TikTok has topped the inaugural Global Ad Equity index published by media company Kantar after beating off competition from Instagram, Google and Twitter.
The first ever rankings list was created from the feedback and insights of over 700 senior marketing professionals and 4,000 consumers around the world as part of a wider ad equity evaluation of brands and media channels.
Kantar measured consumer attitudes towards advertising by analysing 11 variables and then created the Global Ad Equity rankings from its in-depth research.
TikTok may be the new kid on the social media block, but it managed to beat out more established platforms to top the overall list.
Next up was Instagram in second place, while Snapchat, Google and Twitter rounded out the top five.
The study noted that consumers are very much open to ad-based experiences on newer platforms, but marketers still rely on more mature channels such as YouTube.
The principal ad equity metric also favoured digital media brands overall, rather than offline media companies, which featured further down the list.
Digging deeper into its data, Kantar found that there has been a shift in sentiment regarding marketing spend since the COVID-19 pandemic, a trend that has been noted in other studies.
This has resulted in marketers focusing on the viability and appropriateness of campaigns over return on investment.
Digital channels are also taking up a large proportion of investment, something that is set to accelerate in 2021.
The platforms that are likely to benefit from this include Instagram, YouTube, Google and TikTok as online video becomes even more popular.
Kantar global brand director of media Duncan Southgate advised brands to gain a better understanding of how channel and platform choices can affect brand goals.
He added: “The rush to digital is understandable because of targeting and measurement capabilities, but saturation, repetition and over-targeting in some environments can make this counterproductive.”
