Branding on
Why brands thrive on TikTok and how yours can too
Brand building isn’t what it used to be. With more content, more channels and more ads, today’s media fragmentation has made branding more complex – and the battle for attention more competitive. In the scroll economy, consumers are increasingly selective, expecting
With thousands of thriving communities and over a billion users, TikTok is where results in culture unfolds in real time, and where attention turns into brand impact. TikTok ads are ranked #1 for capturing attention, helping grow brand trust by 41%, and can turn product discovery
TikTok moves customers along the entire journey – from the first spark of awareness to deep brand advocacy:2
51%
Awareness
51% of users ranked TikTok the most effective platform for building initial awareness
87 %
Consideration
87% of users take action after seeing a TikTok ad 65%
Conversion
65% are likely to buy a product they previously saw on TikTok
88%
83%
Loyalty
88% of loyal TikTok users try new products from the same brand
Advocacy
83% advocate for the brand within their networks
In this playbook, you’ll learn how to turn these proof points into a winning campaign strategy. Ready to get started?
Mastering the brand basics
5 steps for success
Manifesting success? We love that energy. Building a memorable brand on TikTok takes intention too – and data-backed strategies you can trust. Our Brand Basics are the can’t-miss essentials for getting your brand noticed and remembered on TikTok. Think of this as your brand campaign starter pack – a tried-and-tested guide to help you optimise your strategy until it hits every time.
Campaign length 1
Stay in the game for at least 3 weeks
Trends can spread fast but brand impact takes time. Keep your TikTok campaign live for at least three weeks to let your message land.
Plan for a minimum 3-week flight duration*
Align campaign timing with key business or cultural moments
Monitor performance mid-flight to allow for optimisation
+18.9 %
higher awareness when campaigns running 3+ weeks deliver vs. TikTok Brand Lift norms.1
Show up more than once a week to stay top of mind
Be the friendly face they can’t forget. Aim for an average frequency of 2-3 exposures per user per week to stay top of mind without causing fatigue.* 90 %
Set frequency caps in TikTok Ads Manager
Use varied creatives to keep your message fresh with each exposure
Track frequency alongside reach to ensure balanced delivery
Capture of potential ad recall and awareness lift when your brand shows up 2-3x per week 1
Combine high-impact Premium formats with In-Feed Auction ads
On TikTok, some things just belong together: fit checks and foot pops, Labubus and ‘Pack my bag with me’ videos – and, Premium formats and In-Feed Auction ads. With this dynamic duo, one makes a bold first impression, the other keeps the conversation going.
Use Premium formats to capture mass attention at the start of your campaign
Use standard In-Feed ads (Brand Auction or Reach & Frequency) to maintain presence and build frequency
Choose Premium products that fit your objective, from Branded Mission for participation to Top Feed for prime placement
Bundling Premium and In-Feed ads drives significantly higher results:2
higher ad recall higher awareness + 7.3 % + 3.4 %
Audience Reach 4
Aim to reach 40% of your target audience
To drive real brand lift, you need to reach enough of your audience –and 40% is the magic number.1 Data shows anything less, and you’re leaving impact on the table. This is the minimum threshold required to achieve meaningful brand lift.
Clearly identify your target demographic and interests before launch
Prioritise reach as a key KPI in your campaign setup
Remember that reach works best when combined with the other Brand Basics – especially frequency and creative quantity
Brand lift in practice:2
higher ad recall higher awareness higher intent + 23 % + 21 % + 28 %
Fuel your campaign with a variety of creative
Keep your audience interested by mixing it up – the more creative variety you serve, the fresher your brand presence feels. Kick off your campaign with at least 5 fresh creative assets to dodge ad fatigue and maximise performance.* But quantity is only half the magic – quality is what makes each asset connect with people. On the next page we reveal the 6 creative principles that turn good ideas into show-stoppers.
Campaigns using 5+ creatives see significantly stronger results:3
+ 11.7 % 1.6x + 4.4 %
Nail the Creative Codes
6
principles to help your campaign reach its full creative potential.
1. Think TikTok-first
From shooting tips to hooks that keep your audience engaged, our Creative Codes are your go-to framework for crafting ads that resonate with TikTok users. We dived into the data to surface these proven principles to help you create content that feels fresh and delivers results.
TikTok is where being authentic wins. “TikTokfirst” means creating content that feels at home on a platform where lo-fi videos and real-life stories thrive. Teaming up with creators is a perfect way to nail this vibe and can boost your ad recall by 27%.1
2. Stick to a structure
Not sure where to start? Stick to our tried-and-true structure: Nail a bold hook and clear branding in the first 2 seconds, then finish strong with a call-toaction that tells people exactly what to do next.
27 %
3. Connect with trends
Jump on trending formats, sounds and challenges while they’re hot. Aligning with what’s current can supercharge watch time – driving up to 1.5x more 5-second views.2 For inspo that’s fresh off the FYP, check out our Trends Digest social series on LinkedIn or dive into the TikTok Creative Center for real-time ideas.
