84% of videos published by brands on TikTok are underperforming, according to a new study by the global creative effectiveness platform DAIVID. Although social media is becoming increasingly important in the marketing professional segment, brand-generated content has shown below-average levels of positive emotions, attention, and brand recall.
The survey conducted by the platform showed that, of the 84%, 60% of the videos are forgettable, generating below-average positive emotional responses and low brand recall, and 24% even evoke intense negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, embarrassment, disgust, and shame. The study concluded that TikTok content was 9% less likely to generate intense positive emotions than the global average and attracted 2.5% less attention.
According to Fabio Gonçalves, director of international talent at Viral Nation and an expert in the influencer marketing market, branded videos on TikTok are delivering below-expected results because many companies have yet to understand the authenticity and creativity that the platform demands.
“Attempts to create content that is too polished or has an advertising tone end up disconnecting from the spontaneous style that resonates with the network’s audience. Additionally, there is a distinct lack of emotional and engaging narratives, which leads to easily forgettable videos. On TikTok, immediate emotional impact is essential, and when that doesn’t happen, brand recall becomes low,” he explains.
In order to improve the performance and reach of these videos, Fabio highlights the importance of influencer marketing in this type of content. According to the influencer agent, the key is to give creators creative freedom: "When brands allow influencers to express their creativity authentically, the content tends to connect better with the audience. This doesn't mean abandoning the brand's values or image, but rather trusting the creator to translate the brand's message in a way that resonates with the platform's audience. The partnership between brands and creators should be based on trust, respecting important guidelines, but without limiting the innovation and spontaneity that make TikTok so effective."
Another point raised by the professional is that the unsatisfactory results of this content reflect the excessive focus of brands on superficial metrics, such as impressions and engagement, without evaluating the true emotional impact: “A lot of content is generating negative emotions, such as anxiety and shame, which can seriously damage the brand's reputation. On TikTok, innovation and the ability to surprise are fundamental, and replicating generic formulas from other platforms simply doesn't work. Brands need to rethink their creative approaches to genuinely connect with the network's audience,” he adds.
STUDY METHODOLOGY
The TikTok research conducted by DAIVID was carried out using the company's Self-Serve solution, which is currently in beta phase. The solution uses a model — trained with millions of consumer data points — to predict the emotions generated by an advertisement, the amount of attention it is likely to attract, and its expected impact on various brand and business metrics. Using a combination of computer vision, computational listening, facial encoding, eye tracking, survey data, and machine learning, DAIVID's model allows advertisers to evaluate, quantify, and improve the effectiveness of their creativity at scale. In total, 50 TikTok videos from five different major brands — randomly selected from a variety of sectors — were included in the study. The selected brands were: Persil, Mercedes, Duolingo, Gucci, and Samsung.
