Roots

I've been thinking a lot about this headline amid the ongoing TikTok US saga.

For me, a business at it's best is true to its roots. Just consider:

- Apple: Designed in California
- BMW: Badge features Bavarian flag
- Nike: Worldwide HQ still in Portland Oregon
- Louis Vuitton: Still calls stores 'Maisons'

And so on.

The best brands not only don't hide their heritage, they actively promote it.

Which brings us back to TikTok.

Phenominal success as it is, the idea it's a Singapore company at this stage is almost farcical.

TikTok was made in Haidian Beijing.

A place famous for its Summer Palace, an imperial retreat with classical gardens, a vast lake crossed by arched bridges, and pavilions on forested Longevity Hill.

For political reasons and financial ones i.e, 30% of TikTok's global revenue comes from the US, they don't talk about that much.

But imagine they did.

For me, it is a far more powerful story.

Brands shouldn't hide their history; they should celebrate it.