20th May 2022
POV: TikTok’s ‘Branded Mission’ Ad Product
Background:
TikTok is launching a new ad product called ‘Branded Mission’ that will enable brands to crowdsource content from creators and turn top-performing videos into ads.
Details and Implications:
According to TikTok: “Branded Mission is an industry-first ad solution that enables advertisers to crowdsource authentic content from creators on TikTok, turn top-performing videos into ads, and improve brand affinity with media impressions.”
The solution will enable brands to develop a brief and release it to the creator community to participate in a Branded Mission. TikTok creators then can decide what Branded Missions they are inspired by and choose to participate in those Missions. Brands will select their favourite original creative videos and amplify them through promoted ad traffic.
The chosen creators whose videos are selected by brands as ads will also benefit from a cash payment and boosted traffic, though at this point payments will not vary based on the individual video performance. Each mission will list earnings potential based on how much the brand is willing to pay. To be eligible to participate in a Branded Mission, creators must be at least 18 years old with more than 1,000 followers.
Branded Mission is currently in beta testing in more than a dozen markets and TikTok says it will be available in additional markets later this year.
This new offering broadens creative options for brands, and as organic-styled content performs best on the platform, it offers new possibilities for brands looking to tap into TikTok audiences and to discover emerging creators on the platform.
Earlier this month TikTok also introduced TikTok Pulse, a new contextual advertising option that enables advertisers to place their brand next to the top performing content in the ‘For You’ feed.
Pulse offers 12 categories to choose from and TikTok says its proprietary inventory filter ensures that TikTok Pulse ads are running adjacent to verified content with their “highest level of brand suitability”. However, there are also third-party tools available to provide advertisers with the ability to analyse and understand brand suitability, verify viewability and measure the impact of campaigns.
Summary:
TikTok has in excess of one billion monthly active users worldwide and took the top spot for the most downloaded app in the first three months of 2022, beating Instagram and Facebook. TikTok is looking to capitalise on this popularity and find more ways to ensure its top creators get paid to keep them on the app and away from rival platforms as the battle for authentic and popular creators heats up. For brands, more opportunities to harness the rise in short-form video is a good thing, and Branded Missions gives them greater oversight over the content of the videos they will be turning into ads.