It’s been quite a year for TikTok. In January, the social media giant faced the threat of a U.S. ban. However, with those bans temporarily lifted, TikTok has remained a major player in the social space. According to eMarketer, TikTok is the third most-used social platform in the U.S., trailing only Facebook and Instagram. Despite ongoing uncertainty around a potential U.S. ban, TikTok remains a valuable channel where brands can reach, engage, educate, and grow their social presence.

For social media marketers, one of TikTok’s most appealing features was the “Custom Identity” option. This feature allowed advertisers to run ads using their brand’s name and logo without needing to create or maintain an organic TikTok profile—a significant advantage for brands testing the waters or running limited campaigns.

However, as TikTok continues positioning itself as a more powerful advertising platform, the recent deprecation of the “Custom Identity” feature is forcing marketers to reassess their strategies. Following the lead of Meta, Reddit, and Pinterest, TikTok now requires all ads to be linked to a real TikTok account. In other words, a profile is now required to run ads. This change primarily affects brands currently advertising on the platform without an existing TikTok profile.

How Does This Change Impact Your Brand?

The impact of this policy shift depends on your current TikTok presence and advertising strategy. Here’s how to assess whether you’re affected:

1. You Have a TikTok Profile, Post Content, and Run Ads

Impact Level: Minimal

If you already maintain an active TikTok profile with regular content and run ads, this change has minimal impact on your operations. However, you may need to take action depending on your account setup:

Profile not connected to your Ad Account: You’ll need to connect your profile to your TikTok Ad Account through Business Center to run new ads.

Profile already connected: No action required—you’re all set to continue advertising as usual.

2. You Have a TikTok Profile and Post Content, But Don’t Run Ads

Impact Level: None

This change doesn’t impact you at all. Since you already have an existing TikTok profile, you’re positioned well if you decide to start advertising in the future. No action is needed.

3. You Don’t Have a TikTok Profile But Run Ads

Impact Level: Significant

This scenario presents the biggest challenge. If you’ve been using the Custom Identity feature to advertise without maintaining a TikTok account, you’ll need to register for a TikTok profile to continue your advertising efforts. This means committing to some level of organic presence on the platform, even if minimal.

4. You’re Running Influencer Paid Campaigns on TikTok

Impact Level: Moderate to Significant

Influencer campaigns that relied on Custom Identity to create brand-like profiles without accessing influencer accounts are affected. The good news is that solutions are emerging. You can change to Spark ads. This can require a little coordination with your creators and does require native placement, but it works pretty well. This is likely the long-term solution they are driving towards.

5. You’re Planning to Launch on TikTok Within the Next 6 Months

Impact Level: Moderate

If TikTok advertising is in your roadmap, this change affects your launch strategy. You’ll need to ensure your brand establishes a TikTok profile before launching any paid campaigns. Early planning is crucial for a smooth rollout.

What This Means for Social Media Marketers

This policy change reflects TikTok’s evolution toward a more integrated advertising ecosystem. By requiring authentic profiles for all advertisers, TikTok is likely aiming to:

• Increase platform engagement through organic content
• Improve ad authenticity and user trust
• Align with industry standards set by other major platforms
• Encourage long-term brand commitment to the platform

For marketers, this means rethinking TikTok strategy from a purely paid perspective to a more holistic approach that combines organic and paid efforts. While this may seem like an additional burden, it also presents opportunities to build deeper audience relationships and create more authentic brand experiences.

Moving Forward

The end of Custom Identity doesn’t spell doom for TikTok advertising, it simply means some changes to workflow if you simply want to run ads.

However, brands that are serious about a long-term investment in TikTok may want to invest in building a genuine presence on the platform, which ultimately may lead to better campaign performance and audience engagement.