Decided you want to delve into the world of TikTok, but you’re not sure where to begin? Have no fear, advertising is a great place to start. These are the 4 most common TikTok advertising formats available, each with a case study example.

Hashtag advertising

This is where brands create custom challenges under a hashtag. These challenges usually have a unique sound that users can overlay onto their own videos. Brands can pay to sponsor a hashtag on Tiktok which would be then displayed on the discover page, to gain more exposure.

• • Fashion site Zalora launched their #ZStyleNow TikTok campaign in Sep 2019, in which they asked users to show as many different styles as possible in a minute whilst using the Z symbol
  • Zalora’s #ZstyleNow campaign garnered more than 1 million views, 62,000 responses and 1,100 downloads of their app (TikTok)

    
    

In-feed advertising

This is the most disruptive form of advertising on the app, since it inserts itself between the user and the content they are trying to watch. These full-screen ads appear as users are swiping between TikTok video posts.

• • Nike used in-feed advertising to generate awareness for their release of a new football boot
  • They teamed up with Nike endorsed athlete Kevin De Bruyne, who joined forces with TikTok creator @ben, who had 2.2 million followers, who directed and kick-started the campaign
  • This In-feed ad generated 315 million views and 46 million interactions all whilst increasing Nike’s TikTok following by 215,000 in just 6 days(TikTok)
  • The ad is unmistakably organic and native and feels perfectly at home within TikTok

    @nike

    Sometimes Kevin just has to assist De Bruyne #MagicBoots 🤩

    ♬ “WOAH!” – Cashino

    Top-view advertising

    Top view campaigns takeover the screen for the first 3 seconds when you open the app, after this they appear in feed, and the user can visit their site.

    • • eBay used interesting copy and creative to highlight how the site aids small businesses, promoting their #strongerasone campaign
      • This ad played every single time the app was opened around the world for 24 hours on the 17th May 2020
      • eBay’s top view campaign performed incredibly well…they garnered nearly 18 million impressions, a CTR of 17.82%, and this brought viewers to a landing page where they learned more about their #strongerasone campaign (TikTok)

        
        

    Branded lenses or effect

    TikTok have utilised augmented reality to implement branded filters, objects and environments for users to play and create videos. This is similar to something that can be seen on other camera-heavy platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. Branded lenses can be used alongside other ad formats to really drive home awareness and engagement. Everyone can share their input and get involved.

    • • Coca-Cola Vietnam launched a campaign using this Augmented Reality (AR) alongside a hashtag campaign. They used a lens that showed the user being low on energy and their battery is flat, but once they drink the AR Coca Cola their battery fills up and they are full of energy
      • This Lens campaign also used a hashtag challenge and garnered over 31 million views in its first week! (Lenslist)

        
        

    Why should you be excited?

    TikTok is a new & exciting source of content & engagement that presents an unbelievable opportunity to reach a wider, younger audience, increase brand awareness whilst lowering your media costs over platforms such as Instagram. If creating native content seems too daunting, then influencer strategies are a very viable way of bridging the gap between media and brand. This is a great way of getting eyes on your campaign, whilst increasing the odds of integrating immediately into the community.

    Creativity is key to branching out into TikTok. Content must feel at home, or it will be ignored and simply scrolled past. For this reason, content that has been created for Instagram or other social media platforms shouldn’t just be reused or repurposed. Our tip? Don’t take yourself too seriously, have fun with it! Today, TikTok is a playful and creative platform, compared with increasingly more politicised apps like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

    TikTok is a versatile platform, with many small, but different, communities within the app. The ‘For You’ page is custom and unique for every user, which means that the ability to target audiences through their different advertising formats can be implemented many different ways, depending on the campaign TikTok content marketing tips here.

    If your target market is aged between under 21, then this is a platform that you can’t afford to not include in your marketing mix. If you need help with your TikTok marketing efforts, speak to an expert today.