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With over 1.2 billion active monthly users TikTok cannot be ignored. In just 5 years, TikTok’s reach has exploded to double the size of Snap and half that of YouTube. Beyond its audience reach, TikTok’s low impression and view costs have made it one of the most attractive ways to grow a brand in the post-iOS14 era.
Done right, TikTok has the unique power to create iconic brand moments. For when Nathan Apodaca filmed himself longboarding to work drinking Ocean Spray to Fleetwood Mac, which not only drove over 13 million views but also catapulted sales and ignited the brand’s affinity with a younger audience.
TikTok’s power stems from its unique algorithm built on a socio-interest graph. This graph weights future content delivery upon the content users spend time watching, alongside the connections those users have in the platform and the content those connections spend time watching. This interconnectivity results in organic and paid content “catching fire” if it resonates with a scalable audience.
Creating content that has the potential to catch fire is not easy. Your creative strategists are not only trying to predict the content people will want, but the content is evolving at an almost unbearable pace.
Audience tastes change quickly as new trends sprout up, and become the focus of social conversations and sharing, leaving the previous trend in the dust. This can leave you in a place of constantly creating content that used to work.
Daymond John, the founder of FUBU, once infamously proclaimed, “Pioneers get slaughtered and settlers prosper.” This is as relevant for business as it is for creating the best TikTok ads. Being the first to do something exposes you to incredible risk while observing and following successful paths will limit reward but also reduce risk.
To avoid high CPMs, high CPVs, and high CACs, we should first be students of the game, studying what has worked for brands that came and entertained before us. To start our journey, let’s break down some of the best TikTok ads through 2022.
https://m.tiktok.com/v/7013172650851831041.html
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In this ad, Brevité uses the native “Ask Me Anything” feature to make the video feel organic. The AMA format provides a feeling of social proof as if a potential customer were asking the question. The stop-frame style captures attention while also showing two different scenarios - school supplies and camera equipment - to bring different audiences into the experience. The TikTok discount code in native format positioned in the safe zone (an area unobstructed by any other native TikTok elements) gives potential customers a call to action, a feeling of value and a sense of urgency, and it helps track ad efficacy.
https://www.tiktok.com/@user926288086/video/6934406636064738562?_r=1
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Adventure Challenge private-labeled a creator’s account to distribute this ad, making it feel less commercial and more organic. The video combines a native “Ask Me Anything” feature with a narrative style ad, alongside a very interesting hook - asking random strangers for an impromptu date. After the hook, the video takes the viewer through an unboxing-style experience, where the actors show how the product works and highlights from their actual date. The video clips are quick and entertaining, keeping viewers engaged throughout the entire video.
https://m.tiktok.com/v/7044222010775342338.html
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Dr. Squatch is known for delivering great hero videos and UGC content on demand and packaging it into one of the best TikTok ads. In this video, the Squatch creative team kicks off with a feature/benefit hook showing how a guy’s partner passionately reacts to the smell of the soap. It immediately transitions to a first-person narration breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the viewer.
https://www.tiktok.com/@theouai/video/7175309231367785730?_r=1
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OUAI starts this ad with a rare shot of a common problem to immediately grab the viewer’s attention. With a clear problem/solution hook the viewer immediately understands the journey they are about to take. This ad plays directly to the esteem tier of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, explaining how the product can immediately resolve an uncomfortable problem.
https://m.tiktok.com/v/7057316556723850498.html
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Go Chirp uses the features, benefits, and advantages format with an ASMR angle. The ASMR angle is especially powerful because of the nature of the product, a back cracker. Hearing the sound of the creator’s back cracking is immediately recognizable and will cause the viewer to subconsciously feel something that hasn’t happened. The video showcases multiple products so the viewer knows there are multiple solutions to their problem.
https://m.tiktok.com/v/7122599918555909377.html
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One of the best TikTok ads is from Ride One Wheel which starts out with a wildly interesting cut of a guy in a cowboy getup riding a rocking horse attached to the Ride On Wheel. Rare shots are a way to capture the viewer's attention and stop the scroll, impacting what we know as the thumb-stop ratio. The key to the rare shot is making sure it’s relevant so your metrics aren’t inflated by view or clickbait. From there, we have a sequence of unboxing and clips showing how durable the product is in extreme environments.
https://m.tiktok.com/v/7120734580881018113.html
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Warmies hit it out of the park with this problem/solution framework showcasing how their product solves every parent’s worst nightmare, an inconsolable baby. At 19 seconds long, this ad goes straight at the problem of a crying infant with a real-time resolution and details the core features of the product. It closes out with a unique TikTok discount code to incentivize a purchase and give attribution back to the platform.
