Here’s What We Learned From TikTok, Meta, Snap & Twitter At IAB NewFronts

Days 2 and 3 of the 2022 IAB NewFronts featured announcements from TikTok, Meta, Snapchat, and Twitter.

Here are the top takeaways and tips from these social video companies – ranked by importance instead of listed chronologically.

TikTok Introduces TikTok Pulse

Last Wednesday, TikTok introduced TikTok Pulse, a new contextual advertising option that enables advertisers to place their brand next to the top content in the For You Feed.

Alongside that announcement came the news that the social video platform will begin exploring its first advertising revenue-sharing program with creators, publishers, and even public figures.

Image from TikTok, May 2022

Since Sandie Hawkins, TikTok’s General Manager of North America Global Business Solutions, and Sofia Hernandez, Global Head of Business Marketing, were speaking to media buyers, they provided more details about how marketers will benefit from TikTok Pulse.

This includes:

• Boost brand exposure by appearing next to the most engaging content: TikTok Pulse will put brands where they really want and need to be – among the top 4% of all the videos on TikTok.
• Drive engagement and action with diverse communities: TikTok will offer 12 categories of Pulse where brands can place their 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 engage with.
• Feel “brand safe” with suitability measurements: TikTok says their proprietary inventory filter ensures that TikTok Pulse ads are running adjacent to verified content with their “highest level of brand suitability.” If you buy that, then I have a bridge to Brooklyn for sale. But, third-party tools will be available to provide advertisers with the ability to analyze and understand brand suitability, verify viewability, and measure the impact of campaigns.

What about the advertising rev share program for creators?

Well, TikTok said in a press release,

“Creators and publishers with at least 100k followers will be eligible in the initial stage of this program.

So, other creators will need to grow their audiences to “feel valued and rewarded on TikTok.”

Storytelling Goes Here: Building Your Brand On Meta

Meta had promised to unveil “its multiplatform video ecosystem that’s designed to help all kinds of brands tell their stories” on Tuesday evening, but the 70–80 people at the NewFronts event held at 281 Park Avenue only remember hearing that over 45% of Instagram accounts like, comment on, or share Reels at least once a week.

Big Blue had also indicated that Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer, would be there, but Nada Stirratt, Meta’s Vice President of The Americas, seemed to be the top executive in the room.

Hey, plans change.

At least actress Keke Palmer, author Samah Dada, Grammy award winner Spencer Ludwig, and actress Daphnique Springs were there in case anyone wanted to ask them how they used Meta platforms.

And Bianca Bradford, Meta’s Head of NA Agency, told everyone at the smallish event that almost 60% of TV viewers turn to their phones during their commercial breaks.

In addition, Wendy’s CMO Carl Loredo talked about the brand’s first virtual restaurant Wendyverse, which can be found in Meta’s Horizon Worlds.

Hey, his campaign, which included in-stream ads, Reels, Instagram Stories, and AR ads, drove people to Wendyverse and saw a 9.1 lift in ad recall.

Image from Wendy’s, May 2022

People recalled your ads.

That’s great – if you sell ads.

But, the last time I checked, Wendy’s sells old-fashioned hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, and salads.

And, you shouldn’t assume that just because people recall your ad, they’re more likely to recall your brand, buy your product, or recommend it to another individual.

So, next time you use a Facebook Brand Lift test, ask questions like:

• “When it comes to fast food, what brands come to mind?”
• “When was the last time you purchased from Wendy’s?
• “How likely is it that you would recommend Wendy’s to a friend or colleague?”

Snapchat: There’s More To The Story

On Tuesday afternoon, Snap announced a partnership with Cameo to help brands connect with influencers to make ads.

In addition, the social media company announced several new and returning Snap Originals.

They also revealed that more than 80% of the US Gen Z Population had watched one of over 150 Snap Originals last year.

Image from Snap, May 2022

The featured Snap Originals include:

• Reclaim(ed) – Snap’s first Canadian Snap Original explores today’s Indigenous culture with hosts Marika Sila and Kairyn Potts, who reframe and reclaim cultural traditions and social issues from a Gen Z point of view.
• Daring Simone Biles – This show stars the winner of 32 Olympic and World Championship medals, who takes all-new risks trying things she’s never done before, from beekeeping to being a DJ.
• Charli Vs. Dixie – After Season 1 of this made-for-mobile show garnered over 20 million viewers, the D’Amelio sisters will go head-to-head again to win money for charity in Season 2.
• Run For Office – This documentary series follows eight Gen Z and millennial political candidates – from across America, across the aisle, and across the spectrum of local offices – as they seek elected office in the 2022 Primary and General Elections.

Snap also announced multi-year content deals with the NFL, WNBA, and NBA.

They also disclosed that 205 million people watched sports content on Snapchat in 2021, and among people aged 18–34, Snap provides almost 40% incremental reach to sports events on TV, sports websites, and apps.

In fact, if you closed your eyes, Snap sounded more like a traditional media company than “a fast and fun way to share the moment with your friends and family.”

Twitter: “Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain”

Twitter had encouraged media buyers to attend their IAB NewFronts presentation on Wednesday evening to “learn what’s happening and what’s next for premium content on the timeline.”

As I’ve already mentioned, plans change.

And Twitter did announce video and audio programming deals with Condé Nast, ESSENCE, E! News, REVOLT, NBCUniversal, and the WNBA.

The microblogging and social networking service also announced Twitter Amplify, which promises to give brands a chance to put their ads right next to video content from Twitter’s content partners.

This is, of course, if Elon Musk doesn’t change those plans.

Oh, it’s also worth noting that Twitter’s NewFronts presentation lasted about 20 minutes, less than the 30 minutes the schedule had indicated it would last.

Hey, everything has to come to an end sometime.

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Featured Image: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock