The title might’ve felt a little misleading right? Considering everything that’s happening with the platform right now around the world; banned in India, undergoing a bidding war in the US. Sheesh, tech companies can never catch a break these days. But despite these issues, research from analytics and technology consultancy AnaVizio highlights how the platform has experienced a massive surge in popularity in the GCC. The study sampled 8000 videos posted by the most popular TikTok users – based on follower numbers – in each of the six GCC countries between January 15 and August 15, 2020. Here are the highlights of the report.
Growth in the region
- Just like other markets, TikTok has created a wave in the Middle East, especially among Generation Z users who have taken to the platform to create and watch fun, lighthearted content. This has led to the emergence of a new breed of content creators who produce engaging, entertaining, and often sophisticated video skits around their fields of interest.
- The app consistently ranks among the top 10 downloaded apps in GCC countries and the latest figures show that it has managed to retain that popularity, despite the growing controversy.
![](https://www.communicateonline.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-09-01-at-11.45.39-AM-1024x760.png)
- The app’s origins as a lip-syncing app mean the activity still accounts for a strong proportion of the videos on the platform. Lip-syncing made up nearly half of the content posted to TikTok from Saudi Arabia (48%) and a significant portion of the content posted from Kuwait (39%), Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (both 21%). But as the popularity of the service kept growing, the nature of the continued to diversify into other formats such as dance, cooking, comedy skits and acting.
![](https://www.communicateonline.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-09-01-at-11.47.17-AM-1024x962.png)
- The sampled posts which were used for the study showed an average engagement rate of 3.12% across all countries and all topics in the GCC region.
![](https://www.communicateonline.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-09-01-at-11.50.05-AM-1024x978.png)
Bahrain
- TikTok in Bahrain has the highest average engagement levels in the GCC with influencers managing to build a strong following.
![](https://www.communicateonline.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-09-01-at-11.52.46-AM-1024x797.png)
- The most engaging type of TikTok content in the country is singing (6.4%) followed by general content (4.6%). For more context, general content refers to generic content and chatter with no specific subject or theme.
![](https://www.communicateonline.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-09-01-at-11.54.16-AM-1024x235.png)
Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia has a lively TikTok scene with a large number of content creators emerging on the platform along with a strong fan engagement.
![](https://www.communicateonline.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-09-01-at-11.59.33-AM-1024x801.png)
- The most engaging type of TikTok content in the country is comedy content (6.7%) followed by fashion (4.9%). Another interesting type of content which is not seen in any of the other countries is Q&A (3.9%)
![](https://www.communicateonline.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-09-01-at-12.00.56-PM-1024x222.png)
Kuwait
- Kuwaiti users show a very strong interest in fashion-related posts, although the number of videos on the topic remains low.
![](https://www.communicateonline.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-09-01-at-12.02.44-PM-1024x816.png)
Oman
- TikTok users from Oman are highly active with dance (10.5%), fashion (9.0%), beauty (6.6%), and comedy (5.4%) generating strong engagement.
![](https://www.communicateonline.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-09-01-at-12.04.04-PM-1024x828.png)
Qatar
- Comedy (3.0%) and dance (2.6%) generate the highest engagement among TikTok posts from Qatar.
![](https://www.communicateonline.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-09-01-at-12.05.38-PM-1024x825.png)
UAE
- UAE-based influencers have the highest average number of followers at 4.8 million.
![](https://www.communicateonline.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-09-01-at-12.06.52-PM-1024x860.png)
- The most engaging type of TikTok content in the country is beauty content (6.1%) followed by general content (3.0%).
![](https://www.communicateonline.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-09-01-at-12.08.03-PM-1024x216.png)
Opportunities For Brands
- Brands in the GCC region have yet to take to TikTok in a big way, with product promotions making up just 1% out of the sample of 8000 analyzed influencer posts. Moreover, such posts had a poor average engagement rate of 1.2%.
- Success on the platform will depend on creating the right content and presenting it in new and engaging ways.
![](https://www.communicateonline.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-09-01-at-12.13.01-PM-1024x447.png)
2020 has definitely turned out to be an eventful year so far, despite putting every auspicious event to a halt. As uncertainty looms around the battle for the future of TikTok, brands and the market continue to watch as new developments unfold every day.