It’s easy to think that social content is the byproduct of human creativity and spontaneity, with viral videos seeming to emerge out of nowhere. But in reality, there’s usually a more deliberate and strategic process happening behind closed doors.

While creativity is important, the success of viral content is often influenced by a collection of tools, strategies, and technology working quietly in the background.

What’s more, the tools that were once reserved for a select few skilled in video editing, data analytics, and marketing strategy are now available to anyone with a smartphone and some spare time. In the case of Ocean Engine and Douyin, this democratization of creativity is driven by artificial intelligence.

To understand the scope of this shift, we need to consider what’s happening behind the scenes of a successful Douyin ad campaign. AI-powered tools like Jianying, AI Creative, Ocean Engine Creative, AIGC Stickers, and Shopping Ads AI Assistant are doing more than just automating tasks—they’re changing the way brands and creators think about creativity and the creative process.

What does this mean for businesses, marketers, and creators? To answer this crucial question, let’s take a closer look at how these new AI-powered content creation tools can help with your own content creation pipeline.

The age of algorithmic content creation

A key piece of the new AI content transformation is Ocean Engine Creative, an AI-driven platform that is reshaping how brands think about their content strategies on Douyin. Ocean Engine Creative is more than just an analytics tool; it’s an intelligent partner for creative decision-making.

Gone are the days when a marketing team would launch ads and hope for the best. Instead, Ocean Engine Creative leverages machine learning to analyze vast amounts of data—user behavior, trending content, engagement patterns—to help advertisers craft highly-targeted, compelling content that speaks directly to the audience they want to reach.

Think about the old paradigm of advertising, where you would pour over reports, hypothesize about customer segments, and slowly adjust your creative approach over time. With Ocean Engine Creative, this is all happening in real time. The platform can instantly test and optimize creative elements, allowing brands to quickly understand what works—and, more importantly, what doesn’t.

This agility is a game-changer. Instead of waiting weeks or months to see if a campaign is resonating, brands now have the ability to make decisions on the fly, adapting their creative strategies with absolute precision.

Jianying: AI content for brands and creators

Next, we have Jianying, Douyin’s native video editing tool. In a world where content needs to be fresh, authentic, and dynamic, Jianying is helping creators and brands keep pace with the ever-changing demands of social media.

What’s unique about Jianying is how it works with the creator. It doesn’t just take raw footage and slap on some effects. Instead, it understands the context of the video—whether it’s an ad, a product demo, or a viral challenge—and suggests edits based on what is most likely to engage the target audience.

The AI identifies patterns in viewer behavior, providing creators with insights on which types of effects, transitions, and music combinations are currently trending. This makes Jianying a “co-pilot” in the creative process, making suggestions but leaving the final vision in the hands of the creator.

For brands and creators, this means that the barrier to high-quality, engaging content has dropped dramatically. Using Jianying, anyone can produce professional-grade content at a fraction of the time and cost it would take using traditional video production methods.

AI Creative: The power of personalization

While Jianying helps businesses create content, AI Creative takes personalization to an entirely new level.

AI Creative is a tool designed to optimize ad campaigns by tailoring them to individual user preferences. It’s not just about targeting broad demographics anymore. Instead, AI Creative uses deep data analytics to understand how different segments of the audience interact with content—how they engage with certain topics, how they react to specific ad formats, and even how likely they are to convert.

This level of personalization is what’s driving Douyin’s success as a platform across both entertainment and e-commerce. With AI Creative, advertisers can produce hundreds of variations of an ad, each one designed to appeal to specific user segments. As these ads are deployed, the AI continuously learns and adapts, ensuring that future ads are even more effective.

Imagine an ad for a luxury handbag. A traditional ad might target women between the ages of 25-40, with a certain income level. But AI Creative goes beyond that. It takes into account an individual’s browsing history, past interactions with similar products, and engagement with other types of content. The result is an ad that feels personal—an ad that speaks directly to the viewer’s tastes, interests, and desires. It’s not just about selling a product anymore; it’s about creating a tailored experience that feels personal.

AI-Generated Content (AIGC) Stickers: Elevate digital creativity

In 2023, AIGC (AI-Generated Content) special effects made it to the fourth spot on the “Top 10 Special Effects Hot Spots List,” underlining its growing influence in digital content and marketing.

AIGC special effects go beyond aesthetics—they create a new dimension of engagement by blending technology with storytelling. For Gen Z, a demographic that thrives on digital interactivity, this type of content feels intuitive and compelling. Whether through AI-generated filters, dynamic 3D effects, or real-time augmented reality (AR) elements, brands can captivate audiences in a way that feels personal and participatory.

AIGC Stickers are available through Ocean Engine, offering a range of AI-generated special effects, allowing users to modify their appearance, age, or gender in images and videos. It also includes AI-powered filters and creative effects tailored for major events such as Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, the Olympics, and graduation. These features are particularly beneficial for industries like beauty, gaming, and interactive marketing, helping brands and creators produce engaging and personalized content.

For marketing and branding, the product also allows brands to customize AI-generated effects with their logos, colors, and themes. Brands can also encourage user-generated content by hosting challenges and competitions, fostering greater audience participation.

Shopping Ads AI Assistant: The future of e-commerce on Douyin

Finally, there’s the Shopping Ads AI Assistant, a tool designed to make e-commerce as seamless and intuitive as possible. With the Shopping Ads AI Assistant, brands can automate and optimize their e-commerce ads in a way that’s personalized, contextual, and integrated into the content users are already enjoying.

The AI assistant doesn’t just create ads—it understands the shopping journey. It knows when a user is in the consideration phase, when they’re ready to buy, and even when they’re likely to abandon their cart. By analyzing user behavior and intent, the AI assistant generates personalized ads that appear at precisely the right moment in the customer journey. Whether it’s a product demo, a flash sale, or a limited-time offer, the AI assistant makes sure the ad is optimized for maximum impact.

For brands, this is a massive opportunity. They no longer need to rely on broad ad campaigns that try to reach everyone. Instead, they can use AI to create hyper-targeted ads that convert views into purchases. The best part? All of this is happening in real-time. The AI assistant learns from every interaction, fine-tuning future ads to be even more effective.

A new era of creativity and commerce

Douyin, Jianying, AI Creative, Ocean Engine Creative, AIGC Stickets, and the Shopping Ads AI Assistant are shifting the boundaries of content creation and advertising. They’re blurring the lines between creator and consumer, between entertainment and commerce, and between creativity and optimization.

At the core of this transformation is the recognition that AI is not just about making things more efficient—it’s about enhancing human creativity. It’s about empowering creators, advertisers, and businesses to connect with audiences in ways that feel more personal, more relevant, and more authentic.

We’re also moving into a world where creativity is no longer just a product of human ingenuity; it’s the result of a partnership between humans and machines. In a world where content is king, the real winners will be those who understand how to use AI to enhance their creative process, not replace it.

For direct assistance, including more information about specific content creation tools, please contact us directly via the Contact Us form on our website.

For further insights on Douyin content creation tools, check out our deep dive into the video editing app Jianying.