Kantar analyzed the reactions of 21,000 consumers across seven global markets to determine how TikTok’s premium advertising formats impact long-term brand goals compared to standard In-Feed placements. The researchers focused heavily on emotional resonance, ad recall, and overall brand perception.
Leaders in Recall and Salience
TopView, the format that greets users immediately upon opening the app, emerged as the most powerful tool for ad recall. It delivers a 3.5x higher increase in recall than standard In-Feed ads, with the multiplier reaching up to 5.4x in specific markets. The format also secured the highest MDS Power Score, boosting relative brand salience by 71%.
Top Feed, positioned in the very first ad slot of the "For You" feed, demonstrated a 2.2x growth in recall. Its core strength lies in its broad emotional impact, allowing brands to amplify specific characteristics depending on the market while driving an 81% increase in brand salience compared to standard feed ads.
Building Audience Trust
Pulse Core, which places advertisements adjacent to the platform's most engaging user-generated content (UGC), showed the strongest influence on trust. This placement received the highest reliability ratings among all premium options, adding an average of 5.7 points to ad recall. Overall, 89% of respondents reacted positively to TikTok’s premium ad formats, with 28% showing a positive response right from their first exposure.
Rethinking Media Planning
Kantar analysts suggest that advertisers frequently misjudge TikTok campaigns by relying solely on short-term metrics like CPM, CTR, or VTR, thereby missing long-term brand equity. To maximize efficiency, brands should strategically combine formats. In-Feed ensures steady audience reach, TopView acts as a massive recall anchor, Top Feed fosters emotional connection, and Pulse Core solidifies consumer trust.
