TikTok Symphony Digital Avatars — officially announced at Cannes Lions 2024, now available globally.
Brands looking to connect with global audiences now have a powerful AI tool at hand. TikTok Symphony Digital Avatars let you create lifelike, talking presenters who can speak over 30 languages — all without hiring actors or filming a single scene.
If you want to run multilingual ad campaigns that feel personal and authentic, Symphony avatars are built exactly for that. You write a script. You pick an avatar. You get a ready-to-publish video in minutes. It is that simple.
So how does it all work? And how can you use it to grow your brand globally? Here is everything you need to know.
Previously, reaching audiences in multiple languages required separate production budgets, local filming crews, professional voice artists, and weeks of post-production. With Symphony, a single advertiser can produce 30 localised ad versions from one script — in the same afternoon. The competitive gap between global brands and small advertisers just closed.
1. What Are TikTok Symphony Digital Avatars? 🤖
TikTok Symphony Creative Suite — the AI-powered platform behind Digital Avatars, AI Dubbing, and video generation.
TikTok Symphony is a creative AI suite designed for marketers and content creators. One standout feature is Symphony Digital Avatars — realistic, AI-driven characters that deliver your script on camera with natural gestures and expressions.
You can think of avatars as virtual spokespersons for your brand. They look and sound like real people. They move naturally. And they can speak in dozens of languages without any manual dubbing or voice acting.
Symphony Creative Studio is where you build and customise everything. It is free for all logged-in TikTok for Business account holders — no subscription or extra fee required.
Symphony is not just about avatars. The full suite includes AI Video Generation (create ads from product URLs), AI Dubbing (translate existing videos), Creative Insights (AI analysis of top-performing content), and Script Generator. Avatars are the most powerful feature for multilingual campaigns specifically.
2. Stock Avatars vs Custom Avatars: Which One Should You Pick?
TikTok offers two types of avatars. Each serves a different purpose depending on your campaign goals.
- Instant availability — browse and select immediately
- 30+ languages supported out of the box
- Filter by gender, age, nationality, clothing style
- Best for: quick campaigns, product demos, A/B testing
- Setup time: zero — available immediately
- Full likeness of a real person with AI training
- 30+ languages — your face, any language
- Brand consistency across all markets
- Best for: long-term campaigns, creator deals
- Setup time: 1–2 business days (identity verification required)
📊 Stock vs Custom Avatars — Full Feature Comparison
| Feature | Stock Avatars | Custom Avatars |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Instant — browse & select immediately | 1–2 business days (identity verification) |
| Languages Supported | 30+ languages out of the box | 30+ languages with your own face & voice |
| Customisation | Filter by gender, age, nationality, style | Full likeness — exact appearance of a real person |
| Brand Consistency | Moderate — shared library | Maximum — exclusive to your brand |
| Best Use Cases | Quick campaigns, product demos, A/B testing, new markets | Long-term campaigns, creator partnerships, brand ambassadors |
| Setup Time | Zero — available immediately | 1–2 business days for approval |
| Identity Verification | Not required | Required (consent form + video footage) |
| Cost | Included in TikTok For Business account (free) | Included once approved (no extra fee) |
| Ideal Campaign Stage | Testing & discovery | Scaling & brand building |
Start with stock avatars to test your multilingual creative strategy quickly. Once you find a concept that converts, invest in a custom avatar to build a recognisable brand face across all global markets. Many advertisers run both simultaneously — stock for testing, custom for brand campaigns.
Cannes Lions 2024: TikTok officially unveiled Symphony Digital Avatars for brands and creators — Ad Age.
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New TikTok advertisers get up to $6,000 in free ad credits. Use them to fund your first Symphony Avatar campaign across multiple markets.
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3. How to Create Avatar Videos in Symphony Creative Studio
Symphony Creative Studio — the browser-based tool where you build, customise, and export avatar videos.
Setting up your first AI-powered digital avatar video takes just a few steps. Here is a complete walkthrough based on TikTok's official process:
Official TikTok Symphony overview — how to use AI avatars and creative tools for ads.
TikTok introduces Symphony Digital Avatars — AI dubbing tools that localise videos without re-filming. Source: AiNews.com
4. How AI Dubbing Supercharges Multilingual Video Content 🌍
TikTok Symphony AI Dubbing — automatically translate and dub your existing videos into 10+ languages.
One major advantage of Symphony avatars is AI-powered language translation and dubbing. You do not need to re-record or hire voice actors for each market. TikTok handles it automatically.
Here is how the AI dubbing tool works step by step:
Germany-based agency VOGGSMEDIA used the video translation tool to convert top English ads into Spanish. Results were striking: conversions doubled and cost per acquisition dropped by 50% — without any additional filming. The only change was the language of the video.
