Search remains an important piece of the advertising mix, but evolving consumer preferences — particularly among younger demographics like Gen Z — have spurred more brands to rethink their strategies beyond traditional search engines to focus on popular platforms like TikTok.
To meet the moment, Eventbrite, the global events marketplace, is among the first to have utilized a new TikTok search tool for a campaign that has so far driven a 66% increase in click-through rates and helped the brand engage with its target millennial and Gen Z audience.
“This campaign is what we are now calling business as usual as part of our mix of channels, basically,” said Laura Benayas, Eventbrite’s head of growth marketing. “With this campaign we brought really good improvement in KPIs.”
Over 3.2 billion daily searches occur on TikTok worldwide, and 23% of TikTok users search for something within 30 seconds of opening the app, according to data shared by the company. To help advertisers reach that audience, TikTok in September launched Search Ads Campaign, its first keyword-targeting search solution.
TikTok’s Search Ads Campaign allows brands to place ads on the search results page with precise keyword targeting. These efforts have budgets that live separately from their in-feed video campaigns. The solution builds on the platform’s Automatic Search Placement feature, which allows brands to serve ads in TikTok search results. Search Ads Campaign is currently offered in the U.S. and TikTok is aiming to launch the tool in select regions globally this year.
“Historically, people have had the idea that you go to TikTok to swipe, to discover, but now people are actually searching to discover,” said Brian Torpey, global director of search product solutions and operations at TikTok. “I think it’s fair to say we’re more than just an entertainment platform.”
Searching for inspiration
Eventbrite has been utilizing TikTok’s ad products since 2023 and began using the Search Ads Campaign solution in October to increase its odds of connecting with younger users, especially Gen Z, said Benayas. Eventbrite is a self-service platform that allows users to create and discover live events and currently has over 87 million average monthly active users.
“Search ads … represents a game changer, because they allow us to connect with people right when they are actively looking for something to do,” Benayas said. “On the weekend, you might hop on TikTok to get ideas, to get excited about something to do, to get inspired about something to do — that’s exactly where we want to be.”
Through its search campaign, which is still live, Eventbrite is targeting event-goers with keywords like “travel” and “food & drink.” In addition to helping the brand boost click-through rates, the campaign has decreased overall cost-per-acquisitions (CPAs) by 33% on complete payment transactions. Eventbrite offers services to event creators who host both free and paid events, but only focuses on paid transactions from a performance marketing perspective.
A focus on event discovery is mirrored in other aspects of Eventbrite’s business. The company recently launched its first brand refresh and app redesign since 2019 to prioritize discovery via new social features and curated lists. The moves could help the company contend with business struggles. Eventbrite reported net revenue of $76.5 million in the fourth quarter, a decrease of 13% year over year, according to its latest earnings report. However, total and free ticket volumes returned to growth during the quarter.
Questions remain
Search Ads Campaigns have also been leveraged by brands Glossier and American Eagle, and TikTok has observed strong results for campaigns in the retail space, according to Torpey. Advertisers that are running Search Ads Campaigns to complement their in-feed ads are also seeing a 20% increase in conversions on average, the executive said.
TikTok’s bigger search push comes as the preference for search engines like Google declines in contrast to social media, particularly among younger demographics, with 46% of Gen Z and 35% of millennials now preferring to search via social. Simultaneously, Google’s share of the search engine market dropped to 89% at the end of 2024, the first time it had fallen below 90% in 10 years, according to Statcounter, a signal that brands could be reassessing their search strategies.
Still, uncertainty lingers around TikTok as its April 5 sell-off deadline approaches following a 75-day extension offered by President Donald Trump on a law that would have banned the app in January unless it sold to U.S. ownership. President Trump indicated he will likely provide another extension for the ByteDance app if a deal is not reached by then. The administration has stated it is in talks with four groups about a potential sale.
While questions remain around TikTok’s fate, the app’s ad revenue could hit $32.4 billion this year — 24.5% year-over-year growth — a sign that advertisers remain bullish on the platform if a ban fails to come to fruition. For now, the company has continued to talk with brands in ways that tap into their excitement around advertising on the platform through search ads, Torpey said.
“There’s a ton of knocks on our door right now wanting to test the product, build with us, find new features,” Torpey said. “We’ve just been focused on helping [advertisers] accomplish their objectives through search ads.”
