TikTok owner launches new app – 03/30/2023 – Market

ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, is trying to lure popular social media creators to the Lemon8 app before it officially debuts later this year.

As TikTok’s chief executive was questioned by lawmakers last week about the app’s relationship with Beijing, with some even calling for its ban, the company’s Chinese owner sent a message to Americans who regularly make and post posts on social media: Come on join our new app.

“ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, invites you to become a launch creator on its new Lemon8 platform ahead of its official US launch!” read one of the messages sent to creators last week by marketing companies hired by TikTok. ByteDance for the promotion.

The notes and related materials, which were seen by The New York Times, declare Lemon8’s ambition to become a leading global social networking service and cite the success of its “sister company TikTok”. He added that the platform, which has already rolled out quietly to app stores, uses “the same recommendation engine that helps TikTok succeed.” The initial focus will be on topics such as fashion, healthy eating and well-being.

The disclosure is a sign that ByteDance appears set on its ambition to be one of the biggest app makers in the world, including in the United States, despite growing calls in Washington to ban TikTok or force the company’s Chinese owners to sell it. it. TikTok has amassed 150 million US users, and ByteDance seems eager to replicate its success with Lemon8.

But lawmakers and regulators may have concerns about Lemon8 similar to those they have about TikTok, which has become one of the main fields of dispute between the United States and China over technological and economic power. Washington officials have said TikTok poses a national security risk, citing concerns that Beijing could access app users’ sensitive data, such as location information, or that China could use TikTok’s content recommendations to generate misinformation.

“It’s a social media platform like Instagram, it’s about collecting information from users and it has the same ownership structure as being a child of ByteDance, so I think the same issues will arise,” said Lindsay Gorman, chief technology officer. and geopolitics at the German Marshall Fund and former technology adviser to the Biden administration.

Even if the app initially seems innocuous, she added, “ultimately, especially with social media platforms, it’s about content, and eventually that will always lead to political and news content.”

Jennifer Banks, a spokeswoman for ByteDance, did not respond to questions about Lemon8 and whether the company has anticipated any regulatory scrutiny.

Lemon8 is available for download but has not been formally released. ByteDance is planning a global marketing move to attract more users in May, according to emails sent to creators. Online news site Insider reported Lemon8’s entry into the US in February.

Krishna Subramanian, founder of influencer marketing company Captiv8, described the app as a combination of Pinterest and branded Instagram posts, with a greater focus on images and more text than TikTok. It has two columns of content and is full of product recommendations and tips, aimed at fueling the trade.

Her “picture of the ideal creator” is a 22- to 26-year-old woman in the New York or Los Angeles area focused on fashion or beauty, according to pitches Lemon8 shared with marketing agencies in January. Lemon8’s vision, one page read, is “to build the most inspiring and informative platform to discover, share and bring ideas to life”.

Lemon8 also said it launched in Japan in April 2020 and reached 5 million monthly active users worldwide last year as it expanded to other countries including Britain, Singapore and Indonesia.

The recruiting drive is a reminder of the gap between how Washington views TikTok and ByteDance and the perceptions of marketers and TikTok’s often young users, including creators who earn money from posts. The creators of TikTok are already encouraging viewers to follow them on Lemon8, drawing comments flooded with lemon emojis. ByteDance also has a popular video editing tool called CapCut, which has become one of the most sought-after free apps on the Google and Apple stores.

“The fact that it belongs to ByteDance means that the creators will give it a chance,” said Subramanian. “There’s the potential for it to become a really, really big part of the culture.”

Crystal Scruggs, 29, a lifestyle creator in Houston, Texas, received an email from Obviously, one of the marketing companies that works with ByteDance, a day after TikTok’s chief executive, Shou Chew, provided approximately five-hour testimony before the US Congress.

The email invited Scruggs to apply to become a fashion release creator on Lemon8. If chosen, Scruggs would receive a small undisclosed fee to post on the app. She would have to create ten posts that would be published in April, with topics such as reviews and shopping recommendations or fashion tutorials. Each post would include three to ten images, would require a caption of at least 150 words, and would need Lemon8’s approval before being published.

She said she was impressed by the tone of the email, which she said was different from the branded campaign emails she normally receives. It felt impersonal, and Scruggs was initially unsure if it was a legitimate business opportunity.

“When companies or people who work with creators submit information, they often ask if you’re interested before submitting a full abstract,” Scruggs said.

After all, she wasn’t interested. “The email felt like something was sent to a million different people, not targeted at anyone specifically to be part of a campaign,” she added. “I try to stay away from that stuff.”

The effort has attracted a great deal of attention. Hundreds of creators across the United States have already signed up, which will help Lemon8 reach its goal of filling the platform with thousands of pieces of content this spring, according to a person with direct knowledge of the app’s plans and who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Once Lemon8 selects its initial US creators, they will receive guidance on what topics and aesthetics tend to result in popular content. They will post throughout April in a phase called “content accumulation”.

In May, the app will focus on adding users and helping creators gain followers. In September, the app will turn its attention to “commercialization opportunities,” like helping creators make money from brand and agency deals and, presumably, other forms of advertising.

Lemon8 offered creators various incentives for being the first partners on the platform in addition to their revenue per posts. They may be featured on the “Discover” page or among Lemon8’s “Rising Stars”, and may even have their content advertised on TikTok.

Translated by Luiz Roberto M. Gonçalves