Looking to elevate your TikTok marketing strategy and stand out from the crowd? AR filters on TikTok might be the game-changer you need. There are two main ways of publishing AR filters on TikTok: Community Effects and Branded Effects. We'll dive into both in this article, listing pros and cons for each type.

Community Effects

What are Community Effects?

Community Effects are effects created using Effect House, they are published on TikTok for anyone to use. Community Effects appear in the Effects tab of the TikTok profile that it was published to. Community Effects have a detail page, that shows all the videos posted using the effect. That detail page shows the effect name and the profile it was published to.

Unlike Branded Effects, Community Effect detail pages have no call-to-action link or description. Community Effects can include branding, though.

Why use Community Effects?

Community Effects are a great way to start with interactive, shareable branded content work. They allow for your fanbase to record content using your effect, and share it with millions of people. And the organic reach works! With our own creative ideas and funny effects, we are getting 100M+ views every single month.

How do people find and use Community Effects?

There are a few places where people can come across your filter on TikTok:

• You can find the effect on the filter tab of your TikTok account
• Videos created using your TikTok filter will show a snippet with your filter name
• Each filter will have its own Effect Page, showing all the videos creating with it
• To spread awareness about your TikTok filter, consider posting videos and stories with it regularly

How can I measure the performance of my Community Effect?

TikTok offers interesting insights in the usage of the filter. These statistics can be viewed on effecthouse.tiktok.com.

• ‍Impressions - The number of times posts with your effect have been viewed‍
• Opens - The number of times people have opened your effect in the camera‍
• Posts - The number of times someone shared a post featuring your effects‍
• Likes - The number of likes for all posts using this effect‍
• Shares - The number of times posts using this effect have been re-shared (outside of TikTok, too)

Branded Effects

What are Branded Effects?

Branded Effects are effects sponsored by brands as part of their advertising campaigns on TikTok. These effects are highly customised, with brand logos and other branding elements, to fit their specific campaign needs. This is the power of branded effects. Unlike community effects, they offer greater control over the user experience, allowing you to craft a unique and interactive brand touchpoint.

Why Use Branded Effects?

Here are some compelling reasons to leverage branded effects:

• Boost Brand Awareness: Branded effects create a memorable and immersive experience, increasing brand recall and recognition among your target audience.
• Drive User Engagement: Interactive elements within branded effects encourage user participation, leading to increased content creation and brand interaction.
• Expand Reach: Branded effects have the potential to go viral, organically expanding your reach beyond your existing follower base.
• Gather Valuable Data: Branded effects paired with branded missions can provide valuable insights into user behaviour and preferences.

How do people find and use your Branded Effects?

Branded Effects can be accessed through the effect tray on the Creation screen, effect anchor (appears on videos using your effect in the For You feed), and effect detail page.

• The Branded Effect detail page may display a brand and/or campaign-related description. However, all information displayed must comply with TikTok’s Advertising Policies. Brands may also manage what videos are pinned to the top of the effect detail page. The lifespan of a Branded Effect and the Branded Effect detail page is determined by the media package purchased
• Branded Effects are advised to be bundled with Branded Mission

What is a Branded Mission with a Branded Effect?

Branded Mission is an industry-first ad solution that enables advertisers to crowdsource authentic content from creators on TikTok, turn top-performing videos into ads, and improve brand affinity with media impressions.

By using Branded Mission, advertisers like Walmart, Bomb Pop, and Asos engage the community to participate in branded campaigns. Brands can develop a brief and release it to the creator community to participate in the Branded Mission.

Often a brand will choose to pair their Branded Mission with a Branded Effect, to encourage the highest quality authentic branded content for their Branded Mission. Branded Effects are custom, sponsored effects commissioned by brands giving them the opportunity to connect with audiences in a meaningful, native, and uniquely-TikTok format. Unlike Community Effects, Branded Effects offer features such as a customizable call-to-action URL, customizable copy in the effect detail page, the ability for brands to pin videos to the effect detail page, brand safety tools, and more.

Your published Community Effect cannot be converted into a Branded Effect.‍

Additional Tips for Success:

• ‍Align with Current Trends: Stay updated on popular TikTok trends and challenges to create effects that resonate with your audience. (e.g., "TikTok trends for branded effects")‍
• Partner with Influencers: Collaborate with relevant TikTok influencers to showcase your branded effect and amplify its reach.‍
• Leverage Branded Missions: Combine your branded effect with a branded mission to incentivise user participation and content creation.
• TikTok's Do's and Don'ts: Have a look at our Do's and Don'ts for TikTok Effects, so you know what works best for this ever evolving platform.

Want to create a fitted concept for your client or brand? Our in-house team is happy to deliver a powerful and engaging TikTok effect, whether it is a Community or Branded Effect. Contact us here.