclose if the influencer is being paid to advertise the app, although they usually use comparable language to final yr’s marketing campaign, together with comparisons between Lemon8 and different social apps, like Instagram and Pinterest. One video from August exhibits a creator unboxing a PR bundle containing Lemon8 mascot plushies.
Appfigures’ information signifies that the app has been on the rise for a number of weeks, because of the adverts, however the newest bounce is newer.
Lemon8 acquired 78,000 estimated downloads on Saturday, which is roughly 44% increased than its common over the previous few weeks, as an example. In complete, the app has seen 16 million international downloads this yr, with a bit underneath half (6.4 million) of these coming from the U.S., demonstrating the U.S. stays a key marketplace for the promoting push.
Downloads in different markets, just like the Philippines and Singapore, at the moment are on the decline, which may counsel ByteDance is transferring advert spend round to focus on totally different areas exterior the U.S.
Lemon8’s development comes as arguments round TikTok’s future within the U.S. head into court docket on Monday the place ByteDance will struggle towards a ban, arguing that the regulation violates People’ proper to free speech. The regulation, signed in April, was quickly blocked from going into impact by a lawsuit filed by ByteDance and TikTok in Could. As well as, the corporate will argue that the timeframe to divest the corporate within the case of a sale is just too quick since ByteDance doesn’t intend to promote its suggestion expertise as a part of any sale to a U.S. entity.
The Division of Justice, in the meantime, will argue that TikTok’s management by a Chinese language-owned firm may give Beijing entry to U.S. customers’ private info along with with the ability to use the app to affect public opinion.