How bilingual ads drive results for brands on TikTok

As a place where community and self-expression thrive, it's no surprise that multicultural audiences have a strong presence on TikTok. Here, individuals can choose how to showcase their unique identities, whether through different languages, hashtags, or trends. The ways that these users self-identify shape their preferences, including how they wish to be addressed by brands. Yet, brands often lack creative guidance on how to communicate with these multicultural, multilingual audiences.

Should the conversation be in one language or a mix? Is using music in a different language enough or should other alterations be made to standard ad creative? The question of creative best practices for engaging with such communities remains open.

In partnership with NRG, we took a closer look at the bilingual audience on TikTok with the goal of helping brands better understand their identity as well as their preferences for ads in different languages.

Who is the bilingual audience?

Bilingual audiences are the future of marketing on and off TikTok, as they are the drivers of US population growth.¹ Already the youngest and largest ethnic group, Hispanics will become a third of the population by 2060. This growing population is highly engaged on social and digital platforms, utilizing them not just for personal connections but also as gateways to engaging with brands. As a hub for community and self-expression, TikTok offers an unparalleled opportunity for brands to authentically engage with this diverse audience where they're already investing their time.

The bilingual Hispanic community on TikTok is a proudly bicultural audience, embracing all aspects of their identity. 72% identify at least partially with Hispanic or Latino culture, while 71% identify with broader American culture. In fact, 17% even agree that they identify completely with both cultures, identifying 100% with American culture and 100% with Hispanic or Latino culture. This 200% sense of belonging is reflected in their social media and ad preferences, as more than half of bilinguals prefer to use both languages when encountering ads and when using social media.²

Brands can create long-lasting connections with this audience by incorporating Spanish language elements in ads, pushing beyond heritage months and speaking to their day-to-day lives year-round through authentic partnership with creators and celebrities from within their communities.

Building brand engagement and connection

Voiceover, captions, music - all elements of TikTok ads that incorporate language and are crucial to the TikTok experience. But which one moves the needle for brands trying to connect with bilingual users? While each of these can have different benefits, our study found that Spanish voiceovers had the greatest impact on upper- and mid-funnel metrics including brand perceptions, connection, engagement, and consideration compared to English-only ads.² Spanish voiceovers not only heighten perceptions of a brand's integrity, but also make Spanish speakers more confident in the brand and help to build relevance.

For those with a stronger preference for Spanish language, voiceovers are especially impactful at driving consumers through the funnel to gather more information. Spanish-dominant speakers were 57% more likely to agree they'd watch more ads from a brand on TikTok after seeing ads featuring Spanish voiceovers versus English-only ads.²

Whether using Spanish voiceovers, captions, or music, this research found it was most impactful to use a mix of languages across these creative elements. Ads resonate most with bilingual speakers when they make use of both languages - an ad entirely in Spanish doesn't speak to the dual sense of identity these audiences feel. Layering English and Spanish creative elements to create balance ensures that brands can speak to bilingual users in a way that feels true to their identity as well as appeal to a broader audience.²

What about non-Spanish speakers?

Brands don't need to worry about alienating English-speaking audiences when incorporating Spanish into their ad creative. Compared to English ads, bilingual ads can yield similar results for brands with this audience, with metrics such as brand favorability remaining equally high.²

In fact, there can even be additional benefits among English-speaking audiences. Millennials on TikTok were especially likely to appreciate brands more for their efforts to be inclusive! When seeing ads that incorporated Spanish, Millennials were 1.6x more likely to say the brand cares about its customers and 1.5x more likely to feel that brand is trustworthy.²

By speaking directly to multicultural audiences in their native languages, brands can foster deeper connections, build brand affinity, and create long-lasting consumer relationships. They can join creators in building community on TikTok, fitting right in with TikTok's ethos of welcoming and celebrating all cultures. Bilingual ads show that brands understand their bilingual audiences and acknowledge them for who they are - not just one culture or another, but a full participant of both.

Sources

1. Census, Demographic Turning Points for the United States: Population Projections for 2020 to 2060, 2020

2. TikTok Marketing Science NA Multilingual Campaign Study (US Results) 2023, conducted by NRG.