Rock the Tok invites agencies to showcase their creativity in regional competition. DUBAI: A new initiative from TikTok aims to bring together creative agencies in a competition specific to the platform. Titled Rock the Tok, the competition is a partnership between TikTok and The Marketing Society, a global community of marketing leaders. “Since our arrival in the region, some of the most creative campaigns on TikTok have been crafted by our media partners who have boldly experimented with our platform and advertising solutions with exceptional results,” said Shant Oknayan, general manager of Global Business Solutions METAP. The competition has been designed to encourage this creativity and embolden agencies to build entertaining content, he added. Marketers, creative professionals and advertisers from agencies across the Middle East, Turkey and Pakistan can enter the Rock the Tok competition in teams of up to four participants. There are three briefs that participants can enter — all designed to showcase TikTok’s advertising capabilities — by submitting their TikTok video entries and a supporting write up for one or more of them before July 8: TikTok for Everyone: Agencies will need to prove that every brand can find its place on TikTok by choosing a brand seemingly unsuitable for the platform and creating a campaign for its target audience. Learn on TikTok: This category is aimed at demonstrating that TikTok is not only for entertainment but can also be used for education, inspiration or motivation. Agencies will have to highlight TikTok as a platform where valuable content exists beyond entertainment. TikTok beyond the Hashtag Challenge: In this category, agencies will need to demonstrate that TikTok is not only useful for driving awareness but also for a full-funnel approach by showing how brands can achieve their objectives from awareness to conversion. During the competition, TikTok will work closely with participants in building their skills on the platform and by providing access to TikTok tutorial videos, including a How to TikTok guide, as well as case studies of successful creators and brand campaigns on TikTok, both globally and from the region. The winning agency will receive $20,000 worth of ad credits and collaborations with three popular TikTok creators to bring their proposed campaign to life. It will also have exclusive access to TikTok’s brand strategy team and a consultation with the TikTok Creative Lab, along with several other prizes for the individual team members. “I am very excited to see the creative work which will come out of regional agencies during this competition and look forward to sharing our knowledge and expertise, which I am confident will benefit the participants not just for this competition but as they progress in their careers,” added Oknayan.