New research from TikTok in partnership with NewtonX reveals a significant gap in advertisers' ambitions for AI automation and its actual implementation.
The study reveals that nine in 10 advertisers and executives expect AI-driven automation to help drive future business growth and 93% believe it will improve their own job performance.
However, only one fifth (19%) have fully integrated AI into their core operations and invested at scale. Advertisers still face a number of implementation challenges, with data privacy and compliance, a lack of in-house skills and the speed of AI innovation all cited as hurdles to adoption.
Despite this gap, expectations are high. With 88% of advertisers and executives predicting automation could halve departmental costs and 81% expecting to see returns within a year.
Despite slow adoption for full integration of AI Automation, 71% of executives surveyed are growing their focus on automation through AI initiatives and increasing investment in AI capabilities, but they need support to move from piecemeal strategies to a cohesive, self-powering engine of productivity.
TikTok is the AI automation partner of choice for advertisers
Marketers are under pressure. An overwhelming majority of CMOs (87%) have experienced campaign performance issues in the last year and almost half were forced to terminate campaigns early due to poor results. It’s more important than ever to innovate creative and marketing strategies.
TikTok is emerging as a leader in AI automation, with more than half (51%) of advertisers ranking it the number one platform for advanced automation in marketing.
Nearly 8 in 10 advertisers say TikTok’s AI-powered features help them move faster and adapt at the speed of culture, while 76% expect to increase their use of TikTok’s automation tools over the next six months.
Thomas Wlazik, Head of Global Business Solutions for Europe at TikTok, says: "Marketing is getting harder. Trends change overnight, and audiences are larger and more diverse than ever. Automation is the superpower that helps brands keep pace with their customers and communities on TikTok. Our suite of tools support advertisers by improving return on effort, investment and creativity, while freeing teams to focus on what really matters - unlocking growth."
TikTok's suite of tools allows marketers to improve their return on effort, investment and creative
Executives and advertisers already use AI automation across the funnel, but they want smarter analytics, predictive insights and more personalised tools to reach audiences. That’s why we’re excited to roll out upgrades across Smart+, Symphony, and GMV Max, bringing together automation, creativity, and commerce to deliver stronger returns on investment.
These updates give advertisers more control while simplifying workflows, from a unified Smart+ buying experience that can be fine-tuned to fit any campaign goals, to Symphony tools that create TikTok-first ads in seconds, to expanded attribution solutions that show TikTok’s full impact.
Smart+ automates the performance advertising process across targeting, bidding, and creative to deliver the right ad to the right person to offer the best performance. Advertisers simply input their assets, budget, and targeting goals and Smart+ automatically creates or selects the best creative asset - utilizing TikTok Symphony, chooses the right audience, and puts the best ad in front of the right customer at the right time. We recently announced upgrades to Smart+ and the overall performance ad buying process by pairing the power of Smart+ with additional controls across targeting, creative, and budget.
TikTok Symphony is TikTok's creative suite of generative AI tools designed to streamline creative production and spark bold new ideas. With Symphony, everything from helping to write a script to producing a video and optimizing assets is effortless and efficient - fueling business success with content that strikes a chord. Built-in performance insights help marketers refine and improve creative strategies over time.
GMV Max is TikTok’s first-of-its-kind solution to maximise total sales from TikTok Shop. It uses advanced AI to automate campaign and creative optimisation, driving stronger returns on paid ads. This innovative solution optimizes traffic across a merchant's organic content, paid ads, and affiliate posts to help merchants improve their total return on investment. GMV Max considerably simplifies ad operations, cutting campaign set up time in half, and allows sellers to reach their audience across all the shoppable placements on TikTok including the For You Feed, Shop Tab, and Search with a single campaign. Our new Creative Hub gives brands more visibility into which creative and creators are driving results.
For a deeper dive into how AI-powered automation can transform marketing strategy and unlock measurable growth, read the full thought paper here.