It's Tuesday.
Trump says a TikTok buyer will be announced in two weeks. That’s following a third extension of the app’s U.S. ban – and more negotiations to transfer ownership from ByteDance to a U.S.-backed group.
Whether or not the deal lands, TikTok’s already acting like it's business as usual:
TikTok’s next move is full-blown commerce
TikTok just launched Shop Locally Made (think: seafood from Pike Place Market) and will follow it with Deals for You Days from July 7–19. Discounts include Fenty, Crocs, Philips, and more.
It’s modeled after Douyin’s $490B shopping empire in China. TikTok’s not there yet, but U.S. TikTok Shop sales are already up 120% YoY.
What to watch:
→ Price match guarantee during livestreams
→ Venmo discounts at checkout
→ More brands testing live shopping to spike DTC conversions
If you’re not experimenting with TikTok Shop now, your competitors probably are.
Brands are betting big on faceless creators

Forget followers. Meme pages and text-based video accounts with no faces, no voices, and no brand are now pulling $30K–$40K/month from performance deals.
These creators post 100+ times a day using AI tools, posting across multiple accounts and devices to ride the algo.
For brands, it’s cheap, fast, and built for clicks – not clout.
Why it matters:
→ Great for lower-funnel performance
→ No need to pay influencer premiums
→ But it could turn stale fast if everyone floods the format
If you’re testing UGC, this is where it’s heading.
🤝 Supported by impact.com

Things are popping off for the folks at Olipop. Their hybrid commission approach drives 12% of sales, with hardly any spend involved.
Their secret weapon? impact.com. With a smart hybrid model—$36 sample packs and 10%–30% performance commission—they turned a tidal wave of creator applicants into a powerful, revenue-driving community.
Thanks to impact.com, Olipop saw 982% ROAS and 200% growth. And they were able to make it all happen with one centralized platform. impact helped Olipop:
Screen creators in line with their brand requirements.
Build customized partner contracts.
Automate promo codes.
Generate automated newsletters to keep partners informed about the product.
Monitor campaign performance, including promo code monitoring and reporting tools.
TikTok’s Smart+ AI tool is getting smarter

Even with the U.S. ban hanging overhead, TikTok is leveling up its AI ad tool Smart+ – and quietly making it the default.
New features rolling out:
→ Goal-based bidding and tROAS
→ Device- and behavior-based targeting
→ Offline event tracking for web/catalog sales
→ Search ads getting bundled in
Heads-up: You can opt out of Smart+ search ads now – but that window’s closing.
The bigger shift: AI-first media buying is becoming the norm. Meta, Google, TikTok – they’re all removing levers in favor of automation. If you haven’t tested Smart+ yet, now’s the time.
TV ads aren’t dead – they’re just for branding now
According to new survey findings, 55% of marketers are still spending on TV/streaming, but 79% are focused purely on impressions and brand lift.
Shoppable TV? Only 19% are testing it. QR codes? Basically dead at 2%.
Amazon Prime Video might see more action soon – but 30% of marketers are still undecided. For now, traditional TV is still in play for awareness – not conversion.