Advertisers can now pay to show up in TikTok search results, but that's where the similarities to Google end. Users come to TikTok with a different mindset - more passive and open to discovery, compared to Google's searchers, who are typically driven by intent.
TikTok execs have been reiterating this in their conversations with agencies and brands in recent weeks. They're pitching search ads as a way to boost product discovery and research, not as a direct sales driver.
From our perspective, while TikTok has positioned their search tool as an alternative to traditional search and has inquired about sourcing budget from other channels, we view it as an additional placement against the app to optimize against and advocate for more budget against if performance dictates it.
The promise of performance is enticing, but TikTok needs to do more convincing before budgets start shifting.
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