How to place Tik Tok performance ads!

I look for advertising ideas everywhere every day, but I never expected that Douyin’s performance ads are the “place where wonderful creativity bursts forth”.

Young people’s imagination, a hodgepodge of styles, unique personal expressions, vivid direct messages, clear conversion links... On Douyin, performance advertising seems to have taken a rocket inspired by inspiration, bringing advertisers unprecedented win-win results in creativity and effectiveness.

But why are some brands so successful and have a firm grasp on user and product conversions, while some brands are still waiting on the sidelines, wondering how to plan for better results?

On the other hand, ByteDance has helped everyone summarize the "4T Rule of Tik Tok Performance Advertising" , which can be said to be a "creative manual" for short video performance advertising.

1. What is the “4T Rule”?

Through observation and analysis of the creative ideas of Douyin's performance ads, Bytedance found that performance ads that can arouse users' interest in watching and trigger effective conversions all follow a common rule - the "4T rule", namely ATTRACT (attraction), TRUST (trust), TEMPT (temptation), and ACT (action) , which gradually push users to complete conversion behaviors.

It is worth mentioning that in the commercial creativity award effect track that ByteDance is about to launch with Golden Investment Awards, the "4T Rule" will be used as a reference for the evaluation of performance advertising creativity, driving the application and conversion capabilities of creativity in the commercial field.

In an advertisement, the "4Ts" correspond to different psychological changes of users when watching:

Attraction:

Set incentives at the beginning of the material to attract target users to stay. Through insights into the target population, establish a high correlation between the content and the population - for example, "If you want to remove formaldehyde, you must do this thing when decorating!" "My child's grades haven't improved after attending many cram schools?" and other content titles can make the target users think "this video is about me", thereby making the content very attractive.

Trust:

Performance advertising needs to make target users believe in the brand’s products or services in a short period of time, which is the basis for subsequent conversion behavior. Content with a more native form and a more realistic tone, such as advertising materials that use real stories or expert testimony, tends to make users feel more trustworthy.

Temptation:

If the target users are attracted by the content and trust the products or services in the video, then giving a promise of benefits at this time will stimulate the users' desires and make them interested. "The first 2,000 downloads can get a free gift package", "Limited time 99 yuan, try first and pay later" and other merchant concessions and rights protection content can often dispel the concerns of target users and make them make conversion decisions more quickly.

Action:

At the end of the material, clearly tell these interested users how to purchase, how to fill out the form, etc., which can better guide them to complete the conversion behavior.

2. Look at benchmark works through brand cases

Let’s watch a few representative videos of the “4T Rule” so that you can understand it more deeply.

Mogujie

(1) The first half of the video uses good-looking models to show off their fashionable outfits. On the one hand, this gives the content a strong aesthetic appeal. On the other hand, each outfit is accompanied by relevant information such as the brand and product style. Together, these two aspects create a good appeal for the content.

(2) The real outfit display in the first half corresponds to the product's functional attributes of "selecting good products" and "teaching matching". The outfit display itself has become an intuitive display of the product, which provides credibility for the content;

(3) Information such as “all big brands available”, “limited time discounts”, and “red envelope coupons for new customers ” greatly enhances the appeal of the product;

(4) Settings such as “Open Mogujie now” and download links in video text clearly explain the action path and enhance users’ motivation to take action.

Alipay

(1) The video’s opening scene is set up with an unexpected plot, “waiting for pie to fall from the sky” , which arouses people’s curiosity. The suspense structure itself also greatly arouses people’s interest in watching the video, releasing a strong attraction.

(2) The original content tone and the platform credibility of "Alipay" create a good trust, making people willing to believe the content discussed in the video.

(3) When the video reaches the part where you can receive the bonus immediately, an image of a red envelope and the words “¥99” appear, clearly indicating the magnitude of the bonus. The performance in the first half of the video where the two actors receive "pie in the sky" is also a hint of benefits. The two work together to enhance the temptation.

(4) The end of the video clearly shows the path to action, and the threshold for action is relatively low, so users are more motivated to take action.

Borgward

(1) “Because of being fired for driving” sets up a plot suspense at the beginning of the video, which arouses the interest of viewers. At the same time, the dialect expression can arouse the favor of people in the corresponding region and thus generate curiosity about the content. The two work together to release attraction.

(2) The combination of the dialect and the video’s highly native tone creates a strong sense of trust and allows people to let down their guard.

(3) Reasonable prices such as “daily payment only costs one meal” and “0 down payment” increase the attractiveness of the product.

(4) “Click below the video to start purchasing.” This simple conversion path greatly enhances consumers’ motivation to take action.

Himalayas

(1) The exaggerated and slightly humorous interpretation makes people very curious about the product and creates a good appeal for the content.

(2) The video’s tone is close to life, and its original look and feel lowers the viewer’s guard, allowing people to trust the content and products.

(3) The product’s efficacy—helping you sleep—is itself very appealing. The content itself does not contain any price-related statements, making people feel that it is an easy-to-obtain, cost-free "benefit", and the product is very attractive.

(4) Clear demonstration of product acquisition channels, low action threshold and strong user motivation.

Gaotu Classroom

(1) The "other people's children" -style plot setting at the beginning of the video will grab the attention of relevant people, release attraction, and thus generate retention.

(2) The overall video design is close to real-life scenes, actors, and dialogues, creating a strong sense of trust with its original feel.

(3) In the latter part of the video, the price, teaching staff, teaching results and other product strengths are used to continuously strengthen the user's perception that the product is "cost-effective", helping to create a good appeal for the product.

(4) The clear action path and low action threshold of “Click below the video to view details” enhance users’ motivation to take action.

2. How to apply the “4T rule”? What is its value?

If you have watched these five videos, you will find that what they have in common is that they restore the real usage scenarios of the products, put users at the center, do not seek to create impressions, but strive to induce users to take consumption actions.

This "4T rule" has certain pioneering significance for the evaluation standards and creative evolution of performance advertising creativity.

For brands

Douyin advertising is not just about being young, personalized, fun, and diverse. To achieve better results, brands need to bring consumers into the mindset from time to time. For the performance advertising being planned, ask yourself four questions:

(1) Am I the target audience? ——Corresponding attraction

(2) Why should I believe you? ——Corresponding trust

(3) Why should I buy it now? ——Corresponding temptation

(4) How should I complete the purchase? ——Corresponding action

Based on the "4T Rule", brands use Douyin, a traffic platform with a huge user base, to achieve more genuine communication with users through more interesting expressions and broader integration, thereby driving their own rejuvenation and reverse growth.

For the advertising industry

In China's nearly trillion-dollar advertising market, performance advertising accounts for nearly 80%. With the help of the traffic and expression form of short videos, the creativity level of performance advertising has been rapidly increasing.

In the past, the industry lacked widely accepted criteria when evaluating the creative conception and performance of performance advertising. Now, the "4T Rule" may be a very good reference.

For advertisers

Through these "TikTok-style" performance ads, advertisers should see more new creative possibilities, whether in form or content. Changing one's mindset and cultivating performance advertising thinking are just as important as pursuing big ideas alone.

The conversion purposes of performance advertising are varied, and the styles of materials corresponding to different conversion purposes are also different. A good performance advertising material does not necessarily have to follow the 4T rules in a programmed manner, but needs to be adjusted according to the actual situation.

#Interactive Topic#: What characteristics do you think are of excellent performance advertising?