4. Hold attention with stimulation
Keep people watching with dynamic triggers like text, transitions and quick cuts. For text overlays, 5-10 words per second can deliver a 2.1x lift in awareness.3 And for opening scenes, one cut per second keeps eyes locked in and boosts watch time by up to 1.5×.4
1.5 x
5. Build with sound
Sound is essential to the TikTok experience – designing for soundon supercharges engagement, boosts brand awareness by 2.2x* and helps your brand cut through the noise, literally!5 Hit the right note every time with tracks from our Commercial Music Library. *compared to ads on other platforms.
6. Be production-principled
For a boost to brand favourability (+2.6%), shoot all content vertically in a 9:16 aspect ratio.6 And, keep key branding and text inside the ‘safe zones’ so they don’t get lost – that way, everyone can see and remember your message clearly.
* When repurposed ads (ads intended for other platforms) are vertically reshaped.
Dive deeper into our Creative Codes
Case in point
Building brand awareness for Ben & Jerry’s
Turn a new flavour launch into a cultural moment.
Bundling TikTok’s premium ad placements with standard in-feed ads, Ben & Jerry’s amplified its message across both TikTok and IRL through digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) screens for maximum reach.
In-Feed Ads, TopView, Top Feed, Branded Mission + DOOH integration.
Results:
incremental unique reach from DOOH +5% ROI
1.5x sales uplift 1.7x uplift in product consideration +30%
Read the case study
Staying top-of-mind
for Jean Paul Gaultier
Objective:
Boost consideration during holiday season
Strategy:
Using TikTok Pulse, the brand aligned its fragrance ads with trending content and amplified reach by pairing them with TopView.
Solutions: TikTok Pulse + TopView ads
Results:
lift in ad recall +20% lift in recommendation +3%
Read the case study
Where branding meets performance
Marketers love a long-term goal – 98% of us agree they’re important.1 Yet somehow the focus is often on the short-term and that gap can leave you chasing the wrong numbers.
It’s not just about playing the short game – long-term thinking drives lasting brand impact. Our measurement solutions show you both the quick wins and the long-term success of your campaigns.
With these insights, you can fine-tune your strategy and grow your business with real confidence, no guesswork needed.
Prove TikTok works
Media Mix Model
Make decisions based on long-term incremental returns
Specialty Sales Lift
Understand sales impact on store visits, offlines transactions, box office or TV viewership
Brand Lift
Understand influence on attitudinal brand outcomes as a proxy for evental sales
Audience and CrossMedia Measurement
Understand your ontarget audience delivery and incremental reach
Refine & optimise your strategy
Grow your business effectively
Specialty Sales Lift
Compare sales lift to long-term MMM to identify shorter-term growth levers
Multi-Cell Brand Lift Test & learn strategies that increase attitudinal brand outcomes
Media Mix Model
Compare long-term impact to incremtality to identify growth levers
Ad Verification
Brand Safety, Viewability, and IVT Measurement
Understand where your ads are appearing, if they had an opportunity to be viewed, and ensure they are fraud-free.
What’s new: Market Scope and Consideration Ads
Getting attention is one thing – turning it into action is another. As you master the brand basics, we know the mid-funnel can still feel like a missing link. That’s why we’re building tools to help bridge the gap between awareness and impact.
Here’s a first look at two new solutions designed to help you keep momentum, spark deeper engagement and move your audience closer to conversion.
Market Scope
Bring audience understanding and campaign clarity into a single, powerful view.
Pinpoint exactly where your audiences are in the funnel.
See what drives highintent audiences to act.
Understand what’s working across paid and organic content with a unified view.
Connect brand performance to bottom-line impact.
Brand Consideration Ads
Fuel future conversions by engaging high-intent audiences in the moments that matter most.
Identify and grow your mid-funnel audience with data-backed signals.
Reach users 14-16x more likely to convert than awareness-stage audiences.2
Tap into real-time intent with 12+ in-app behaviours like searches, shares, and clicks.
Build dynamic segments using first-party signals across organic and paid content.
Ready to turn insights into impact?
Connect with your TikTok partner today to unlock access and start driving smarter, data-powered growth.
Your Brand Basics campaign checklist
Feeling fired-up and ready to build your brand on TikTok? Use this checklist to plan your next campaign and ensure you start strong from day one:
Campaign Length
Is our campaign planned for at least 3 consecutive weeks?
Frequency
Are we aiming for a 2-3x weekly frequency target?
Creative Quantity
Do we have 5 or more unique, TikTok-first creative assets ready?
Product Mix
Are we using a combination of Premium and Auction ads?
Audience Reach
Is our targeting strategy set to reach a significant portion of our audience?
Measurement
Do we have a Brand Lift Study or other measurement solution in place to track success?
Now go win this
From mastering the basics – campaign length, frequency, product mix, audience reach and creative variety – to applying the Creative Codes that make your content resonate, you’re ready to show up where culture happens and find brand advocates.
Keep testing, iterating and leaning into what makes TikTok unique – that’s how you turn attention into lasting results.
