TV + TikTok: A powerful impact driver for CPG marketers

In today's digitally driven world, TikTok emerges as the new 'eye level' for both brands and consumers. Eye level has always been the optimal space on retail shelves — a prime position most coveted by brands, since it enables easy consumer discovery, spurring attention, awareness, and action. New research shows that marketers who synergise their traditional media spend (like TV) with TikTok see superior efficacy and can help drive bottom funnel goals.

Is the TV still switched on?

To recalibrate their priorities, marketers can first begin by rethinking the way they allocate their media dollars. Scale and reach are critical elements to brand building, which explains why some marketers continue to rely on traditional media channels such as TV, which have previously proven effective in marketing mix models. However, TV’s power is waning in a digital-first media landscape, leading to questions on its role as a marketing medium. The linear TV offering from major global networks recorded dips in ad spend in 2023. According to data from IPG Magna’s Global Ad Forecast for APAC, digital pure play publishers in the region will account for 76% of budgets ($220 billion), and traditional media owners will account for a mere 24% ($68 billion).

Don't throw away the TV just yet

Even though TV’s influence is diminishing, savvy marketers will retain it in their media plans due to its cost-effective CPMs and strong viewership in certain geographies. However, its shortcomings in driving lower funnel metrics suggest that TV might be better suited as a complementary channel rather than a core media buy in a brand's media mix.

Enter TikTok, an entertainment destination that naturally captivates consumer attention. We ranked #1 in Kantar's Media Reactions report for ad equity among video platforms for the fifth consecutive year – a testament to TikTok’s power to help brands break through and resonate. Research also shows that consumers focus more on TikTok ads than ads on other platforms – this means that TikTok users are more likely to truly watch an ad as opposed to just gaze over it. In fact, TikTok users are focused on the screen for 75% of the time an ad is playing, compared to just 45% for other platforms. TikTok helps balance many of TV’s shortcomings with its proven efficacy, unprecedented entertainment value, and dominance of the short form video format. While TV was once viewed as a purely upper funnel solution, with TikTok it can now extend its reach and drive measurable impact across lower funnel metrics as well.

TikTok + TV: A synergistic solution

For brands and marketers who still operate in TV-heavy markets, integrating TikTok into the media mix can drastically improve outcomes. A recent meta-analysis done by Kantar shows that TikTok is the number one synergistic, digital touchpoint with TV for ‘Motivation’, defined as a measure that influences mid to lower funnel metrics like increasing brand perception, recommendation, and purchase intent. TikTok can help marketers seamlessly drive what matters most to them: efficiency, efficacy, and equity.

Case Study: To celebrate its golden jubilee in Japan, Nestlé KitKat introduced a new product: the KitKat Yokubari Double. To promote the new product, KitKat combined the power of traditional media (TV) with TikTok to drive both top and bottom funnel metrics. By complementing their TV campaign with a TikTok campaign featuring Japanese celebrity PikoTaro, KitKat effectively expanded its reach to new demographics, driving increased sales and elevating brand awareness beyond the reach of traditional TV alone. Read more about how the campaign helped KitKat drive sales and increase market share here.

Maximising returns and impact

Brands can use a simple 3R framework: Recut, Remix, and Reimagine to refresh their existing assets to make them fit-for-purpose for TikTok. For instance, they can recut existing TVCs into TikTok-native formats like TopView. Think of TopView as a Times Square billboard in the consumer's pocket. As TikTok’s most premium video ad format, TopView immediately showcases a brand when users open the app, enabling marketers to tell a brand story in a highly immersive, engaging way. For brands seeking undivided share of eyeballs during peak moments like product launches or promotional periods, TopView is one of the strongest tools to drive campaign impact.

Brands looking to harness a halo effect from the hottest, top-trending content on TikTok can consider leveraging TikTok Pulse, a contextual advertising solution that places an ad adjacent to the top 4% of trending content on the platform. TikTok Pulse is a natural solution to driving upper-funnel objectives, as marketers can build awareness effectively by running ads in proximity to content seen most frequently in the For You feed where community engagement is highest.