TikTok is still in its nascent stages as a paid platform but its value to advertisers will come from its ability to monetize talent, not ads. TikTok's focus on monetizing individual creators is a new concept for many advertisers to get their heads around. “We are seeing far more focus on creators versus strong aesthetic quality. Most notably, we've seen the first emergence of a TikTok house for creators who build exclusively for the platform,” said Andrew Rajanathan, a global director at media agency Zenith. Read more below.

• With TikTok jockeying for a position in a crowded market, it’s putting this talent at the heart of a commercial strategy that increasingly resembles those used by record labels and talent management firms.
• Using a single DSP would simplify the complicated CTV ad market for advertisers, but no single DSP is sufficient, say agency executives.
• For Digiday+ members, the pandemic has already completely ripped the annual marketing plan to shreds. “You can almost see our marketing budget as a big experimentation budget," said Arjan Dijk CMO of Booking.com.
• In this edition of our Confessions series, we hear from a black media buyer who believes brands and agencies need to do more to support for Black Lives Matter and change their hiring processes.
• Pride Month has become an economic engine over the past several years with brands pouring money into sponsorships for the celebrations. This year, however, one media strategist said her client is “not focusing on it at all."