As mentioned in the previous post, TikTok is the main sponsor of the Costume Institute's "Sleeping Beauties" exhibition that will take place next year at the Met Museum. The short-video hosting service, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, has become a significant partner for various major events over the last three years.
TikTok's sponsorship history includes notable events like the Men's Euro 2020 Summer Championships, Eurovision 2022, the Women's Six Nations, and the Women's Euro 2022 Summer Championships.
Examining the statistics, it's evident why the social media giant has become a significant asset in these events. As of November 2023, TikTok is accessible in more than 160 countries, boasts a user base exceeding 1.1 billion, and has got over 220 million downloads in the United States alone.
TikTok's user demographics also make it a valuable platform for event sponsors. With over 5 million businesses actively using TikTok in the U.S., and an estimated 80-100 million monthly active users, the platform is particularly popular among individuals aged 16-34, with the majority being females. This explains the platform's active support for women's events. Traditionally, major sponsors have taken center stage at men's games, but TikTok's presence at women's sporting events signified an effort to redirect attention towards women and address existing inequalities.
One of TikTok’s most significant partnerships is with UEFA, but the platform also sponsors other types of events as proved by the Eurovision contest and the sponsorship at the Costume Institute, that actually holds additional significance.
When TikTok sponsors an event, it secures exclusive coverage and content, including behind-the-scenes clips and special livestreams. TikTok's features, such as hashtagging, facilitate the growth of communities around specific events, enabling users to capture and share footage from live events, quickly generating more content for free.
In the case of the Costume Institute exhibition, TikTok's sponsorship could include a preview of the exhibition, a livestream of the Met Gala, or coverage of a celebrity preparing for the gala. This wouldn't only benefit TikTok but would also provide users with engaging content to comment on and promote in their own ways (through the hashtags #TikTokFashion, #LearnOnTikTok or #MetGalaStyle).
Choosing TikTok as a sponsor is therefore a strategic move for the museum and for Condé Nast as well (was it orchestrated in some ways by Anna Wintour?) since it potentially eliminates the need for traditional coverage, reducing the input of Condé Nast staff that usually (over)worked behind the scene to bring fashion fans entertaining social media content. TikTok's user-generated content could replace traditional commentary and analysis, marking a significant shift in how the Met Gala and the exhibition are covered.
So, in essence, securing TikTok as a sponsor for the exhibition is a noteworthy strategic move, leveraging the platform's popularity, demographic alignment, and user-generated content capabilities to enhance the event's coverage and engagement.
Yes this sponsorship also raises questions about two points, the first one regards the role of traditional fashion houses in supporting exhibitions. While prominent houses like Chanel, Fendi, and Gucci have sponsored such events in the past, the choice of TikTok as a sponsor prompts speculation about whether these fashion houses are no longer interested or are not being approached for sponsorship.
The second point is more political: for an American institution to embrace such a sponsorship may pose a conflict, given the history of attempts to ban TikTok in the U.S. The Trump administration in 2020 tried to block the application, while in March 2023, the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice initiated an investigation into TikTok, including allegations of spying on American journalists. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew defended the application before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in March this year, addressing concerns about consumer privacy, data security, mental health impact, and security issues related to ByteDance, the platform's parent company.
Concerns surrounding the application include misuse, addictiveness, misinformation, children's safety, and mental health implications, such as promoting eating disorders, tobacco use, or suicide. Data security and the potential selling of user data are ongoing worries, with a primary reason for the proposed ban being national security concerns, fearing potential leaks of U.S. user data to the Chinese government.
The U.S. has already banned TikTok on federal and public sector employees' phones and on state employees' phones in 32 of 50 states. Lawsuits against TikTok have been filed by several states, with Indiana and Arkansas (the latter sued TikTok, ByteDance and Facebook's parent company, Meta, over claims that the companies violate the Deceptive Trade Practices Act) being among the first.
Montana, the first state to pass legislation banning TikTok on personal devices (the bill will go into effect in January 2024), imposes fines on app stores hosting TikTok within state lines. TikTok users in Montana sued the state to overturn the ban, with TikTok financing the legal fees (opposition to the ban comes from various quarters, including TikTok, U.S. lawmakers, and TikTok users, claiming the law is unconstitutional and violates the First Amendment).
Currently, Afghanistan and India are the only countries with complete TikTok bans. Most countries, including Belgium, Canada, Norway and Taiwan, ban the app on government-issued devices, Defense Ministry staff devices (Denmark) and civil servants's mobiles (France). Some countries, like Indonesia and Pakistan, temporarily banned TikTok in the past due to explicit content.
Implementing a ban on TikTok presents significant challenges for many governments all over the world, including the potential alienation of young users, the impact on businesses reliant on the platform, and the necessity to substantiate claims of national security threats.
All eyes will therefore be on TikTok next year: the platform previously collaborated with the Met Museum for other Costume Institute's exhibitions such as "Camp: Notes on Fashion". Yet in that case the collaboration revolved more around global challenges for their users (#SaluteToClassics and #MetGalaStyle).
"Sleeping Beauties" is the first instance of TikTok sponsoring a formal fashion exhibition in an esteemed institution, a partnership that may create some friction with politicians (consider how US Congress representatives appeared in previous years at the MetGala – would it be proper for them to do it if the exhibition is sponsored by a company that has been the object of bipartisan scrutiny?).
Last but not least, while it signifies a mutually beneficial partnership for the Met, providing abundant free content generated by TikTok users worldwide, this sponsorship could pose a challenge not just for internal Condé Nast staff, but for global journalists and critics, potentially overshadowing their work amid the social media frenzy and coverage.