TikTok's AI-powered digital avatars and language tools — a breakdown of the full Symphony suite. Source: Sage Marketer
5. Supported Languages for Symphony Avatars
TikTok Symphony avatars support over 30 languages, making them ideal for truly global marketing campaigns. Below are key languages currently available:
AI Dubbing currently supports 10+ languages and dialects, with TikTok expanding both avatar voice and dubbing language options regularly. Check Symphony Creative Studio for the latest supported language list — new languages are added quarterly.
TikTok expands Symphony Ad Suite with Digital Avatars and AI dubbing across global markets. Source: MediaPost
6. Real Campaign Results That Prove It Works 📊
Numbers speak louder than promises. Here are real brand results from using TikTok Symphony Digital Avatars:
Vodafone used stock avatars for ongoing performance campaigns across multiple markets. By replacing traditional branded assets with Symphony avatar videos, they achieved significantly lower acquisition costs while maintaining reach and brand consistency at scale.
Meoky, a US-based drinkware brand, used Symphony's AI Video Generation tool to create ad videos directly from product URLs — no human filming required. The AI analysed product pages and generated native-feeling TikTok ad content automatically, which they then enhanced with avatar voiceovers.
VOGGSMEDIA used TikTok's AI video translation tool to convert their clients' top-performing English ads into Spanish without re-filming. They simply uploaded existing English video ads, selected Spanish as the target language, and exported the dubbed versions. The results outperformed the original English creatives in the Spanish market.
Studies show that using 5–7 creative assets with weekly refreshes leads to a 1.5x increase in ROAS for performance campaigns. Symphony makes producing that volume of localised video content far more practical — what used to take a week of production can now happen in a single afternoon.
TikTok ads set to be filled with AI-generated video via Symphony — reducing production costs for global advertisers. Source: Marketing4eCommerce
7. Why Symphony Avatars Are Perfect for Global Ad Scaling 🚀
Reaching a global audience used to mean expensive production budgets, multiple film crews, and weeks of editing. Symphony changes that equation entirely.
Scale Globally — Start with FREE TikTok Ad Credits
New TikTok For Business advertisers get up to $6,000 in free ad credits. Start building multilingual Symphony campaigns today.
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8. Symphony AI Avatars vs Traditional Video Production
| Factor | Traditional Production | Symphony AI Avatars |
|---|---|---|
| Time to first video | 1–4 weeks (casting, filming, editing) | Minutes — same session |
| Cost per language version | $500–$5,000+ (actors, studio, dubbing) | $0 extra — all included |
| Number of languages | Limited by budget (1–3 typical) | 30+ from one script |
| Creative refresh speed | Days to weeks per iteration | Hours — immediate |
| Brand consistency | Varies by crew and location | Identical across all markets |
| Lip-sync accuracy | N/A — filmed in native language | AI-generated, natural movement |
| A/B testing volume | Expensive — 5+ versions is rare | 5–10+ versions per session, easy |
| Minimum viable budget | High — requires full crew | Free with TikTok Biz account |
| AI-labelled content | Not required | Required by TikTok policy |
9. Getting Started: Your Pre-Launch Checklist ✅
Before launching your first multilingual TikTok ad campaign using Symphony avatars, make sure you have covered these essentials:
- Create a TikTok for Business account — free at ads.tiktok.com. This is your access point to Symphony Creative Studio.
- Access Symphony Creative Studio on desktop — navigate to Creative Tools → Symphony Creative Studio after login.
- Write your ad script — keep it under 60 seconds, conversational in tone, and clear about the call to action. Write it in your primary language first.
- Identify your target languages — prioritise 3–5 languages for your first round of multilingual campaigns based on market size and opportunity.
- Prepare brand assets — logos, product images, background clips, and brand colours ready for upload into the editor.
- Set up TikTok Pixel for each target market — you'll need separate pixel events to measure conversions by language/region accurately.
- For custom avatars — allow 1–2 business days for identity verification processing. Submit your spokesperson's video footage for AI training.
- Plan creative refreshes weekly — produce 5–7 variants per language to hit the creative rotation sweet spot for maximum ROAS.
- Review TikTok's AI content policies — all Symphony-generated content must carry the AI label. Ensure your legal and compliance team is aware.
10. See Symphony Avatars in Action
Watch how TikTok's Symphony AI suite creates multilingual ad content — from script to finished video in minutes:
TikTok Symphony AI tools in action — digital avatars, video generation, and creative suite walkthrough.
Build Your Global TikTok Presence — Starting Now
You now have everything to launch multilingual TikTok ad campaigns using Symphony Digital Avatars. Plus, as a new TikTok For Business advertiser, you can claim up to $6,000 in FREE ad credits to fund your global campaign rollout.
Official TikTok For Business promotion · New advertisers only · Auto-activates at sign-up