Days 2 and 3 2022 IAB New Frontier Featured announcements from TikTok, Meta, Snapchat and Twitter.
Here are the top takeaways and tips from these social video companies—in order of importance, not chronology.
TikTok launches TikTok Pulse
Last Wednesday, TikTok launched Douyin pulsea new contextual advertising option that enables advertisers to place their brands next to popular content in the For You Feed.
Alongside the announcement comes news that the social video platform will begin exploring its first ad revenue sharing program with creators, publishers and even public figures.
As Sandie Hawkins, general manager of global commerce solutions for TikTok North America, and Sofia Hernandez, head of global commerce marketing at TikTok, spoke with media buyers, they provided more details on how marketers can benefit from TikTok Pulse.
This includes:
- Increase brand exposure by appearing next to the most engaging content: TikTok Pulse will put brands where they really want and need – in the top 4% of all videos on TikTok.
- Drive engagement and action with diverse communities: TikTok will offer 12 categories of Pulse where brands can place ads next to the most “culturally relevant” content. These categories include beauty, fashion, cooking and gaming, as well as many other verticals that the TikTok community loves and brands want to participate in.
- Feeling “Brand Safe” with Suitability Measurements: TikTok says their proprietary inventory filters ensure TikTok Pulse ads run adjacent to verified content with the “highest level of brand suitability”. If you do, then I have a bridge to Brooklyn for sale. However, third-party tools will be available to allow advertisers to analyze and understand brand fit, verify viewability, and measure campaign impact.
What about the creator’s ad broadcast sharing program?
Well, TikTok is in a Press release,
“Creators and publishers with at least 100,000 followers will be eligible during the initial phase of the program.
As such, other creators will need to grow their audiences to “feel valued and rewarded on TikTok.”
Storytelling is here: Building Your Brand on Meta
Meta had promised to launch a “multi-platform video ecosystem designed to help brands of all kinds tell their stories” on Tuesday night, but the 70-80 people who attended the NewFronts event at 281 Park Avenue only remembered hearing that more than 45% of Instagram’s weekly Like, comment, or share Reels’ account at least once.
Big Blue also said Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg would be in attendance, but Meta’s VP of Americas Nada Stirratt appeared to be the top executive in the room.
Hey, plans have changed.
At least actress Keke Palmer, writer Samah Dada, Grammy winner Spencer Ludwig and actress Daphnique Springs were there in case anyone wanted to ask how they were using the Meta platform.
Meta’s head of North American agency Bianca Bradford told the small event that almost 60 percent of TV viewers use their phones during commercial breaks.
Additionally, Wendy’s CMO Carl Loredo spoke about the brand’s first virtual restaurant, Wendyverse, which can be found in Meta’s Horizon Worlds.
Hey, his campaign, which includes in-stream ads, Reels, Instagram Stories, and AR ads, drives people to the Wendyverse with a 9.1 increase in ad recall.
Image via Wendy, May 2022People recall your ad.
Great – if you sell ads.
However, the last time I checked, Wendy was selling old-fashioned hamburgers, chicken sandwiches and salads.
And, just because people recall your ad, you shouldn’t assume they’re more likely to recall your brand, buy your product, or recommend it to others.
So next time you’re using the Facebook Brand Lift test, ask the following questions:
- “When you think of fast food, what brands do you think of?”
- “When was the last time you shopped at Wendy’s?
- “How likely are you to recommend Wendy’s to a friend or colleague?”
Snapchat: There are more stories
On Tuesday afternoon, Snap announced a partnership with Cameo to help brands connect with influencers to create ads.
Additionally, the social media company announced several new and returning Snap Originals.
They also revealed that more than 80% of US Gen Z viewers watched one of more than 150 Snap Originals last year.
Image via Snap, May 2022Featured Snap Originals include:
- Recycle (edit) – Snap’s first Canadian Snap Original explores today’s Aboriginal culture with hosts Marika Sila and Kairyn Potts as they reframe and restore cultural traditions and social issues from a Gen Z perspective.
- Bold Simone Byers – The show stars the 32-time Olympic and World Championship medallist as she takes brand new risks to try things she’s never done before, from beekeeping to becoming a DJ.
- Charlie Vs.Dixie – After attracting more than 20 million viewers in season 1 of the show for mobile, the D’Amelio sisters will go head-to-head again in season 2 to win money for charity.
- run for office – This documentary series follows eight Gen Z and millennial political candidates — from across the United States, across aisles, and across local offices — as they seek elected office in the 2022 primary and general election.
Snap also announced multi-year content deals with the NFL, WNBA and NBA.
They also revealed that 205 million people will watch sports content on Snapchat in 2021, with Snap providing nearly 40% incremental coverage for sports on TV, sports sites and apps among the 18-34 age group.
In fact, if you close your eyes, Snap sounds more like a traditional media company than “a quick and fun way to share moments with friends and family.”
Twitter: “Ignore the people behind the scenes”
Twitter is encouraging media buyers to attend their IAB NewFronts presentation on Wednesday night to “learn what’s going on and what’s next for premium content on the timeline.”
As I already mentioned, plans will change.
Twitter did announce video and audio programming deals with Condé Nast, ESSENCE, E!! NEWS, REVOLT, NBCUniversal and WNBA.
The microblogging and social networking service also announced Twitter Amplify, which promises to give brands the opportunity to place their ads alongside video content from Twitter’s content partners.
This is of course If Elon Musk doesn’t change these plans.
Oh, and it’s also worth noting that Twitter’s NewFronts demo lasted about 20 minutes, less than the 30 minutes the timeline shows.
Hey, it will all end someday.
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Featured image: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock
