Opinion
TikTok, TikTok; the countdown to Christmas is on!
As TikTok proves to be one of the most effective platforms on the market for reaching parents with spending power, Generation Media’s Emilie Flanders looks at how the platform will feature across the toy marketing landscape this year.
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hile Meta and Google have reigned supreme in the digital advertising realm for over a decade, the landscape is shifting. Relying solely on these platforms is no longer the definitive path to success. The emergence of advertising channels such as TikTok, and the evolving preferences of demographics for short-form video content, have blurred the once-dominant duopoly. Contrary to popular belief, TikTok's appeal stretches far beyond younger audiences. It's not just the Gen Z playground; parents are increasingly joining the TikTok community, with a substantial 48% of UK parents counted among its users. Due to the platform's innate discovery capabilities, 67% of TikTokers say that the platform helps them get ideas about products they had never thought of before, making them an exceptionally valuable audience to lean into in the lead up to Christmas season. So how can toy brands make the most of TikTok? Firstly, it’s important to note that the platform does not allow direct targeting to children. Therefore all messaging should be focused on parents and building content they can engage with and relate to. To achieve this, marketers should make sure they are following some golden rules…
Native is best: Tailor messaging and creatives to TikTok: this means ditching traditional TV-like creatives for authentic, unpolished content. By adjusting to the rules of the platform, the user perceives the ad as just another form of user-generated content (UGC), which obtains positive reactions. At Generation Media, our creative tests show that running TikTok native ads yield a 115% higher six second view rate, versus campaigns that use more polished, non-native creatives. TikTok data underscores parents’ preference for real-life reviews and valuable content that aids them in making confident, risk-free choices. In fact, 34% of parents say they want to see authentic product reviews and opinions on the platform. In the lead up to Christmas, this insight can be embraced by running ads with a personal tone, including reviews to show
products as relatable and trustworthy to potential customers. Popular content for the target audience can be found by exploring the app, as well as using the TikTok Creative Centre, which is a great marketing tool which shows best performing hashtags, sounds, influencers and content, allowing marketers to stay on top of trends. Zuru is a great example of a brand that has harnessed prevailing trends on TikTok for a native integration. The team achieved this by crafting ads that play into the ASMR trend, as well as using face filters. These are all features favoured amongst TikTok’ parents, as well as general TikTok users, which enabled it to perform in the top 1% industry average. Fisher-Price is another example of a brand which has capitalised on trends by collaborating with family creators to make relatable and funny content, overlayed with trending sounds or the creators voice narrations, to promote engagement. Trends change every two weeks, so creatives need to be updated regularly. It’s best to aim for at least four creatives per month, although this is also dependant on budget.
Let content creators create content: Working with TikTok creators is the most common native advertising tool on TikTok. TTCX (TikTok Creator Market) can be used to find creators that work with the tone and values of the brand. Micro influencers are particularly good for reaching niche communities and offer a cost-efficient solution to building a library of authentic content that can be repurposed or run as Spark Ads. Spark Ads allows the promotion of users’ posts (with their permission), mimicking the word of mouth already on the platform. Brands should capitalise on what is already available on the platform by promoting user content for increased reach and engagement. This can be achieved by monitoring product mentions and hashtags and reaching out to creators via direct message so they can provide an access code. This process is highly valuable for brands with lower amounts of investment, as creators are often willing to have the brands they love promote their content free of charge. As an agency, we have seen an average of a 44%
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Emilie Flanders Senior Digital manager decrease in CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions) when running Spark Ads, meaning that clients can increase their reach without increasing their budget. This is due to the TikTok prioritising native content over other competitor bids. On top of this, engagement such as likes and comments increase due to the content being more personable and relatable.
Right people, right time: According to TikTok's internal data, the Christmas season witnesses a surge in search volume, with a steady rise starting from October, peaking just before the holiday itself. For instance, the hashtag 'Gift Ideas' garnered 4.8b views from October 2022 to January 2023. Targeting users who have engaged with gifting-related videos and hashtags means brands can leverage this trend and harness intent peak sale events. It’s also possible to reach users in the right environments by using TikTok Pulse, a dynamic form of contextual targeting that is strategically positioned immediately following the most brand-relevant videos that occupy the coveted top 4% slot of trending content, spanning 11 high-attention categories. This helps campaigns stand out in an extremely cluttered period, ensuring ads are being shown to audiences whilst they are at their most engaged. Given the challenging external circumstances all brands face in 2023, reaching those who control the purse strings is critical to brand success, making parents more important than ever when it comes to toy marketing. TikTok is proving to be one of the most effective platforms on the market for this, and it will no doubt feature heavily across the toy marketing landscape this year and beyond. If you are planning to activate on the platform and would like some more advice on what will work best for your brand, get in touch with Generation Media for advice.
