Study: Product Placement Featured In 90% Of Brand Videos On TikTok

Almost all brand videos on TikTok feature a product, according to an analysis by video editor company InVideo.

The research revealed that 90% of brand videos on TikTok had some form of product placement. Influencers and celebrities are also common, with a quarter of videos featuring an endorsement or collaboration with an influencer (26%) or celebrity (24%).

But just 4% of brand videos include a call to action, suggesting a tendency from brands to avoid explicit advertising and messaging on this platform. This supports additional research which suggests original and creative content that builds visibility and discovery is expected to be a key area of focus for brands on TikTok.

Although product placement is the most common strategy, the average number of views for videos with a product is relatively low, at 7.1m per post.

Instead, videos with a brand event attract the most views, being viewed 19.7m times on average.

Brands are giving more attention to TikTok as the platform grows rapidly – its user base has trebled over the past year. Although it has typically proven more popular with female and younger audiences, the platform is expanding to older demographics. This will likely attract a diverse range of brands to the platform.

However, brands need to look beyond immediate click metrics, as audiences often delay brand engagement on TikTok so as to not interrupt content browsing. This will become more important as the platform grows its social commerce activity, particularly among Gen Z consumers.