https://m.tiktok.com/v/7175706226225941761.html
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This video from Built Protein leverages a 1:1 conversation-style format breaking the fourth wall. The creator then dives directly into a promotion strategy for a sampler box. The sampler should act as a low-risk entry product because there are multiple choices to choose from. He also highlights several healthy features, advantages, and benefits in an easy-to-consume format to make the viewer feel comfortable with making the purchase. A way this could have been made better would be to shift the camera angles every three to five seconds to reframe the asset and keep the viewer engaged.
https://m.tiktok.com/v/7155710550272396546.html
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Swanky Badger hits deep with a curiosity angle with this TikTok. They use the “Reply To” native TikTok feature to make the asset feel organic and encourage engagement. The question the “Reply To” feature asks “They crying from a wallet?”, and each of the video clips shows a dad opening a gift, discovering a wallet, and breaking down crying. The ad itself does not show why the dads are crying, instead, it prompts the viewer to click the link to find out why. This creates a sense of FOMO and encourages a click.
https://m.tiktok.com/v/6965880389478960389.html
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This ad from Extra Gum white labeled creator and comedian B Mo The Prince’s account to launch a brand-style asset while using the creator’s natural content style and voice to feel natural and organic. The payoff comes at the end, introducing the brand as the focal point of the asset. The key to this asset is in leveraging humor to tell a compelling and memorable story. A study by the Journal of Marketing found that when humor is used in ads, "humor is more likely to enhance recall, evaluation, and purchase intention when the humorous message coincides with ad objectives, is well-integrated with those objectives, and is viewed as appropriate for the product category."
https://m.tiktok.com/v/7185660592840002818.html
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Another one of the best TikTok ads from Lovevery starts out with a simple premise, “activities to do with your newborn”, but they also add a “part 5” text block to make the viewer feel like it is part of something much bigger. The video is tailored to new moms and starts by leading with value to gain trust and then closes out with the product. Trust building decreases resistance to suggestion and makes the product feel natural. This ad could have been made better by showing an infant/baby interacting with the product for social proof, highlighting what the product does, how it works, and callouts like “recommended by 9 out of 10 pediatricians”.
https://m.tiktok.com/v/7179335095319301422.html
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This ad white lists a creator’s page that uses a text message as a way of communicating that the video isn’t promoted but rather inspired by a friend’s request. The video cuts are quick, transitions are smooth, and the creator’s energy is strong. He establishes product credibility by saying the perfume is “the most viral perfume on TikTok”, and continues to describe the way the perfume smells in similes like “this smells like love”. What does love smell like? I have no idea, but now I want to find out.
https://m.tiktok.com/v/7158200613266918699.html
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Including a video from Mr. Beast, arguably the internet’s top influencer and creator, might feel like an easy out, but we should always take notes from the experts. In this video, Mr. Beast is sitting in his car introducing a new flavor of Feastables. New product releases should always be a priority for ad concepts, and in this video, Mr. Beast nails it. He evaluates the packaging and the product's appearance, and then he tries it and endorses it. This is like the Hair Club For Men President who infamously said, “I’m not just the president of Hair Club for Men, I’m also a client!” He closes the video out bringing levity to the concept joking, “I’m not just saying that because I own it”, which is surely in the back of everyone’s mind, but addressing it head-on may cause the viewer to ignore that doubt.
https://m.tiktok.com/v/7198365246346562817.html
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One of the best Tiktok ads is from Fabletics which uses a myth vs fact format to address potential customer concerns head-on. The myths Fabletics addresses include price, durability, features, social proof, and choice. By confronting potential customer concerns head-on Fabletics is reducing decision friction, encouraging the customer to justify an impulsive purchase. When you are using this format you can invent the concerns, or you can look at your or your competitor’s reviews to find out what shoppers are most concerned about.
https://m.tiktok.com/v/7114764088559013166.html
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Swiffer swang for the fences with this collaboration with creator Alexandra Madison. The success of this video is built upon allowing Alexandra to create content that follows her normal format, making the ad feel organic and natural. It is without a doubt a brand ad, but it is made with TikTok’s primary creative suggestion in mind, “make TikTok’s not ads”.
Sought-after ad formats change constantly. The most important takeaway is when you make creative assets for TikTok, follow its recommendation and aim to “make TikToks, not ads”. Entertain your audience while providing information and value, and sticking to the core pillars of direct response marketing.
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