TikTok’s “Out of Phone” initiative just got a real-world boost. The short-form video giant has partnered with Rockbot, a leader in digital out-of-home (DOOH) streaming for brick-and-mortar spaces, to bring TikTok content directly to TV screens in gyms, restaurants, airports, and retail stores across the U.S.
The result? A fusion of digital culture and physical space, giving brands, creators, and consumers a new way to interact—in real time, in real life.
From Scroll to Store: TikTok Enters the Physical World
This collaboration extends TikTok’s mission of reshaping content engagement beyond personal devices and into the environments where people shop, work out, dine, and travel. By partnering with Rockbot, TikTok content will now stream across thousands of ad-supported, high-traffic screens, transforming ordinary moments into social content experiences.
“Rockbot’s partnership with TikTok unlocks a whole new category of influencer-driven content in retail spaces,” said Garrett Dodge, CEO of Rockbot. “We’re bringing TikTok videos into public venues, giving businesses a new way to entertain and engage visitors, while brands benefit from expanded reach.”
A New Chapter in Retail Media Innovation
At the heart of this partnership is a shift in how marketers and retailers think about in-store media. TikTok videos—already proven to drive product virality and social buzz—will now enhance dwell time and discovery inside real-world environments.
This opens up a fresh media frontier where user-generated content meets retail media networks. Through Rockbot Advertising, brands can now align their campaigns with curated TikTok clips, weaving branded storytelling into the customer journey as it happens.
Why This Move Matters
- Extends TikTok’s reach beyond mobile, tapping into the growing DOOH market.
- Gives brands new omnichannel muscle, blending social media influence with in-store presence.
- Transforms public screens into dynamic storytelling tools—not just menu boards or waiting room loops.
- Enables contextual advertising aligned with TikTok creator content.
It also signals a broader trend: as first-party data becomes scarcer and audience attention more fragmented, brands are leaning into physical-digital hybrids to make advertising more relevant and less interruptive.
This is especially critical for retailers looking to build next-gen commerce media networks, where content, entertainment, and shopper engagement converge.
TikTok, IRL
From viral dances to product reviews, TikTok is now stepping into a new retail media category where influencer content meets foot traffic. Whether you’re buying sneakers or grabbing a smoothie, you might now catch the latest creator trend on-screen—powered by Rockbot and curated for the moment.
For brands and marketers, the TikTok x Rockbot partnership is less about interrupting the consumer journey and more about embedding into it—turning passive wait times into moments of discovery.
