What are the video ad formats on TikTok beyond In-Feed Ads?

What is a Branded Hashtag Challenge?

TikTok documents that a Branded Hashtag Challenge (HTC) gathers creative content from the TikTok community by leveraging enjoyable trends that anyone can join. When brands sponsor such a challenge, it becomes a Branded Hashtag Challenge, which is an effective way to increase awareness, drive engagement, and expand a fanbase. These challenges have shown a median engagement rate of 17.5%.

More than half of the return on ad spend from HTC campaigns has been attributed to organic video views, which can extend well beyond the campaign period. To enhance these challenges, brands can combine an HTC with a Branded Effect, generating more relevant and on-brand videos through unique 2D or 3D effects like animated backgrounds or responsive masks. Another option is an HTC with a Hashtag Emoji, which adds a customized brand emoji next to the hashtag wherever it appears, from the official hashtag page to the search box or any video using it.

To maximize visibility for a Branded Hashtag Challenge, marketers can use open-screen products like TopView. TopView ads appear full-screen when users first open the TikTok app. Bundling a Branded Hashtag Challenge with TopView has been shown to make it five times more likely that users will post a relevant video.

How do Branded Effects work?

TikTok says Branded Effects enable marketers to engage with the community's appreciation for creativity, joy, and self-expression. These effects are a favorite form of expression for the TikTok community. Branded Effects offer a robust suite of customizable filters, allowing users to interact with a brand in various ways.

Effect House Branded Effects can be highly customized with specific brand elements and can include features such as calls-to-action and custom audience targeting to meet a brand's campaign needs. At a higher level, Branded Effects facilitate immersive discovery. For mid-funnel engagement, augmented reality (AR) formats allow audiences to directly experience a message, providing depth of connection and memorability crucial for message retention.

Using a Branded Effect ensures that content is clearly labeled, attributable to the brand, and ready for discovery. All ad formats can showcase the effect and direct the community to the effects page. There are also optional call-to-action placements available to guide users from the camera page or For You feed to an external link. TikTok also recommends using a Branded Effect as a requirement for optimal campaign performance in a Branded Mission.

What is a Branded Mission?

TikTok documents that when creating a Branded Mission, advertisers must outline their requirements for TikTok creators. Advertisers also need to provide at least one example video to show the type of content they want creators to make. For optimal campaign performance, TikTok highly recommends including a requirement for creators to use or trigger a Branded Effect.

Branded Mission assets and details populate a dedicated Branded Mission page for creators to evaluate the campaign. There are also Branded Mission entry points for creators to discover the campaign. The advertiser name has a character limit of 24 English characters, and the Branded Mission name has a character limit of 70 English characters.

The Branded Mission icon picture size should be 240 x 240 pixels, with a file size of 500KB or less, and in PNG, JPG, or JPEG format. For videos submitted to a Branded Mission, TikTok specifies a 9:16 aspect ratio, which means the video is taller than it is wide. The resolution should be at least 720x1280 pixels, and the file size 100MB or less. The bit rate should be higher than 2,500 kbps.

What is a TopView ad?

TikTok describes TopView as an open-screen product that appears full-screen when users first open the TikTok app. This placement is designed to maximize visibility for campaigns.

TopView can be particularly effective when leveraged with other ad formats. For instance, bundling a Branded Hashtag Challenge with TopView has been shown to make it five times more likely that users will post a relevant video for the challenge.

Common questions

What is the recommended video aspect ratio for Branded Missions?

For videos in a Branded Mission, TikTok specifies a 9:16 aspect ratio. This means the video is taller than it is wide, suitable for vertical viewing on mobile devices. The resolution should be at least 720x1280 pixels, and the file size 100MB or less.

Can Branded Effects include calls-to-action?

Yes, Branded Effects can include calls-to-action. Effect House Branded Effects can be highly customized with branded elements and include features like calls-to-action and custom audience targeting. There are also optional call-to-action placements to drive users from the camera page or For You feed to an external link.

How effective are Branded Hashtag Challenges?

Branded Hashtag Challenges are an effective way to boost awareness, drive engagement, and build a bigger fanbase. They have shown a median engagement rate of 17.5%. More than half of the return on ad spend driven by these campaigns was attributed to organic video views, extending beyond the campaign period.

What are the character limits for a Branded Mission?

For a Branded Mission, the advertiser name has a character limit of 24 English characters. The Branded Mission name itself has a character limit of 70 English characters.

How can I increase user participation in a Branded Hashtag Challenge?

To increase user participation in a Branded Hashtag Challenge, you can maximize visibility by leveraging open-screen products like TopView, which appear full-screen when users first open the TikTok app. Bundling a Branded Hashtag Challenge with TopView has been shown to make it five times more likely that users will post a relevant video.