What makes Tik Tok ads tick

TikTok: it’s on the top of our minds and at the tip of our fingers daily, but its content is different than traditional video formats, and we as advertisers must adapt. But first we need to understand how consumers make decisions. To help us out, Pranav Yadav, US and Europe CEO of a Neuro-Insight, and Jorge Ruiz, Global Head of Marketing Science at Tiktok, explored exactly “What Makes TikTok Ads, Tick” here at SXSW 2022. 

If you asked someone why they raised their left hand instead of their right, or why they walked up 2nd Ave instead of 3rd, they probably wouldn’t have a good answer. That’s because “90% of decision making takes place in the subconscious,” Yadav explained. As a result, this means that something must be committed to long-term memory to truly impact behavior. 

Yadav went on to further explain how those “memories are created to inform future behavior,” as oftentimes we may not remember all of our experiences clearly or correctly, but those experiences still give us a guide of how to act in the future. So what does this mean for marketers? The key is pairing a memorable story with good branding. Based on his work at Neuro-Insight, Yadav has discovered that within a 30-second spot, 27 seconds of great storytelling + 3 seconds of great branding = an ideal mix to drive curiosity and ensure consumers are encoding your content to memory.  

Because the TikTok algorithm curates your “For You Page” tailored to your interests, a leaned-in response is more common compared to other social platforms, and ads are breaking through at a higher rate than their digital video counterparts. As such, Ruiz continued to explain how TikTok has an opportunity to enhance cross-platform strategies and prime a more effective media mix. But how?

1. “Don’t make ads, make TikToks” is a simple way of saying that using platform specific creative is most beneficial 
2. Although there are use cases for low density information ads, they have found that ads with high density (e.g. fast music, more movement, text overlays, etc) are more memorable
3. Where along their journey your consumer experiences your TikTok ad can help achieve your specific objectives. For example, if you’re looking to drive upper funnel metrics, TikTok priming TV may be your best bet, but if you’re trying to drive consumers to convert, TV priming TikTok may help get the job done. 

We’ve established TikTok is valuable, and we’ve explored how to maximize investment on the platform via neuro-lead creative insights, but what we haven’t covered is how to know if TikTok is right for every brand. As someone who consumes TikToks at a rate I won’t mention here, I can say creators have truly made a space for any and every topic. That being said, TikTok is worthwhile to consider, but keep in mind your audience's media consumption habits, and always test for your specific brand. 

_{Written by Megan Bradley, Manager, Strategic Planning, Mindshare USA}