New Dentsu research seeks to highlight short & long term ROI of TikTok

A new report claims that TikTok ranks among the top-performing media channels, with 75% of advertisers in the study stating they achieved their highest ROI on the platform.

The report, by advertising holding company Dentsu and TikTok for Business, reported an average short-term ROI of 11.8 and noted the sales effects extended 3-4 weeks post-campaign.

Key findings: The study, which focused on Nordic markets, had TikTok the highest performing channel and claims "most brands are under investing in TikTok". It argues TikTok is both a performance and brand-building platform. To maximize ROI, brands should leverage always-on campaigns, creator-driven storytelling, and engaging content rather than one-off promotional bursts.

The study also looked at long term returns with the authors arguing they saw a clear brand building impact and "better resonance than other digital channels".

The report also compared Storytelling content to direct response content and found creator-generated storytelling content (CGC with a narrative) had a 70% higher ROI than direct-response promotional CGC.

Story-driven ads generated higher engagement and longer view times, making them more memorable.

Disclosure: The author does consulting to a range of media businesses across influencer, television, radio/audio and marketing.