Corporate gifting’s DTC boom + TikTok’s uncertain future 🎁📉

It’s Monday!

YouTube is taking over your TV, and it’s not slowing down. With watch time for sports and podcasts booming on the big screen, the platform is redesigning its TV experience and adding features like real-time creator commentary to make it feel more like premium streaming — without losing its creator-first vibe.

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Why Q5 is the Best Time to Get on TV: Lower Costs, Bigger Impact!

Did you know that the period right before Christmas up to New Year's–known as Q5–is one of the best times to advertise on TV? During this time, most advertisers end their campaigns around mid-December as holiday shopping winds down and shipping cutoffs hit. But guess what consumers are doing during the holidays? Watching TV cozied up with their loved ones. The next few weeks give you the perfect chance to maximize impact while being cost-effective, with CPMs at their lowest compared to the Q4/Q1 periods.

This makes it the cheapest time of the year to test TV as a performance channel and set the stage for your 2025 marketing strategy!

Wrap up the year on a high note by getting your brand on TV with WonderAds, powered by Tatari!

Let’s chat about how you can launch your TV campaign right away!

Updates ☕️

💬 Nearly half of consumers feel ignored by marketers, with 44% saying brands fail to make them feel valued, per a new study from Invoca.

🎥 71% of marketers increased investments in video-based content this year, according to a Kaltura study, highlighting video’s growing dominance.

📈 X reported record-high usage, boosted by political conversations and trending global events.

💡 X also shared Q5 marketing tips, urging brands to focus on creative strategies to capture post-holiday spending.

How DTC brands are turning corporate gifting into big business

Corporate gifting is having its glow-up—and for DTC brands, it’s a holiday game-changer. Luxury candles, patio gardens, and custom goodies are now office party staples. Behind the scenes, startups like Anecdote Candles and Gardenuity are putting in the work to make these programs run like clockwork.

Making it personal—at scale

For Anecdote Candles, the secret is automation without losing the charm. This year, they launched “AnecdoteGPT” to make custom candle designs a breeze for corporate clients, turning back-and-forth emails into a few clicks. The result? Corporate gifting now accounts for 19% of sales, up from 7% in 2023.

Founder Julie Maskulka also got creative, targeting unexpected markets like boarding schools and book publishers to stand out in the crowded corporate gifting space.

Partnerships that pay

Over at Caftari, partnerships with platforms like Wishlist and Loop & Tie have landed luxury candle orders from big names like Hello Fresh. But founder Shreya Aggarwal faces a common corporate gifting hurdle: the recipients stay anonymous. Without customer data like emails, it’s harder to convert those one-time gifts into loyal buyers.

Aggarwal is working to solve this puzzle, even reverse-engineering profiles to learn more about her giftees.

Greens in the mix

For Gardenuity, patio gardens have become the surprise MVP of corporate gifting. Orders from businesses now make up 15% of its revenue, and the brand even launched a dedicated site to streamline the process.

Big orders, bigger challenges

Corporate gifting is a double-edged sword: the average order value is huge, but the recipients? Total mystery. Without direct customer relationships, brands miss out on retargeting opportunities. That’s why startups like Anecdote and Caftari are balancing these big wins with efforts to grow their DTC audiences.

Corporate gifting isn’t just about pushing products—it’s about creating memorable moments that stick. When done right, it’s a gift that pays off long after the holidays.

Marketers brace for life after TikTok

TikTok’s rocky U.S. journey has hit a breaking point. With a looming Jan. 19 ban that could either erase the app from American app stores or strip it of its defining algorithm, marketers are pivoting hard, preparing for a world where TikTok’s magic might vanish.

The new reality

A federal appeals court recently upheld a ruling forcing ByteDance to divest TikTok due to national security concerns. If ByteDance doesn’t comply, TikTok could face a ban, leaving the app on existing devices but without updates, rendering it obsolete. Even a sale would likely exclude TikTok’s prized recommendation algorithm, reducing the platform to a shell of its current self.

For marketers, this is no longer a “what if.” Contingency plans are now the norm. “If lawmakers pull the plug, we know exactly where those dollars will go,” said Jason Loomis of The Sasha Group.

Where will the ad dollars go?

With TikTok’s future in limbo, brands are eyeing alternatives. Snapchat, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Pinterest are the top contenders, particularly for shopping campaigns. For now, it’s business as usual on TikTok, but agencies are mapping out shifts in case the ban kicks in.

“Investing in upfront TikTok deals isn’t strategically sound right now,” noted Nathan Jun Poekert of General Idea. “We’re focused on building contingency plans instead.”

TikTok’s plea to marketers

Despite the chaos, TikTok execs are sticking to their script: “Keep calm and keep spending.” Marketers report that TikTok’s representatives insist advertising capabilities will remain intact, at least through the end of 2024. But insiders paint a more frantic picture. Tensions are high, and some TikTok execs are quietly exiting.

Not the end of social media

Marketers aren’t panicking. Platforms rise and fall, and pivoting is part of the game. As Poekert explained, TikTok’s CPMs and performance aren’t drastically different from other platforms. The ban is inconvenient, yes, but it’s far from a death knell for social media marketing.

Countdown to change

With the clock ticking toward Jan. 19, TikTok’s future feels more uncertain than ever. For marketers, it’s about staying flexible, hedging bets, and preparing for whatever comes next. As Jasmine Enberg of eMarketer summed up: “It’s really not looking good for TikTok right now.”

READS 📝

BoF: Instagram-like Xiaohongshu makes inroads with e-commerce sales.

Adobe: 2025 will be the year of AI-powered brand design.

AdAge: The top 5 creative campaigns to know about right now.

Statista: Global influencer market size 2024.