Apps & Consumer
TikTok expands ad suite with new takeover and sequential formats
TikTok is introducing new ad formats, including sequential and takeover options, which are about to get a tad more disruptive as brands seek to maximize reach.
On Tuesday, TikTok announced the introduction of several new ad formats. The platform stated that these new formats will allow brands to maximize their reach and align with cultural moments.
The new offerings introduce several distinct ad placements. The first is “Logo Takeover,” a co-branding format that displays an advertiser’s logo alongside TikTok’s logo on the launch page when a user opens the app. Another format, “Prime Time,” allows brands to deliver a series of ads during specific times, such as live events. Under this format, an advertiser can show three sequential ads to the same user within a designated 15-minute time window. TikTok also introduced “Top Reach,” which combines two existing placements: TopView, which is the first ad a user sees when opening the app, and TopFeed, the first in-feed ad that appears in the For You feed. By combining these, the platform aims to help brands reach a maximum number of users per day.
These new formats mean that TikTok ads are about to get a tad more disruptive for users, who will encounter brand logos immediately upon opening the app or see multiple ads from the same advertiser in a short period. However, TikTok does not view these formats as interruptions. According to Khartoon Weiss, VP, GM, Global Business Solutions at TikTok, “brands are not interrupting people — they are joining the conversation.” Weiss stated that because TikTok ads live inside the content and products that users already love, brands can show up in ways that feel natural and useful.
Additionally, the social network is expanding its TikTok Pulse suite of ad tools. This expansion includes “Pulse Mentions,” a new tool designed to place brands alongside moments when users are already discussing them or their product category. TikTok is also launching “Pulse Tastemakers,” an offering that allows brands to align their advertising with a selection of eligible creators on the platform.
Why it matters
TikTok is introducing more aggressive ad formats to help brands capture attention, balancing the desire for maximum reach against the potential for increased user friction.