Available in more than 150 markets in 75 languages, and with over a billion users, no video app is on more mobile devices worldwide. For the third year running, TikTok took the accolade of being the world’s most downloaded app with 642 million* downloads in 2022.

Given the sheer scale and ability to reach this actively engaged community, it’s no surprise that TikTok is a place where brands are desperately hungry to be. WARC upgraded its 2023 ad spend forecast for TikTok by almost $2bn to $15.2bn, noting that 75% of marketers plan to increase their activity on the platform (that equates to a 52% increase in ad revenue over 2022!)

TikTok is all about joyful, fun, entertaining, personally resonant, and meaningful experiences. The ‘For you’ feed is designed to ensure that the stream of content people see delivers a particularly enjoyable and emotionally engaging experience, tapping into their interests and other content they’ve enjoyed, so people see more of what they love. When content doesn’t give an instant hit of entertainment, meaningful emotional connection or an immediate joyful high – those thumbs go into action, and it gets scrolled past in nano seconds! 

No surprise then that advertising which feels like an unwelcome disruption to this joyful experience will instantly be scrolled past. Creating content that is synonymous with the kind of experience that people are seeking and expecting on TikTok is therefore an imperative. We must also not lose sight of the fact that we are creating advertising, with a commercial and strategic goal in mind, a task at hand that the advertising needs to deliver.

Marketers are more likely to take a risk and gamble with the effectiveness of their digital content, but this comes with risks. The stakes may feel lower, especially in terms of time and cost investment and the ability to quickly change course, but Kantar evidence shows that digital content can damage what people think and feel about your brand as well as their likelihood to purchase. Is this a gamble that you’re willing to take? 

To seize the opportunity, you therefore need to know how to crack the creative code and develop TikTok ads that not only stop the scroll but go beyond entertainment and deliver the results you want. Join us as we reveal six tips for success. 

Lynne Deason, Head of Creative Excellence at Kantar and Matt Rooney, Head of Measurement (UK) at TikTok will be revealing the 6 key themes to leverage TikTok’s marketing effectiveness potential at MAD//Fest London at the Kantar Marketplace keynote session on 5th July at 11:20am on the Hexagon stage.