TikTok is using its tailgate party, produced for the Super Bowl, to promote the app as a live destination for major brands, and to win a greater share of real-time marketing dollars around the game.
Last week, TikTok announced the headline acts for its third NFL TikTok Tailgate livestream, which will feature Jason Derulo and The Black Keys. The show is TikTok’s best chance to convince advertisers it is a destination for live programming with the full attention of Gen Z.
TikTok has been sending marketing pitches to agencies that rep major brands to advertise around the tailgate show, a live performance preceding the Big Game on Feb. 12. “TikTok has been louder than ever before and they’re making a big to-do about the game,” said one agency exec, who received the proposal. “The package for the tailgate has gotten bigger. It’s more comprehensive, and TikTok also is trying to push sponsors, with media commitments, to do more performance marketing on the app.”
The ad deals around TikTok’s tailgate include TikTok takeovers, which give brands maximum exposure for ads that load up when users first open the app. There also are product mentions and placements in the livestream of the festivities. Brands also are working with creators, who can post custom content. And the advertisers get ad campaigns that run in the week ahead of the game, and after, the agency exec said. Some of the ad packages cost between $2 million and $4 million, depending on the length of the commitment from brands, the agency exec said.