Creating ads that stand out on a fast-paced social media platform like TikTok is no easy feat.
With millions of daily ads competing for user attention, your brand needs strategies that genuinely engage and deliver results.
From smart targeting to authentic user-generated content, there are plenty of ways to make TikTok’s unique user base notice, love, and remember your ads.
Get inspired by the ten TikTok ad examples we’ve selected for you, and learn how to make the most of TikTok ads.
To help you succeed, we’ll even let you in on some of the most common mistakes you should avoid.
What are TikTok Ads?
TikTok ads are paid creative assets that brands use to reach and engage users on TikTok.
Since TikTok is a video-focused social media platform, TikTok ads come in the form of short videos.
These video ads typically use interactive and visually appealing effects and music that grab the attention of TikTok’s young user base.
After all, according to the Digital 2024 July Global Statshot Report (see page 360), about 70% of all TikTok users worldwide are between 18 and 34 years old.
Keep reading to find out how effective TikTok ads are.
How Effective are TikTok Ads?
TikTok ads are highly effective marketing tools as long as you use them wisely.
We’ll give you some pointers on how to craft winning TikTok ad creatives later on.
Until then, let’s take a look at some of the data-backed benefits a good TikTok ad strategy can bring you.
✅ Increase reach and engagement
The Digital 2024 July Global Statshot Report found that TikTok ads currently reach a global audience of 1.604 billion users.
On top of that, according to Sprout Social, consumers find short-form videos 2.5 times more engaging than long-form videos, and TikTok ads fit the description perfectly.
✅ Drive conversions and sales
According to TikTok, 92% of TikTok users take action after watching a video, and 37% have bought something they discovered while on the platform.
Moreover, you can work with TikTok influencers to produce authentic ad creatives that yield even better results.
The 2024 Izea survey found that 51% of consumers have purchased after seeing a product used by an influencer.
✅ Build credibility and trust
The TikTok What's Next 2024 Trend Report found that brands that advertise consistently on TikTok registered a 41% increase in consumer trust.
On top of that, partnering with influencers can make your ads more trustworthy in users’ eyes.
A 2023 Matter Communications survey shows that 69% of consumers trust influencer recommendations above brand recommendations.
Now, let’s see what types of ads you can run on TikTok.
What Are the Different Types of TikTok Ads?
One of the benefits of using TikTok advertising is that it offers great diversity in ad costs and types.
Therefore, you can pick the ad types that fit your budget and constantly keep your audience on their toes, to avoid user fatigue.
Here are the most common types of TikTok ads you should consider for your next campaign.
In-feed ads
In-feed ads are promotional videos that appear within a user’s ‘For You’ page, blending in with the rest of the content.
Due to their smart placement, in-feed ads help you grab user attention without disrupting their TikTok experience.
Moreover, according to TikTok, in-feed ads are 23% more memorable than TV ads.
TopView ads
TopView ads are the first post users see when they open the TikTok app.
Since they are impossible not to notice, TopView ads are ideal for enhancing your brand’s reach and awareness.
On top of that, a Kantar study found that 72% of users prefer TopView ads over other platforms’ ad formats.
The reasons the study participants provided for this preference were the natural ad placement and the full-screen, sound-on features.
Brand Takeover ads
As the name suggests, Brand Takeover ads actually take over the user’s screen when they open the app.
Hence, these ads are perfect for obtaining immediate visibility.
At the same time, Brand Takeover ads offer exclusivity, increasing brand recall and engagement.
However, to avoid annoying users, Brand Takeover ads are extremely short (max. 5s) and are limited to one brand per day for each user.
So, make them count!
Branded Effects
Branded Effects are custom filters, stickers, and animations brands create to encourage users to produce TikTok user-generated content (UGC).
Branded Effects allow users to interact with your brand in a fun and playful way, which makes them perfect for enhancing brand reach, recall, and engagement.
Likewise, if your Branded Effects are unique and fun, they can even become viral.
Branded Hashtag Challenges
Branded Hashtag Challenges invite TikTok users to participate in fun challenges involving a brand’s custom hashtag.
Simply put, you create a unique campaign hashtag and a TikTok video challenging your audience to do something unusual.
Users will then film themselves completing the challenge and post the UGC videos on their TikTok accounts with your branded hashtag.
