"There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community," reads the US Supreme Court鈥檚 decision today, upholding a law that will ban the social media app in the States.

Despite recognising these positive values of the platform, this judgement means that Chinese TikTok owners ByteDance would have to sell by this Sunday (January 19th) or be banned from the USA 鈥� assuming incoming president Donald Trump implements and enforces the law.

The Supreme Court cites 鈥渨ell-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok鈥檚 data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary鈥� as the reasoning for its decision.

Influencers, marketers and millions of TikTok users alike have been watching these developments closely over the past few weeks. It鈥檚 been a nervy wait to find out whether 2025 is the beginning of 鈥� or rather, a return to 鈥� a world without the social media giant. Even those outside of the States are already preparing to see their favourite accounts in the US disappear. Whichever way you cut it, there鈥檚 about to be a colossal shift for brands and the marketing industry, as a TikTok-sized gap opens up for the taking.

鈥淪ocial moves at the speed of culture. From Tumblr to Vine to Be Real, we鈥檝e seen how adaptable social audiences are in finding a purpose for social platforms,鈥� says Viren Mistry, head of social at media agency Goodstuff. 鈥淭he potential TikTok ban in the US, which comes after so much spotlight and political turbulence, has millions of users now asking 鈥� where do I go now? TikTok is a platform that educates, entertains and encourages conversation. Whilst nothing will be a like-for-like replacement, eyes are on apps like Instagram, YouTube Shorts and Red Note (ironically, a Chinese app).鈥漒u003c/p>

TikTok鈥檚 highly specialised algorithm-driven 鈥楩or You Page鈥� has been an exceptional driver of brand awareness for the companies advertising on the platform, as well as serving as a digital storefront for products via TikTok shop. Influencers and other unpaid UGC can quickly spread the word of a brand on the app, as new trends emerge, explode and eventually die out 鈥� usually in rather quick succession.

鈥淭he potential TikTok ban is a big reminder that brands don鈥檛 actually own their social platforms,鈥� says John Caruso, partner and CCO at M&C Saatchi鈥檚 digital marketing and experience design agency, MCD Partners. 鈥淟osing TikTok would be a setback 鈥� especially as its audience continues to diversify. But it reinforces the need for a diverse channel strategy. For our clients, we鈥檙e already directing followers to other platforms to make sure they can stay engaged, which is just good practice no matter what happens.鈥漒u003c/p>

He continues, 鈥淲hen it comes to jumping to new platforms like RedNote, we think brands should take their time and make sure any migration is sustainable. Established players like Meta, YouTube, or X already offer TikTok-like features, so brands don鈥檛 necessarily need to reinvent the wheel.鈥漒u003c/p>

But if platforms as large and widely-used as TikTok can be effectively shut down, far beyond the control of the people who utilise - and even rely on 鈥� the platform for its commercial opportunities, can (or should?) brands and their marketing agencies be insulating their social media strategies long before they need to migrate?

鈥淭he only constant in our industry is change,鈥� says Mae Karwowski, CEO at Obviously, VML's influencer marketing agency. 鈥淭he need for diversification in a social media creator strategy is crucial, and it must be balanced with smart strategies on the platforms you decide to invest in. Some questions to ask as a brand: What platforms are my customers active on? How does engagement work on this platform? How will I measure our success on this platform?鈥漒u003c/p>

鈥淏rands need to think about why they鈥檙e on social media in the first place, and the specific role that each platform plays for them and their audiences,鈥� agrees Viren. 鈥淗ow can you nurture your community and help create a space to have fun and collaborate with them?鈥漒u003c/p>

While TikTok has held 鈥渦ndeniable cultural relevance鈥� in the US, explains Colleen Saporito, VP of marketing strategy at GALE, the most resilient brand strategies tend to not be channel-dependent. 鈥淭hey're fueled by audience-driven insights and come to life through interconnected ecosystems across multiple channels.

鈥淭here won鈥檛 be a one-size-fits all solution for every brand if TikTok is banned,鈥� she adds, 鈥渂ut people will continue to seek elsewhere what made TikTok so great: community, authenticity and entertainment.鈥漒u003c/p>

This offering is described by John Gladysz, head of product at independent creative media agency Noble People as 鈥渋ncredible gen z scale鈥�. But he also agrees that it鈥檚 not irreplaceable. Reflecting on the lessons from India鈥檚 2020 ban of TikTok, he says, 鈥淲e predict that traffic and ad dollars will flow to Meta and YouTube and, to a lesser extent, Reddit, X and Snap.鈥漒u003c/p>

鈥淲e also predict that increased demand for these platforms will accordingly drive CPMs up. We鈥檙e encouraging clients to not only lean into high-attention platforms like YouTube, but have strategies in place to shift dollars into audio and non-Meta platforms.鈥漒u003c/p>

As a platform-agnostic company, he shares that the goal remains to grow brands faster, regardless of the platforms at their disposal 鈥� and even sees some reasons to be optimistic about the ban. 鈥淭hese events are also innovation accelerants and create opportunities for emerging technology. The key is not to be forced into innovation, but to be prepared for it.鈥漒u003c/p>

For John at MCD Partners, the biggest takeaway from the Supreme Court鈥檚 decision is to be reminded that social platforms are merely 鈥渞ented spaces鈥� for brands, and are not impervious to the external forces that may affect the companies providing and maintaining them. 鈥淏rands need to focus on building first-party data,鈥� he advises. 鈥淭hings like email lists and CRM systems, so they鈥檙e not reliant on any one channel. Flexibility and community building are what help brands handle these disruptions.鈥漒u003c/p>

It鈥檚 these 鈥渁gile brands鈥�, affirms Colleen, with social strategies steeped in consumer insight, and which 鈥渙perate with nimble content creation models鈥�, that will continue to thrive in a post-TikTok world.