A marketer’s guide preview only
Join the new global tastemaker
TikTok is the new global tastemaker where trends like #PickleJuice, #GirlDinner and #CucumberSalad shape consumer choices in real time: look at Heinz’s #VodkaPasta sauce, which flew off the UK shelves, or Lindt, whose sell-out version of #DubaiChocolate had shoppers racing to stores. This demonstrates how access to TikTok’s content-hungry audience
72%
provides brands with an opportunity to go beyond visibility and seamlessly integrate into everyday moments – driving discovery, shaping preferences and turning engagement into sales. Whether it’s launching a new product, showcasing recipes or sparking the next food craze, the potential for influence is enormous on TikTok.
63% of TikTok users discovered new food & beverage products on TikTok that they weren’t previously aware of.[2]
34%
of users bought a product related to the food & beverage category after seeing it on TikTok.[2] of TikTok snackers say they try new products or brands more often since joining TikTok.[1]
But how brands show up and – more importantly – stand out is key. In this playbook, we’ll outline three core strategies you can implement to harness the organic behaviour that’s already fueling TikTok and its foodies. It’s the recipe for success you’ve been waiting for. Tuck in…
Your full-funnel strategy starts here
Whether you want to influence and connect with a global audience or create opportunities to promote new flavours, products and recipes at scale, TikTok has a strategy for every brand goal. First things first, to ensure a successful campaign on TikTok, you need to consider these three key elements.
1. Mindset
Test, measure, learn, iterate. With TikTok’s suite of holistic measurement solutions, you can uncover valuable insights to identify the most effective strategies, and fuel business growth.
2. Creative
Great creative drives attention. Attention drives results. And on TikTok, creativity is your greatest strength. From ideation to execution, TikTok’s creative tools can help you to achieve effective creative, efficiently
3. Bundling
Leverage multiple solutions to make them more effective. We’ve found that bundling In-Feed Ads with 2x high-impact format* solutions leads to:
Strategy 1:
Generating new product buzz and excitement
As a proven driver of new product launch success – food & beverage brands see 1.5x higher ROAS on TikTok vs total media [4] –TikTok is an ideal partner when launching new products. Its environment of collaborative discovery empowers consumers to curate their experiences and strengthens community bonds through shared tastes, turning the thrill of discovery into a daily celebration. Here’s how we suggest structuring a new product launch campaign.
Key Pre-seed
Build curiosity and start to gain share of mind
Launch
Drive awareness and maximise key-day reach
Phasing
Post
Sustain momentum and drive purchase intent
30% of Budget (Upper-Funnel)
50% of Budget (Upper & Mid-Funnel)
20% of Budget (Upper 10%; Mid/Low-Funnel 10%)
Budget allocations Solutions
50% of Budget (Upper 15%; Mid/Low-Funnel 35%) Without data connections
20% of Budget (Upper-Funnel)
30% of Budget (Upper & Mid-Funnel)
Tried & True Tactics
R&F Standard Feed, using Target Frequency Auction, Reach TopView
Auction, 6s/15s Focused View TopView
Auction, Reach (w/ Carousel format)
Web Traffic - LPV
Experimental Boosts
Pulse
Auction, 6s/15s Focused View
Auction, Reach Web Traffic - LPV
TikTok Shop Ads
Smart+ Web Catalog Ads Campaign
Branded Mission
Branded Mission Smart+ Web - Search Ads
Web Traffic - Search Ads Campaign
Measurement
Nielsen Catalina Solutions (Circana) Sales Lift Study
Brand Lift Study measuring Awareness KPI
Find the format
Try these formats to boost your campaign strategy:
Pulse
Join in on the magic of the For You feed with contextual, brand-suitable ad placements next to the top 4% of trending content that shapes culture.
intent to purchase from users exposed to spark ads, compared to non-spark ads.[5]
Get a taste of success
Snack brand Jumpers used Spark Ads to boost brand awareness and consideration, achieving:
23.3M impressions
7M views
+12PP increase in brand awareness
+6PP increase in consideration among 18-34-year-olds
Strategy 2:
Growing market share
By reaching a broader audience on TikTok, food & beverage brands can effectively grow market share and stand out to valuable customers and communities. To do this, brands should implement a full-funnel TikTok strategy, which not only drives brand discovery but also builds habitual usage and preference, thereby increasing market penetration and customer loyalty.
Here’s how we suggest structuring a campaign to grow market share.
Pre-seed
Excite
Message Wear-in
Reinforce messages with lookalike audiences and drive sales Key
Drive and sustain awareness
Sustain momentum and build purchase intent
12+ weeks
Budget allocations
Without data connections
40% of Budget (Upper-Funnel)
60% of Budget (Upper & Mid-Funnel)
Solutions
Tried & True Tactics
Pulse [Max & Lineups]
Experimental Boosts
R&F TopFeed
Conversion Lift Study
With data connections
40% of Budget (Upper-Funnel)
60% of Budget (Upper/Mid 30%; Lower 30%)
R&F Standard Feed, using Target Frequency Auction, 6s Focused View
Web Traffic - LPV
Web Conversions - Search Ads Campaign
% HH Penetration via Circana, Nielsen Catalina Solutions with an Only-Only-And Decomp And Conversion Lift Study
Find the format
Try these formats to boost your campaign strategy:
Sales lift study
Measure your TikTok sales outcomes and deliver stronger strategies with our sales measurement solution with LiveRamp.
Get a taste of success
Coca-Cola wanted to measure the sales increase, both online and in-person, after customers saw its ad campaign on TikTok. Its Sales Lift Study surpassed benchmarks, revealing:
7.88%
lift in spend
€11.37 return on ad spend
Timings
Pre-seed/Tease
Build curiosity and start to gain share of mind
Post
Sustain momentum and build purchase intent
50% of Budget (Upper-Funnel)
Budget allocations Solutions
Tried & True Tactics
R&F Top Feed
50% of Budget (Upper & Mid-Funnel)
Pulse Auction, Reach Auction, 6s Focused View Branded Mission
Measurement
Brand Lift Study (Multi-Cell)
Nielsen / Kantar Brand Equity Lift
Find the format
Try these formats to boost your campaign strategy:
TikTok & TV
Combine TikTok with TV for the perfect complement to your TV campaign.
Get a taste of success
To drive awareness and consideration of its products among consumers in Germany, Alpro leveraged a smart bundling approach on TikTok, which perfectly complemented its TV campaign and drove:
36%
13%
6.9%
(with 10% of media budget)
Let’s talk trends
KFC’s award-winning ‘Oil up’ campaign reached 2.3M unique users
Why it worked
Post-launch teaser films helped build anticipation and buzz
Tapped into platform users’ online language, habits and interests
Encouraged comments and shares among fans
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Sources
1. TikTok Marketing Science Global Snacking Survey via Suzy, February 2023. Base: TikTok Weekly Users 18+ who purchased snack products in the P3M
2. TikTok Marketing Science EUI TikTok for Full Funnel Research 2023 conducted by Material
3. TikTok Internal Data EUI BLS Analysis Q1 2023-Q3 2024
4. A custom analysis of Nielsen Compass benchmarks based on MMM studies delivered to advertisers in the US in 2021
through 2023 that reported ROAS and Effectiveness for TikTok media, Total Media across all other digital and linear media channels, and Digital Media average across all publishers within CPG, Food & Beverages, Personal Care and Beauty categories.
5. TikTok NA Power Slides analysis, 2021 - 2023. n=5381
6. Kantar’s global LIFT + (CrossMedia) database, 2019-2023 based on 873 global campaigns