This TikTok hook drives engagement, brand awareness, and community building and has the potential to go viral.
Spark Ads
TikTok Spark Ads allow brands to turn their existing TikTok posts or user-generated content into paid ads.
You can also partner with a UGC creator agency, like Insense, to help you find professional creators to produce and post high-quality UGC for you and turn those posts into Spark Ads.
After all, a 2019 Stackla report found that consumers are 2.4 times more likely to say UGC is more authentic than in-house brand-generated content.
So, turning UGC into paid ads can help your brand build credibility and consumer trust.
TikTok Spark Ads also keep the original post’s likes, views, and comments, which makes them look more genuine and encourages users to interact with them further.
Collection ads
Collection ads are TikTok videos that take users to an Instant Gallery Page through a single tap without leaving the app.
TikTok users can discover some of your pre-selected products on the Instant Gallery Page.
Collection ads are ideal for TikTok e-commerce brands because they expose users to the latest products and increase conversions and sales.
Next, we’ll give you some practical TikTok ad examples.
10 TikTok Ad Examples To Inspire You
We like that TikTok marketing allows you to mix and match different ad types, concepts, and elements to make your ad campaigns stand out.
And that’s precisely what has made the following TikTok ad examples so effective.
Let’s check them out!
1. Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin' Donuts partnered with TikTok influencer Charli D’Amelio to promote their products.
This long-term partnership resulted in Charli producing over 120 UGC videos featuring the brand’s products, which Dunkin' turned into TikTok Spark Ads.
Dunkin' even named a drink after the influencer, called The Charli, which she’s also promoting.
Source: TikTok
Since Charli is a young influencer with over 155M followers, her ad creatives resonated with Gen Z users and convinced them to try the brand’s products.
2. #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt
#TikTokMadeMeBuyIt is a popular TikTok ad concept that many creators use to promote brand products.
In these videos, TikTok users show off their latest purchases, review them, and post the UGC with the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt.
Source: TikTok
Besides creating product exposure, the authenticity of these TikTok ad creatives builds consumer trust and encourages users to buy the products.
3. Flintts Mints
Flintts Mints is a company that produces mints that alleviate dry mouth.
If you check out its TikTok page, you’ll see that most of its ads are UGC videos that answer user questions or address their comments.
Source: TikTok
This ad strategy makes users feel seen and heard, building consumer trust and brand loyalty.
4. #GRWM
#GRWM (Get Ready With Me) videos are a TikTok trend used by all beauty influencers and UGC creators.
In these videos, users typically provide beauty tutorials featuring a brand’s products.
Source: TikTok
Since #GRWM videos showcase products in action, they are more trustworthy and can boost a brand’s conversions and sales.
5. Netflix
Netflix is a powerhouse streaming service that most people need no introduction to. They’re also no stranger to successful viral marketing campaigns.
One of Netflix’s viral ad campaigns, #WhatsYourPower, combined a Branded Hashtag Challenge with Branded Effects to promote the movie Project Power.
Users were asked to create original TikTok videos using a branded filter that attributed them an extraordinary power and then post them with the branded hashtag.
Source: TikTok
This ad campaign was so fun and engaging that it generated around 112K UGC videos.
6. #Unboxing
#Unboxing videos are another TikTok trend that countless UGC creators use for product promotion.
These TikTok videos showcase users unpacking brand products and sharing details about the brand and product features.
Source: TikTok
#Unboxing videos help consumers learn more about a product before buying it.
Moreover, a UGC video review offers many more details than a product image or a written client review, and it has a better chance of getting users to make a purchase.
7. Booking.com
One of the most popular Booking.com TikTok ads features actresses Tina Fey and Glenn Close.
This ad grabs user attention with the celebrity factor but then conveys the message in a fun and approachable way.
It makes booking and canceling stays on the platform look easy and fun, encouraging users to try it.
Source: TikTok
The ‘Tina Fey books a stay #travel’ ad was so engaging that it raised 112K likes and 797 shares.
8. Life hacks
Life hack TikTok videos are highly engaging because they offer solutions to common issues.
The best part is that you can use these videos to explain how your product works or share some of its lesser-known features.
Source: TikTok
UGC life hack videos offer immediate value, building customer loyalty.
At the same time, due to their practicality, users are more inclined to share these TikTok videos, increasing reach and awareness.
9. Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs launched the #PerfectAsIAm Branded Hashtag Challenge to promote its new perfume, Perfect.
Users had to post TikTok videos showing themselves as perfectly as possible and use the branded hashtag.
Moreover, Marc Jacobs partnered with the influencer Rickey Thompson to drive more interest toward the ad campaign.
Source: TikTok
This Branded Hashtag Challenge was a big success due to its empowering message of self-love.
10. Discount codes
Offering attractive discounts is one of the most effective ways to encourage TikTok users to buy your products.
However, if you want to reach more potential customers, you should run affiliate marketing campaigns.
Brand affiliates produce authentic TikTok videos featuring your products and post them with a unique discount code.
A UGC video will give your ad campaign more credibility and can convince more TikTok users to try your product.
Now, let us show you how to make the most of TikTok ads.
How to Make the Most of TikTok Ads
Knowing the available TikTok ad formats and concepts is not enough to build winning ad campaigns.
That’s why we’ve put together some practical tips to help you succeed.
✅ Define your target audience
Identifying your target audience helps you understand what type of ads and content would resonate with them.
Demographics, like age, gender, and location, play a key role in designing an effective TikTok ad strategy.
✅ Set ad campaign objectives
Having specific ad campaign objectives allows you to allocate your resources more effectively.
For instance, you should invest in TopView and Brand Takeover ads to increase reach and awareness quickly.
✅ Collaborate with content creators
Professional content creators and influencers generate authentic ad creatives that build brand credibility and consumer trust.
The Insense Creator Marketplace gives you access to over 20K vetted creators and influencers you can partner with.
Use advanced filtering options to find creators matching your niche and audience demographics.
✅ Scale your ad creation process
TikTok is a highly dynamic social media platform, where users constantly crave fresh content.
Therefore, you need to scale your ad creation process to keep TikTok users engaged.
The good news is that Insense simplifies this process.
You can fill out our intuitive Creative Brief with your campaign details and creative asset requirements in just a few minutes and receive multiple creator applications.
Moreover, using our Campaign Management feature, you can effectively launch and manage unlimited campaigns.
✅ Track, measure, and analyze your ad campaign performance
Ultimately, no matter how much work and creativity you put into your ad campaigns, there’s no guarantee they’ll yield the desired results.
So, you must constantly track, measure, and analyze campaign performance to identify what’s working and not working.
Based on your findings, you can optimize your future campaigns, allocate resources more effectively, and enhance your marketing outcomes.
We designed the Performance feature for this exact purpose.
Our comprehensive analytics allow you to keep track of:
- Your creator collaborations
- Your post performance
- Your platform spending
Next, we’ll share some of the most common mistakes you should avoid.
Common mistakes to avoid when using TikTok ads
If you’re just getting started on TikTok, you should be aware of the most common mistakes brands tend to make and try to avoid them.
❎ Repurposing ads from other platforms
TikTok is all about creativity, trending content, and genuine interactions.
This approach differs from all other social media platforms.
Therefore, if you want your ads to resonate with TikTok users, you must make them fun and relatable.
❎ Overlooking user-generated content
While some industry leaders might get away with running high-production-value TikTok ads, smaller brands won’t.
Overly polished ads tend to appear inauthentic, and users rarely connect with them.
Instead, you should focus on user-generated content that users can relate to and are eager to engage with.
❎ Ignoring trends
Keeping up with trends and viral content is a must on TikTok.
Otherwise, you’ll miss out on some incredible marketing opportunities.
For instance, you can tell that the Branded Hashtag Challenge is trending on TikTok because even high-profile brands are incorporating it into their ad campaigns.
❎ Failing to provide a clear CTA
If your TikTok ads don’t provide a clear CTA, this will result in missed opportunities.
While users might engage with the ad, they won’t take the desired action.
So, explicitly tell your audience what they should do next.
For instance, you can ask them to follow your brand, visit your website, or buy your product, depending on what your campaign goal is.
Now, it’s your turn to take action.
Over To You!
As you can see, TikTok ads offer you a world of possibilities and marketing benefits.
The trick is to be as creative as possible or work with skilled creators who can help you produce fun and authentic ad campaigns.
Book a demo with Insense to find out how we can help your brand become TikTok famous.
