Effective for search lift: The business impact of TikTok ads visualized by correlation coefficients | DIGIDAY[Japan]

Purchasing behavior is also changing with the times. However, for brands, the user’s voluntary “search” action is still an important indicator, and it plays a role as a factor to measure consumer interest and willingness to buy. So how effective are ads in terms of search lift?

TikTok has many users who are fascinated by highly entertaining content and tend to act spontaneously after absorbing information. Taking advantage of such characteristics of TikTok, it was revealed for the first time by verification that TikTok leads to search lift in the advertising campaign of the paid multi-channel broadcasting service “SKY PerfecTV!” which was implemented from March this year.

This time, we spoke to advertiser SKY PerfecTV JSAT Kenya Onosato, advertising agency GMO NIKKO’s Akio Kato, TikTok for Business Japan sales representative Aika Otsuka, and consulting representative Shun Nakayama about advertising measures. .

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――Please tell us about the outline of the SKY PerfecTV! advertising campaign and the background of placing it on TikTok.

Kenya Onozato (hereafter, Onozato): SKY PerfecTV! had problems such as declining recognition and search volume, and a decrease in the amount of conversation on SNS. In order to improve these issues, last year we implemented an ad campaign with a “basic plan” of unlimited viewing of 50 channels in 11 genres on four ad platforms, including display ads and SNS ads. Then, we decided to implement the second campaign from March this year, and this time we also had a KPI of “I want to increase the number of searches.”

Akio Kato (hereafter Kato): In response to SKY PerfecTV!’s request, we proposed the use of TikTok advertising as a measure to increase search lift. Analyzing the results of last year’s campaign, we found that videos are more effective for search lift than static images, and TikTok users are active, so we think that it is easy to lead to searches and purchases. I did.

Onosato: The main subscribers of the basic plan of SKY PerfecTV! Many of TikTok’s users are young people, so we thought the target audience would be different, but TikTok’s user base is expanding as awareness and search numbers have improved. I felt the need to approach new targets, so I decided to take on the challenge.

Kato:This time, we utilized the programmatic advertising brand auction, and its business impact was greater than we expected. Three indicators were particularly notable: “correlation coefficient between search volume and number of TikTok ad imps,” “LP stay time,” and “exit rate.” The correlation coefficient between search volume and number of impressions for TikTok ads was 0.7 for TikTok, compared to 0.2 to 0.5 for other advertising platforms. Among them, the number of views for 6 seconds had a very high correlation of 0.8. And while the average dwell time on LP was just under 30 seconds on other platforms, it was three times longer on TikTok at 1 minute and 30 seconds.

This shows that after viewing a TikTok ad, the TikTok ad was strongly related to the user’s search volume, increasing their interest in SKY PerfecTV!.

Onosato: Regarding the withdrawal rate, it is usually 80-90% via advertisement, but TikTok is about 70%. We were able to promote inflow of high-quality users to the extent that inflow from organic search is not much different. This was the first time I tried TikTok, but I am satisfied with the high engagement rate of young people who can be new customers and the low CPE (cost per engagement).

――Why did you get good results for each index, including search lift?

Onosato:I think this is probably because the highly entertaining advertising creative and TikTok were a good match. The materials used this time had interesting content, with unique characters engaging in conversations. We believe that the high compatibility between the creative and the platform, and the fact that TikTok users were interested in watching it, were reflected in the numbers.

Kato: Many creators’ works using animation are posted on TikTok. In order to have it seen by many people, we assigned a popular illustrator to create the animation.

When creating the creative, we were conscious of the TikTok style and the audience, and wanted to provide content that people would find interesting rather than advertising, and as a result, we were able to maintain the effect for a longer period of time than we had expected.

――How do you evaluate this result as TikTok for Business?

Aika Otsuka (hereinafter referred to as Otsuka): Even though SKY PerfecTV!’s ad creative appeared between the two pieces of content in the “Recommended” feed, it was accepted by users without any discomfort, and I think it was able to convey its appeal points well.

Additionally, GMO NIKKO verified this using correlation coefficients, and it was visualized that advertising also has a search lift effect.Thanks for the newTikTok adsI was able to discover the charm of, and I am very grateful.

Shun Nakayama (hereafter referred to as Nakayama):While there are various indicators for performance reviews, I think it is very unique that you focused on “correlation with search” and gave a positive evaluation. As the concept of so-called search lift spreads,TikTok adsYou will be able to realize the influence of This case of SKY PerfecTV! was a valuable opportunity to expand the possibilities of the TikTok platform. thank you very much.

――Please tell us your opinion as an advertising agency why TikTok leads to search.

Kato: I feel that there is a difference in motivation when watching depending on the media and platform. On TikTok, many users are highly inquisitive about things they don’t yet know about, and they become more interested in content that looks interesting and actively search to find out more. Therefore, the high level of motivation to watch TikTok may easily lead to the next action.

Another appeal of TikTok is that comments are more actively used than other platforms. If a product appears in a video, you can get a certain amount of information just by looking at the comment section, such as reviews after use and sales information. I believe that this will deepen your understanding and motivate you to “Let’s investigate in detail.”

――What did you realize once again about the superiority of TikTok through this initiative?

Onori: TikTok means that any product can reach users depending on the creative. By posting on TikTok, we were able to expand awareness of SKY PerfecTV! to a demographic that we had not been able to reach before. This time, the first video I prepared matched well, so I ended up changing the content only once, but from now on, I feel it’s important to always be prepared to continue making an impact with new creatives. I am.

Kato: TikTok has a diverse user base and is full of various content, so some customers may be hesitant because their target age group is older, but these customers are the ones who are using TikTok. I would like you to try it. One of the important points at that time is to make the creative unique to TikTok. I think this will create an opportunity to capture the hearts of new users.

――Now that you know that you are strong in search, are there any industries or industries that you would like to recommend?

Otsuka:Regardless of industry or industry, all customers who have product names or keywords they want to appeal to and who place importance on search.TikTok adsI would like you to use it. Additionally, I think people search when they want to know more or understand more, so I think it’s suitable for customers whose purpose is to promote understanding. This time, SKY PerfecTV! approached not only the actual demographic, but also the latent demographic. I think TikTok is also effective in finding new customers, so I would like those who haven’t tried it yet to consider it.

Nakayama: When creating a media plan, you may think of each advertising medium in isolation, but you should not forget that media and platforms can actually create synergistic effects with each other.This time, by proving the correlation between TikTok and search, we are also reaching out to customers in new industries and industries.TikTok adsWe hope that you will consider this.

Otsuka: One of the charms of TikTok is that everything from recognition to acquisition happens consistently.TikTok for BusinessHowever, we are currently working on a project called “Brandformance,” which is effective for both brand advertising and performance advertising. The act of searching is an intermediate indicator from recognition to acquisition, so we will continue to pay attention to search lift, and we will also proceed with verification of each funnel that occurs from recognition to acquisition, so that we can support acquisition, which is the biggest business impact. Masu.

Sponsored by TikTok for Business Japan
Written by DIGIDAY Brand STUDIO (Chihiro Yamamoto)
Photo by Yukikazu Watanabe