Introducing TikTok Automotive Ads
Match the TikTok community with the vehicle that's right for them using our all-new performance solution designed specifically for auto advertisers.
Automotive advertisers face unique challenges in today's digital landscape, including:
A lengthy buyer's journey
The need for highly personalized marketing
Maintaining engagement across various digital touchpoints
Diminishing returns on ad spend for high-saturated legacy platforms
Additionally, the consumer shift towards online shopping and lengthy research cycles has pushed advertisers to deliver more personalized, efficient, and measurable online campaigns.
That's why we're pleased to announce the general availability of TikTok Automotive Ads, our new catalog-based solution crafted to enhance vehicle promotions and drive car sales effectively. Automotive Ads offer an upgraded user experience that compresses the shopping journey and automotive-specific data connections to drive better results for your business.
TikTok is bringing the magic of curating feeds to curating the car buying experience with the introduction of new Automotive Ads. Over the last year, we've partnered with dealers and manufacturers to develop a new way for them to launch full-tier campaigns that connect national, regional, and local strategies on TikTok. With almost 1 in 3 TikTok users in-market for a new vehicle, Automotive Ads are the perfect way for the industry to build an experience to reach users with the right content, the right product, at the right time.
With easy setup, dynamic creative, and automotive-specific optimization models, Automotive Ads will help you efficiently reach your audience, boost engagement, and maximize ROI—all with minimal effort and seamless integration.
What are TikTok Automotive Ads?
Automotive Ads are catalog-based ads that match your models, offers, or inventory with users based on their in-market activity and preferences. They help you match users with the right car or offer for them.
Automotive Ads are currently offered in two creative formats:
Video + Product Card: Pair engaging video that our users expect from TikTok with personalized and shoppable product recommendations from your catalog.
Multi-link Carousel Card: No video, no problem. Upload your catalog to TikTok and launch ads with minimal lift, pulling images straight from your catalog. Each image is mapped to its unique URL destination.
Users can also browse your entire inventory within the TikTok app from our Vehicle Inventory Page or through a website link of your choosing.
Types of Automotive Ads
There are two types of Automotive Ads: Inventory Ads and Model Ads. Inventory ads promote individual VINs (typically used by dealers and marketplaces), while Model Ads promote models, trims, and offers (typically used by OEMs).
Automotive Ads for Inventory
Built for and alongside our dealership and marketplace partners, Inventory Ads require minimal setup, drive high-quality traffic, and boost leads. Features like automated creative pulls and advanced vehicle matching simplify campaign management, allowing dealerships to focus on growth with a streamlined, high-impact approach.
Plug and play: Simply set your feed and budget to promote your vehicles and drive leads with the lightest lift possible. Our feed requirements and signals setup are identical to other platforms, making it easier than ever to tap the TikTok audience without overhauling your marketing strategy and operations. Meanwhile, our dynamic Multi-Link Carousel format pulls creative directly from the feed with no additional setup.
Automotive intent + vehicle matching model: Powered by a rich set of data connections and indicators like content engagement, our product seeks out the ideal audience for your goals and matches them with a vehicle that meets their preferences. Auto advertisers who tested Inventory Ads observed better performance compared to "business as usual" shopping ad formats, including a 41% lower cost per acquisition (CPA) and 51% lower Last-Click CPA versus other TikTok shopping formats.¹
Comprehensive vehicle management: Our catalog manager allows you to manage your feed schedule, diagnose pixel matching, and create product sets.
Automotive Ads for Models
Designed for OEMs, Model Ads make it easy to drive strong TikTok performance with a simple, lightweight catalog setup and quick campaign launch. Our shoppable video format lets OEMs leverage existing creative to effectively drive results, all within a seamless, streamlined process.
Drive your best TikTok performance yet: OEMs who tested Automotive Ads have seen an average CPA improvement of more than 40% after one month, with 100% of testers experiencing a significant positive lift versus historical non-Automotive Ads campaigns.¹
Set up is a breeze: Model Ads leverage an extremely lightweight catalog with only a few basic required fields. Catalog creation can also be completed within the campaign build flow, leading to a smooth and easy setup experience.
Do more with your creatives: The shoppability of our video format empowers OEMs to leverage existing upper- and mid-funnel assets while still promoting lower-funnel actions.
How do Automotive Ads work?
Automotive Ads leverage your catalog and website event signals to deliver a dynamic user experience based on their observed preferences.
Product logic & flow
First, upload your catalog and set up your data connections. For best performance, we recommend at least three properly set-up Web Lead Gen events, with View Content as a definite must. Parameters like content_id, make, and model help inform our models of user preferences and can also lift performance.
During campaign setup, you will have the choice of two creative formats: Video+Product Cards or Multi-link Carousel Cards.
When a TikTok user is served an Automotive Ad, they will see eligible items from your catalog. If they click on an item, they will be taken to its mapped URL destination.
If the user continues swiping through items, they can eventually land on an Instant Page format or URL of your choice to browse your full catalog within the app experience.
Driving results
For OEMs
Global auto brand Peugeot recently tested Automotive Ads and saw a 95% improvement in cost per engaged session (CPES) compared to benchmarks. TikTok Automotive Ads was the top-performing platform in this test, with a significantly lower cost per conversion than other platforms, according to Zoe Peacock, Head of Brand Communications & Experience at Peugeot UK.
Peugeot is proud to again be leading the way with our social strategy, as the first UK automotive brand to run Automotive Ads. Our collaboration with our agencies, Starcom and Uncovered, and TikTok in launching Automotive Ads has been highly successful, and meant TikTok was the leading platform in optimizing CPES, our primary KPI.
This success highlights TikTok’s ability to drive highly efficient engagement, solidifying its role as a key platform for Peugeot’s digital strategy.
For dealers
Turnkey Marketing, a leading dealer marketing agency, also saw incredible results with Automotive Ads, exceeding their expectations and putting TikTok at the center of their performance marketing mix, according to Drake Baerrensen, CMO.
Automotive Ads for Inventory are a game-changer for dealerships. They put our clients' prized inventory in front of in-market car shoppers who are not using other social platforms. These ads are incredibly cost-effective and drive results. Automotive Ads are driving a crucial shift from awareness-based marketing to a more transactional approach within the TikTok ecosystem, consistently delivering more and higher-quality traffic to dealership websites every month.
Rev up your advertising with TikTok Automotive Ads
As the automotive industry continues to adapt to the evolving digital marketplace, TikTok Automotive Ads stand out as a tailored solution designed to meet these unique challenges head-on. By offering a range of customizable and user-friendly advertising options, these ads not only enhance the visibility of automotive inventories but also streamline the path to purchase, making it easier for consumers to make informed decisions quickly.
37% of TikTok users are in the market for new or used vehicles.²
Whether you are a dealership looking to promote individual vehicles or an OEM aiming to boost model awareness and consideration, TikTok Automotive Ads provide the tools necessary to drive significant results. With innovative formats like Video + Product Cards and Multi-link Carousel, and strategic features such as automated creative pulls and advanced vehicle matching, TikTok empowers automotive advertisers to navigate the digital landscape with confidence and creativity.
Ready to get started? Reach out to your TikTok sales representative today or learn more about Automotive Ads in the Business Help Center.
Explore more auto marketing solutions, resources and case studies.
Learn moreSources:
Internal Data, US, October 2024-January 2025
GWI, Global, Q3 2023-Q2 2024, TikTok Users 18+, TikTok’s use of this data does not equate to an endorsement.
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