• by Colin Kirkland , May 3, 2024

Despite the forced selloff in the U.S., TikTok is forging ahead with its ad business. At its NewFronts presentation, the ByteDance-owned social-media company announced new premium ad-placement options and additional publishing partners.

After premiering its premium ad feature, “Pulse,” in 2022, TikTok announced “Pulse Premiere” last year, which invites advertisers to place branded videos alongside premium publisher content.

This includes partners like Buzzfeed, Inc., Conde Nast, DotDash Meredith, Hearst Magazines, Major League Soccer, NBCUniversal, UFC, Vox Media and WWE.

“Pulse Premiere helps marketers facing a continued fractured digital marketing landscape cut through the noise and more precisely target key audiences, while providing value for publishers,” TikTok said in 2023.

Since then, TikTok has announced the impact of Pulse, stating that viewers see the ad as more relevant and more favorable when it is served next to trending content, increasing purchase intent by almost 10%.

Now, TikTok has added Paramount Global and the National Hockey League (NHL) to its roster of placements for Pulse promotions, giving Pulse subscribers more publisher content to place their ads next to.

Brands can also seek more relevant placements based on audience and engagement insights in the app.

TikTok also announced more specific placement options for Pulse campaigns. “Pulse Custom Lineups” use generative AI to curate a suite of trending (and brand suitable) content tailored to a brand’s specific needs.

“Pulse Premiere Tentpole Moments” utilizes TikTok’s publisher partnerships to offer brands Pulse Premiere lineups designed to cover tentpole events like the Paris Olympics (from NBCU) and the Met Gala (from Vogue).

In addition, the company is expanding the suite of Premiere lineups to enable advertisers to buy against networks and IP from NBCU, which includes programs like Saturday Night Live, America’s Got Talent and more, as well as Paramount Global, which includes MTV, CBS Sports, The Daily Show and more.

Overall, TikTok is trying to make it easier for brands to reach large, specific audiences by aligning ads with the app's most popular videos.