Why TikTok gives brands a home-field advantage for The Big Game
In terms of cultural relevance, there is nothing quite like The Big Game. Its unique blend of sports, entertainment and advertising captures the attention (and hearts) of even the most casual fans.
As a global entertainment platform that connects communities over shared passions and interests, TikTok not only shapes how audiences engage with major tentpole moments like The Big Game, but also how they discover and connect with brands.
As we reflect on this year's game and look ahead to the next, let's take a look at why TikTok gives brands the home-field advantage for The Big Game, and why it should be factored into your brand's media plans.
The audience is here
Studies show that the TikTok community loves sports. According to a survey, 70% of US TikTok users identify as sports fans. This includes both avid sports fans who regularly watch games, attend sporting events, and keep up with sports news and stats, as well as occasional sports fans, who only tune into major events like The Big Game.¹
The NFL and the Super Bowl are popular with the TikTok community. 56% of US TikTok users identify as fans of the NFL,² and 2 in 3 users surveyed after last year's game (2023) said they were likely to tune in to Super Bowl LVIII this year.³
And it's not just the game that people are excited about. For some, it's all about the ads. More than half of the TikTok audience (55%) say they watch Super Bowl commercials,³ and 51% say they are more excited for the Super Bowl ads than for the game itself.⁴ Super Bowls ads are also the #2 most popular type of Super Bowl content found on TikTok.⁵
The conversation is here
While the actual broadcast for The Big Game can be found on TV, in many ways, the community, conversation and culture around the game are on TikTok.
More than 1 in 3 US TikTok users (39%) watch major sports events to be a part of cultural conversations,¹ with 41% of TikTok sports viewers saying they've watched Super Bowl-related content on the platform.²
The conversation starts on TikTok long before the tailgate parties, ramps up during The Big Game, and continues after the post-game celebrations.
Last year, views of #SuperBowl videos began to rise in November and continued to increase throughout the playoffs.⁶ Super Bowl-related content peaked around the game itself with more than 100,000 new videos posted day-of, followed by 200,000 the next day as people reacted to what they saw. Super Bowl content remained popular for the rest of the week (more than 10,000 videos posted per day) before returning to normal levels.⁷
TikTok and The Big Game
As a hub for sports fandom and content, TikTok provides advertisers with the opportunity to amplify the reach and impact of their campaigns.
According to a study conducted by iSpot TV, 47% of all impressions that ran on TikTok during a cross-category study reached a unique audience, unexposed to the TV portion of the study.⁸
A separate study found that TV advertisers that incorporated TikTok into their Super Bowl media mix saw significant lifts in brand perception compared to brands that advertised on TV alone.³ Specifically, brands that advertised on both TV and TikTok were:
2.8x more likely to be considered a brand associated with sports
1.8x more likely to be considered part of pop culture
1.7x more likely to be considered on top of new and current trends
1.3x more likely to be considered a brand users want to see more of
1.2x more likely to be considered relevant
TikTok-famous skincare brand CeraVe leaned its own TV + TikTok strategy for this year's Big Game, first running an ad on TV followed by a creator-led reaction campaign on TikTok.
"Thanks in large part to TikTok, CeraVe has experienced explosive growth over the last few years so it felt very fitting to tap into our Tik Tok influencers and dermatologists when bringing a non-traditional Super Bowl campaign to life," said Penelope Giraud, CeraVe US General Manager. "Our partners are just as passionate about accessible healthy skin as we are and so we are thrilled to be continuing to build on our collaboration with creators on the platform in new and innovative ways."
Ipsos Awards
This year, TikTok partnered with global market research firm Ipsos to recognize brands that made the best use of TikTok in their Super Bowl LVIII campaigns. We looked at brands that best incorporated TikTok into their overall media mix.
Best TikTok & Spot Combo Award: Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew adopted a multi-channel approach that included a title sponsorship, branding and media opportunities across the TikTok Tailgate Livestream, Super Bowl LVIII Search Hub, Super Bowl LVIII Sunday Topview, Branded Mission, and out-of-home billboards on the ground in Las Vegas.
This approach led to a 50% increase in videos created on TikTok using #MountainDew and a 190% increase in all videos mentioning the brand over the weekend. The brand's Super Bowl LVIII spot on TikTok also saw over 478,000 likes in 3 days.⁹
To see the full list of winners, see Ipsos Creative Excellence Awards: Super Bowl LVIII.
Sources:
TikTok Marketing Science Global Olympics & Sports Survey (US Results) via Suzy, January 2023; Base: US TikTok users 18+ (n=321)
TikTok Marketing Science US Sports & Fandom Survey via AYTM, June 2023. Base: TikTok Users 18+ (n = 500), TikTok Sports Fans (n = 390) [Q5]] and NFL-related content is watched daily on TikTok.
TikTok Marketing Science US Custom Post-Super Bowl Survey via Suzy, February 2023; Base: US TikTok users 18+ (n=998)
TikTok Marketing Science US Custom Pre-Super Bowl Survey via Suzy, February 2023; Base: US TikTok users 18+ (n=1033)
TikTok Marketing Science US Sports Fandom & Events Insights Survey via Suzy April 2022, Base: US TikTok users 18+ (n=280)
TikTok Internal Data, US, 11/01/2022 - 01/29/2023
TIkTok Internal Data, US, 01/30/2023 - 02/13/2023
TikTok Marketing Science Incremental Reach Meta-Analysis, 2023, conducted by iSpotTV. *Note: this stat is for advertising in general, not specific to the Super Bowl.
TikTok Internal Data, US, 02/05/2024 - 02/11/2024