Advertisers are raising concerns about the data they’re sharing with TikTok.

Since its explosive adoption by US audiences during the pandemic, TikTok has been rife with controversy.

• Recently, politicians and regulators have called for a ban on the app, calling it “potential spyware.”
• Even the FBI has said it is “extremely concerned” about it.
• Last month, Forbes reported that an internal security team within TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, was planning to use the app to “monitor the physical location of specific US citizens.”

By the numbers: Still, concerns have not stopped advertisers from pouring money into the platform. TikTok is expected to make nearly $10 billion in advertising revenue, growth of 155% over 2021, according to Insider Intelligence.

Even so, some media buyers told Marketing Brew they have adopted a more skeptical, cautious approach to TikTok’s pixel, which advertisers can install on their sites to track some of users’ online behavior.

• “Some [brands] have adopted the pixel. I think there’s still some slight hesitancy in a couple places, just with the stories that keep surfacing about data being used,” Erica Patrick, SVP and director of paid social media at Mediahub Worldwide, said, adding that she had expressed skepticism about aggressively promoting the pixel to clients, concerned that the next big story about TikTok could make the recommendation look foolish.
• TikTok’s “parent-company ownership makes this a unique scenario, and terms like ‘data harvesting’ and ‘Chinese government surveillance’ tend to be flashpoints,” she later wrote in an email. “Some clients have asked our POV on specific headlines; some are slower to adopt and implement the pixel than they might be with other partners; and some have no concerns.”

Click here to read the full story.—RB

Surprise, surprise: Brands are spending more on connected-TV ad platforms. Lots more.

Connected-TV advertising spend across all product categories was up nearly 40% year over year in the third quarter, according to data from Standard Media Index.

Total spending on CTV in the quarter reached $926 million, according to SMI, which tracks “actual ad spend among all major holding companies and most major independents” to estimate national brand spending. That’s compared to last year, when advertisers spent $664 million on CTV in the third quarter.

Some of the highest spenders include:

• Travel brands, which upped their CTV spend by 159%
• Auto brands, which spent 96% more
• And restaurants, which spent 90% more on CTV ads than a year ago

On the other end of the spectrum, apparel and accessories brands increased their spend the least, with only a 0.5% uptick compared to a year ago. CPG and tech brands also increased their CTV spend in the low double digits, according to SMI.

Bucking the trend: The growth in connected TV comes during an overall decline in total advertising investment across all media, which dipped 3% year over year in October to $8.5 billion, according to SMI. But the growth tracks with year-over-year CTV audience growth and the subsequent increased advertiser interest. According to eMarketer, advertisers are projected to spend more than $37 billion on CTV in the US in 2025.

+1: Advertiser investment in CTV is coming just as many advertisers are pulling back on traditional TV spending.—KS

Each Tuesday, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Erica Spitzley is a PR and marketing consultant as well as cohost of the podcast Marketing Happy Hour. Throughout her career, she’s held roles at brands including Not Your Mother’s Haircare and Bloomin’ Brands.

Favorite project you’ve worked on? When I worked at Not Your Mother’s Haircare, I had the incredible opportunity to help lead influencer and experiential strategy that took me to New York Fashion Week and several other events.

What’s your favorite ad campaign? I absolutely love brand and/or influencer collaborations; some of my favorites lately are the Lizzo x Instacart campaign, Deux x Sweats & the City, and Taco Bell x Milk Bar. Tapping into different audiences through collaborations is such a smart and savvy way to increase brand awareness and generate buzzworthy moments.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile? I’m an avid reader—I was an English major, so my love of reading and writing is something I’ve always carried with me.

What marketing trend are you least optimistic about? BeReal. While it’s exciting that a new platform encouraging authenticity has emerged, I’m not sure that it’s the best place for brands to be!

What’s one marketing-related podcast/social account/series you’d recommend? I’m biased, but I would highly recommend my podcast, Marketing Happy Hour, even if I weren’t the cohost! Some of my other favorites are How I Built This, Goal Digger Podcast, Second Life, Armchair Expert, and Financial Feminist.

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren’t those.

Quarter back: Read up on how to take advantage of “Q5”—AKA the period of time right after the holiday shopping frenzy—to target customers and drive results.

Major key: Here are some tips on how to manage the rising cost of keywords in paid search ads around the holidays.

Look book: Get inspired by these design and branding trends that are expected to take off in 2023.

Subscribe: Stay informed and entertained with Morning Brew—the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Get the latest updates across business, tech, and finance delivered for free.

Retail space race: From DTC upgrades to live social shopping capabilities, the e-commerce world is *busy.* Marketing Brew discusses the fresh e-comm strategies being leveraged for the holidays and beyond here. Sponsored by mntn.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}

It’s almost time to watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving for the hundredth time. Which reminds us: In what year did insurance company MetLife start using Peanuts characters in its ads and promotional materials?

1. 1968
2. 1985
3. 1994
4. 2002

Keep scrolling for the answer.

Catch up on a few Marketing Brew stories you might have missed.

• How recommerce is taking on the holiday gift market
• Nike and Adidas stopped working with celebs over antisemitic comments and actions
• Our takeaways from Marketing Brew’s first annual summit