Reshaping the screen: the power of TikTok and TV synergy.
The Italian media landscape is undergoing a structural transformation, moving from scheduled "prime-time" viewing to an "always-on" video ecosystem.
According to WPP Media Analysis, based on Audi data, 55% of the total media time spent is dedicated to video content. However, data reveals that traditional linear TV is experiencing a decline in efficiency. For example, the same investment in GRPs on linear TV now yields 7 points less reach among adults 25-64 than it did seven years ago. The research suggests the solution is not to replace TV, but to pair it with TikTok, which has reached a mass-market scale of 25,2 million monthly users in Italy (avg. Jul-Dec25).
How TikTok is becoming pivotal in Italy’s evolving video ecosystem
The integration between TV and TikTok creates a powerful synergy that fills coverage gaps. By adding TikTok to a TV plan, brands can generate an incremental reach ranging from 7 to 24 percentage points. According to WPP Media elaborations on Kubik results, this approach is also highly cost-effective, driving savings of up to 48% in Cost Per GRP compared to big-screen campaigns alone.
Let's see this synergy in action
Practical case studies from the whitepaper demonstrate how this synergy works across different sectors:
Food Sector: while food brands are traditionally driven by linear TV, the integration of TikTok provides a superior way to translate engagement into purchasing decisions. In a campaign for ready meals, adding TikTok to a one-week linear TV plan expanded the total reach among Adults 25-54 by +19 percentage points. TikTok was particularly effective at rebalancing the audience, providing an incremental reach of +23 percentage points for the 25-34 age group. The TikTok integration achieved an 8% saving in the Cost per Reach Point compared to linear TV alone. The synergy between these channels generated an impact that would have required three times the budget if using linear TV alone. Analysis of Marketing Mix Models (MMM) shows that TikTok yields a +50% higher ROI compared to other social platforms and a +127% higher ROI than traditional video online channels.
Automotive Sector: TikTok serves as a strategic "full-funnel" channel that moves users from discovery to action. Adding TikTok to a "Big Screen" plan (TV + CTV) generated a +10.8 percentage point increase in total reach for adults aged 18-54, improving overall efficiency, resulting in an 8% saving in the cost per reach point. The combined campaign achieved a 4-point increase in Ad Recall and an ROI 180% stronger than traditional online video platforms.
Beauty & Skincare: In a campaign targeting women aged 35–64, adding TikTok to a "Big Screen" (Linear TV + CTV) strategy increased the overall campaign reach, with TikTok providing a +18.9 percentage point incremental reach for the 35–44 age group and +15.3 percentage points for the 55–64 age group. Integrating TikTok led to significant cost savings, including a 30% reduction in Cost Per GRP (CPG) and a 13% saving in Cost per Reach Point compared to a big-screen-only plan. This results also on business impact: TikTok accelerated the journey from engagement to conversion, delivering a +23% higher ROI than the average of offline and online video channels and the analysis of saturation curves indicates that TikTok maintains its effectiveness even at higher investment levels, providing significant headroom for brands to scale their budgets to unlock further growth.
Driving business results
The impact on business growth is driven by TikTok's unique "lean-in" engagement. Data from Neurons and TikTok Marketing Science shows that when an ad is on screen, TikTok users fixate on it 99% of the time, compared to 76% on other platforms. This high-quality attention translates into sales. WPP findings show that integrating TikTok with TV can increase ROI by over 30% in categories like Personal Care and Food.
Three main benefits for advertisers
Based on the WPP Media whitepaper, here are the three main benefits of adding TikTok to a TV plan for an Italian advertiser:
Profile rebalancing and incremental reach: Integrating TikTok corrects the natural demographic imbalance of linear TV, which currently skews towards a much older audience in Italy. TikTok acts as a strategic "corrector," delivering incremental reach of up to 24 percentage points and rebalancing the campaign profile by reaching audiences that traditional TV alone misses.
Enhanced cost efficiency: Adding TikTok to the media mix delivers substantial economic benefits, including a reduction in Cost Per GRP (CPG) of up to 48%. On average, advertisers can save between 1% and 10% on the Cost per Reach Point compared to big-screen-only media.
Superior ROI and sales impact: The synergy between TikTok and TV drives a measurable increase in business outcomes, evidenced by an ROI uplift of over 30% in key categories like Food and Personal Care. In the retail sector, case studies show that sales contributions from TikTok can triple over a three-year period even when spend remains stable.
A four-step action plan for brands
Plan: Leverage the Kubik platform to model investments and forecast exactly how much incremental reach TikTok will add to a TV plan.
Activate: Orchestrate channels synergistically, using TV for broad awareness and TikTok for deeper audience engagement.
Measure: Use Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) to measure the true incremental contribution of each channel to sales, rather than relying on basic digital metrics.
Scale: Once a positive ROI is confirmed by the data, establish TikTok as a permanent, structural component of the media mix.
Download the full paper here: Long version