Make Every View Count: Reveal the Full Impact of TikTok on ROI with Media Mix Modeling

Why MMM matters more than ever in 2025

With increased accountability for marketing dollars spent, companies are seeking to more deeply and transparently understand ROI for their spend across the full marketing funnel. In today's privacy-first digital landscape, Media Mix Models (MMM) have emerged as a future-proof solution for measuring marketing effectiveness. By analysing historical data, MMM reveals the true impact of marketing activities on business outcomes, enabling advertisers to make more informed decisions about budget allocation and optimisation.

TikTok represents a unique marketing ecosystem where entertainment and commerce converge organically. Every month, hundreds of millions of new videos are created by a vibrant community of creators, publishers and brands. On TikTok, people don't just passively consume content – they engage, create, search and shop. However, traditional click-based attribution models fail to capture this dynamic user behaviour, significantly undervaluing TikTok's impact. A recent analysis by Fospha reveals that last-click measurement undervalues revenue driven by TikTok by 96%[1]. Through MMM analysis, advertisers can overcome attribution model limitations and quantify how these rich interactions drive real business outcomes, from immediate sales lift to lasting brand impact.

Get inspired: Learn how Italian beauty brand KIKO Milano used MMM to uncover TikTok’s contributions to its omnichannel marketing strategy, revealing the platform's exceptional performance in driving incremental sales and enhancing both paid and organic reach.

Leveraging paid and earned data via API integration

To effectively measure TikTok’s performance within an MMM, advertisers need access to accurate and comprehensive data. TikTok offers two key types of data for analysis: paid data and earned data. Paid data includes metrics related to ad spend, impressions, clicks and conversions, while earned data encompasses earned reach through Branded Mission and other TikTok solutions. Advertisers have two primary methods for accessing this data:

1. API Integration: The most efficient way to pull TikTok data is through the TikTok API. This method allows for seamless, automated scheduling of data downloads, ensuring a consistent and up-to-date flow of information. By integrating the API into your systems, you can save time, reduce manual errors, and maintain a steady stream of insights for your MMM.

2. Direct Requests: Advertisers can also request data directly from their TikTok account team. While this option is useful for one-off analyses, it may not offer the same level of efficiency as API integration for ongoing MMM efforts.

By prioritising API integration, advertisers and measurement partners can streamline their workflows and focus on extracting meaningful insights from TikTok’s robust data offerings.

Marketing Mix Modelling relies on high quality, granular data received in a timely manner. Nielsen was delighted to be selected to test TikTok's Alpha API MMM data feed workstream to continue to automate the data collection process and ensure an accurate and on time data delivery for our mutual clients. We are looking forward to partnering with clients to leverage this process for future MMM engagements.

Karen Gentleman

Strategic Partnerships at Nielsen

Achieving short-term ROI while sustaining business growth

A recent MMM study by Dentsu, in partnership with TikTok, analysed 15 brands across the Nordics to assess TikTok's impact. The findings highlight TikTok's strength as a sales driver, with 75% of participating advertisers achieving the highest ROI from TikTok compared to other media channels[2]. The study also found that while the average short-term ROI is 11.8[2], TikTok's impact extends beyond immediate sales, lasting up to ten months post-campaign, further establishing it as a vital component of a modern media mix.

Discover more insights from the study and access a full report here.

TikTok delivers on business outcomes across verticals

By partnering with key MMM industry leaders like Nielsen, Circana, Analytic Partners, Ekimetrics and Neustar and providing granular data through its MMM Data Pipeline, TikTok has consistently demonstrated its value as a high-performing media channel across verticals.

For instance, studies conducted by Little Moons with Magic Numbers and Tele 2 with Choreograph showed that TikTok brought in the highest ROI compared to other channels, while Volkswagen was able to shift budgets from underperforming channels to TikTok as an MMM study with Annalect revealed it to be three times more efficient than other digital media platforms. Moreover, by leveraging MMM Boots and Ebiquity found that aligning TikTok campaigns with TV ads resulted in a 1.4x boost in TikTok's ROI.

Get started with Media Mix Modeling to uncover the true power of TikTok

TikTok is redefining what’s possible in digital advertising, and it’s time for advertisers and agencies to take full advantage of its capabilities. By integrating TikTok into your MMMs, you can unlock valuable insights that inform smarter budgeting and strategy decisions. For advertisers already leveraging MMMs, now is the perfect time to incorporate TikTok’s paid and earned data into your models.

For those yet to adopt MMMs, TikTok’s proven performance offers a compelling reason to get started. MMM vendors and measurement teams at media agencies can also explore the power of TikTok data. Leverage the TikTok API to simplify your workflows and ensure accurate, timely data integration for your clients. Here is how you can get started.

If you’re interested in becoming a TikTok badged measurement partner, reach out to your partner manager and discover how we can work together to drive measurement innovation and campaign success.

Sources:

1. Fospha's Growth Accelerator Guide 2025 (Oct, 2024). TikTok's use of this data does not equate to an endorsement.

2. "From Storytelling to Sales: Short and Long-Term ROI of TikTok Advertising" A marketing mix modeling study by Dentsu, 2025