Ailidh Smylie, Head of Social and Digital at The Brill CollectiveTikTok isn’t a teen playground. In the UAE it’s daily media for millennial decision-makers. Social media penetration is 100 per cent here, with around 7.5 million people using TikTok. Treat it like a side channel and you’re funding the gap.
TikTok literacy check: Let’s run a quick TikTok Literacy Challenge.
- How would you answer: “Do you have any kids?”
- Next, ‘Who put the muffins in the freezer?’
- Yes or no: are you partial to watching pro baseball teams lip-syncing to millennial anthems?
- And finally, if someone wants to learn how to slickback jubi slide, how do they begin?
If you’re on TikTok, you’re smiling already. If not, here’s the twist: most of the people laughing along are older Gen Z and millennials. The same people writing briefs, signing POs, and making purchase decisions.
I’ll shout it from the rooftops – Gen Z are hitting 30, and millennials are 31-45. No matter what you sell, a big slice of your buyer base sits in that band.
If you’re thinking, “I should probably (re)download TikTok and see what the fuss is about,” do it now.
UAE brands who are getting it ‘right’
Not for copy-paste. For mechanics and mindset, here’s a few that do it particularly well:
- FIX Dessert (@fixdessertchocolatier): their entire brand virality has been built off the back of creators obsessing over their product. It’s a global phenomenon they’ve fuelled incredibly well.
- Etihad (@etihad): crew POVs, destination snippets, and behind-the-scenes that feel human, not brochure-ware. A good example of premium with personality.
- Visit Abu Dhabi (@inabudhabi): humorous trend and place-led storytelling with creator energy and quick hooks that reward rewatching. Useful rhythm and framing.
- Sephora Middle East (@sephoramiddleeast): native retail. Try-ons, comparisons, creator takeovers that turn curiosity into basket. Feels very local.
- Yas Island (@yasisland) destination-as-channel with fast hooks and creator energy. Steal: seasonal arcs and experiences told by visitors and talent.
The reality, and why it matters
TikTok is not the most ‘widely used’ platform in the UAE (66 per cent penetration, vs. Instagram’s 81 per cent). It is, however, where millennial attention in the UAE runs deep – and where social media users spend the most time (averaging 25 hours 26 mins a month, vs. 9 hours 17 mins they spend on Instagram).
This. Is. Staggering.
TikTok is now a daily habit for millions. They’re opening the app around 8 times a day, and spending over an hour there. It needs to be treated as a place where people discover, research, ask the comments, and then buy – sometimes in a day, often over weeks through repeated exposure.
Two signals worth knowing. First, independent studies consistently place TikTok at the top for capturing attention, which is why ideas travel here even when budgets are sensible. Second, discovery is real: in a Material study for TikTok, 61 per cent of users say they discover new brands on the platform, 1.5 times other platforms. That matters if your growth relies on 30-45s.
Purchase intent is not guesswork either. Ipsos brand-lift data in the UAE showed more than 10.1 per cent purchase intent from TikTok campaigns, outperforming TV and digital norms in that study. That doesn’t mean “abandon everything else”. It means the channel can pull its weight when planned properly.
Unsurprisingly, seasonality amplifies the effect. During Ramadan, late-night scrolling and shopping spike across METAP, with the UAE seeing a 126 per cent jump in shopping-app installs during Ramadan 2024 versus the annual average. Build your 2026 approach around that cadence now, not in January.
If you’re going to show up, do it right in 2026
If TikTok is the right place for your audience and you’re simply not there yet, get a plan. Bring in someone who actually knows the platform. Then make TikTok content.
Not repurposed reels. Not a cut-down TVC. Native ideas, made for the feed. Keep the guardrails simple:
- Front-load the hook in the first two seconds.
- Caption everything.
- Use trends when they serve your story.
- Protect brand codes but let the tone breathe.
- Test weekly.
- Read comments as research, not noise.
- Try different faces until you find the hosts people return for. If it fits, go on camera yourself. If it doesn’t, don’t force it. The community rewards honesty.
And know, you don’t have to run a full organic account on day one. If Instagram or even LinkedIn is your hero and performing, keep it strong. Use TikTok smartly around it.
The brands that make TikTok work here usually pair a capable strategist – someone who can set objectives and measurement – with creators who carry the story on camera. Right brief, right faces and right rhythm.
Understanding the community and what works for attention
People like people. That’s the unlock.
Creator-led stories. Real faces beat faceless brand assets.
Short video and carousels. Both formats matter here, built natively.
Series over singles. A recurring hook saves time and builds memory.
Show the thing. Products, processes, people, behind-the-scenes.
Utility or unwind. Teach me a trick, or let me switch off for 30–90 seconds.
TikTok is the place to sound like you. Not like your category. Decide the three feelings you want people to leave with after every clip, then make everything ladder to that. Keep your visual codes, let humans carry them. Pick one or two consistent hosts / themes / series. Speak like a person. Be warm, be clear, and be honest. That’s how recall is built.
Be proudly local. People champion homegrown brands here. But remember, the feed travels. Frame stories so they make sense to someone in the UAE and to someone who’s never been. Use references that travel, explain the ones that don’t, and let the product or service be the universal language.
And remember the commercial bit. TikTok is where a lot of people start (and end) their shopping journey now. The platform’s own studies, and independent ones, point to stronger brand discovery and shorter paths to purchase compared with other channels. Plan for that. Measure it.
How to plan TikTok for 2026
Design for discovery, not display. People research in the feed. Build FAQs, comparisons, demos. Remember the 61 per cent brand-discovery stat.
Strategy first, then faces. A strategist sets the system, creators carry it. Think series, not one-offs.
Own the moments. Map UAE windows that matter and lock Ramadan early. The 126 per cent Ramadan lift in shopping-app installs shows why timing wins.
Prove it, don’t just report it. Agree TikTok’s role in your funnel, then show lift, incremental reach, and assisted conversions.
Be native to be noticed. Hook in the first two seconds, human hosts, bilingual where useful. No recycled reels.
Be happy with a slow burn and moments of madness. It might take a while to get the page growing, or you might hit the jackpot and get more than a million viral piece of content overnight … the former is more likely than the latter. Keep the energy and commitment and don’t give up.
By Ailidh Smylie, Head of Social and Digital at The Brill Collective
