Marketers cautiously resume TikTok spending after shutdown, while some continue enacting ban measures

“We are still seeing deals come through as usual, but some brands are focusing on other platforms outside of TikTok at the moment because of the long-term uncertainty,” said Ali Grant, co-CEO of influencer agency The Digital Department. “Once TikTok was inoperable in the U.S., we received emails about moving campaigns to alternate platforms. But as we know, that was short-lived.”

For months, brands and creators have been preparing for the potential shutdown of TikTok in the U.S. as the Jan. 19 deadline approached (years, if you include earlier efforts during President Trump’s first term). Now that TikTok is back up after a temporary disruption over the past weekend, agencies are seeing campaign spending resume in some cases — but not all brands are convinced that the app getting restored is here to stay.

“There have been a range of responses from brands on a spectrum of very conservative: continuing to act as if a ban is in place to back-to-normal with all content plans reinstated,” said Natalie Silverstein, chief innovation officer at influencer agency Collectively. “I imagine that we’ll see more brands come back if and when Apple and Google reinstate TikTok in their app stores.”

Those with the app already installed were able to open it over the weekend and were greeted with a note about the ban on Saturday. By Sunday, about 12 hours later, the service was restored — but currently TikTok is still unavailable on Google and Apple app stores even after President Trump signed an executive order on Monday for a 75-day extension on the ban deadline.

For some agencies, spending wasn’t impacted during TikTok’s outage — but they were prepared in case it went on for longer.

“We never stopped running our spend,” noted Amy Cotteleer, partner and chief experience officer at agency Duncan Channon. “[Also], we had plenty of runway in advance to put contingency plans in place to pause and reallocate funding where necessary. This ban has been at the forefront of client conversations for months now, so we were more than prepared for whatever outcome came our way.”

On the upside, brands that keep investing in TikTok might actually see a temporary boost to their engagement, according to Sarah Gerrish, senior director of creator and influencer at Stagwell agency Movers+Shakers. Gerrish similarly observed mixed feelings from brands and creators once TikTok came back.

“Some are diving in full swing to capitalize on the incredibly high engagement rates we’ve observed since the app’s return, leveraging the renewed attention on the app,” Gerrish explained.

Others are more reserved and “dipping their toes back into TikTok campaigns,” while also getting ready for any other changes ahead, she added. Gerrish noted that current posting is mostly quick and reactive content — as they are limiting plans for any long-term campaigns on TikTok. Instead, some of that investment will shift to YouTube and Instagram, as many have been implementing in the months leading up to January.

With TikTok still in limbo, it’s affecting how marketers will continue working with creators across social media. As agencies previously noted, they have been adding a line item and tweaking 2025 brand partnership contracts to specify posting guidelines and short-term video production with creators.

“If they are still interested in activating on TikTok, many are also adding in provisions in case the app does disappear in the future,” Grant said.

Ed East, founder and group CEO of agency Billion Dollar Boy, added that 2025 contracts “emphasize flexibility, ensuring we’re not dependent on any single platform.” The agency is working with clients to diversify their content onto Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.

Many are still adapting their contingency plans as the situation develops. Cotteleer mentioned leaning on contracted influencers that have a presence on other social platforms (in addition to TikTok) during this transition. Gerrish also said that some creators experienced other issues getting back on TikTok even after it came back online, putting them in a precarious position even as usage resumes.

For instance, Gerrish mentioned a creator that the agency was working with had issues releasing an original song and getting the sound to work for users.

“Fortunately, these challenges have since been resolved, but incidents like this underscore the importance of adaptability in content creation workflows and the need for creators and brands to have contingency plans to navigate unexpected disruptions,” Gerrish said.

During this time, agencies have remained in close contact with creators and provided guidance to those whose income is particularly impacted. If it isn’t a TikTok ban, other disruptions could happen on any platform — server outages, hacks, algorithm changes, features being removed or otherwise.

“The truth is that anything could happen to the social media platforms that we put so much faith in, and it’s important to be prepared for the loss of one,” Grant said.