New meta-analysis shows TikTok ads drive higher incremental sales
In partnership with TransUnion, an analysis of quarterly multi-touch attribution results shows TikTok drives incremental outcomes for advertisers.
In the rapidly evolving world of digital advertising, reaching the right audience at the right time is crucial for driving successful campaigns. TikTok has emerged as an essential platform for advertisers, offering advanced capabilities that ensure ads are shown to users who are most likely to engage with your brand or products.
This efficiency in ad delivery helps brands connect with potential customers and maximizes the effectiveness of every dollar spent. By leveraging TikTok, advertisers can drive more meaningful engagements, increase conversions, and amplify the overall impact of their marketing efforts.
TransUnion has underscored this effectiveness in a recent meta-analysis of TikTok’s performance results. Since announcing its partnership with TransUnion's TruAudience™ Marketing Solutions, TikTok has seen several advertisers across various verticals adopt the measurement solution. This has provided TransUnion with valuable insight into TikTok's multi-touch attribution performance.
The results from this most recent meta-analysis highlight TikTok’s growing role in delivering measurable, impactful outcomes for advertisers.
TikTok offers exclusive reach
One of TikTok's key advantages is its ability to reach unique, untapped audiences, and this exclusive reach is driving incremental conversions.
According to TransUnion's meta-analysis, 52% of consumers who make purchases after seeing TikTok ads were only exposed to TikTok,¹ highlighting minimal overlap with other advertising channels.
TikTok provides exclusive incremental reach, allowing brands to engage with new customer segments. This exclusivity is critical to driving conversions and optimizing ad spend. But, while exclusive reach is essential, TikTok's efficiency as an advertising platform is not limited to audience expansion.
TikTok is more efficient at delivering incremental results
TikTok demonstrates superior efficiency in driving incremental conversions compared to other media channels. According to the study, TikTok delivers 1.8 times the share of conversions relative to its share of spend, highlighting its effectiveness in maximizing advertising dollars.¹
As a result, marketers can expect higher returns as the platform effectively optimizes their campaigns to convert potential customers.
Last-touch attribution undervalues TikTok
TransUnion's analysis also highlights the limitations of last-click attribution in capturing TikTok's actual performance value. TikTok advertisers report 1.4 times more conversions with multi-touch attribution (MTA) than with last-touch models.¹
This suggests that last-touch attribution significantly undervalues TikTok's ability to drive incremental conversions. Last-touch attribution is more suited to scenarios where a user is already near a purchase decision—just one click away—while TikTok is frequently a starting point for further exploration across other platforms.
TransUnion's findings on last-touch attribution serve as a reminder of the need for more comprehensive measurement strategies. To truly understand TikTok’s impact on their advertising efforts, advertisers should adopt a multi-faceted approach to measurement.
Moving toward holistic measurement
We understand that achieving accurate media measurement is an ongoing journey that involves continuous learning, iteration, and refinement. Fortunately, TikTok offers a variety of tools and solutions designed to support this:
Measure incrementality with TikTok's Conversion Lift Study. Use longer attribution windows to help you capture the maximum number of events in your reporting. Conduct incrementality experiments to validate this reporting and calibrate your attribution results.
Tap into media mix modeling (MMM) and multi-touch attribution (MTA) models, which include impressions and clicks as inputs in assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of media. These models differ from traditional attribution models, which rely only on clicks.
Work with TikTok's Measurement team to design in-platform A/B tests to generate learnings and inform media & creative strategy.
Reach out to your account team or Measurement Partner to learn more.
Source: TikTok Marketing Science x TransUnion 2024 meta-analysis. Other channels include Online Display of Online Video, Online Audio, Paid Search, and Other Social Media Platforms. Analysis Dates: Q4 2023 to Q1 2024