Brands Winning Big with TikTok Ads and What Retail Leaders Can Learn

TikTok advertising has evolved from experimental spend to a strategic growth lever. Engagement is high. Cultural impact is undeniable. Yet for many leaders, it still feels unpredictable. So what can brands do to ensure efficient, measurable growth using TikTok advertising?

Here are some of the biggest takeaways emerging from CommerceNext’s community of senior marketing and performance leaders.

TikTok Ads Require Speed, Authenticity, Trend-Forward Strategies & Cultural Fluency

A successful TikTok advertising strategy flips the traditional paid social playbook. On Meta and Google, polished visuals and clear CTAs often win. On TikTok, the platform rewards cultural fluency, speed and authenticity. Brands that treat TikTok like a creative outlet often outperform those that treat it like another ad placement.

What makes TikTok ads perform:

• Hooks in the first 2 to 3 seconds
• Creator-led storytelling instead of brand-led broadcasting
• Authentic & relevant production
• Trend participation without losing brand identity

 

What underperforms:

• Repurposed TV spots
• Static product slideshows
• Overly scripted testimonials
• Hard-sell messaging without context

 

The Brands Winning with TikTok Ads

1. Chipotle: Cultural Participation That Converts

One form of content that has exploded in popularity is mukbang-style videos, where creators film themselves eating and reacting to meals. The hashtag has generated billions of views on TikTok, making it one of the most consistently watched food formats on the app.

For a brand built around customizable bowls and burritos, the format is a natural fit. It allows creators to showcase large, personalized orders while reacting in real time, putting the product at the center without making it feel staged. The tone stays personal and conversational, not scripted or overly produced.

Instead of inserting traditional commercials into the feed, Chipotle shares mukbang creator content that already resonates organically. The result is a TikTok advertising strategy that blends product visibility with entertainment, driving discovery and purchase intent in a format that feels native to the platform.

Chipotle recently collaborated with Mukbanger, That Foodie Lyss (2.1M followers) in a creator-led ad that showcases a mukbang-style video.

2. Starface: Appealing to Gen Z Through Platform-Native Identity

Starface built its brand on relatability, playfulness and self-expression, a natural fit for TikTok’s Gen Z-heavy audience.

But what sets its TikTok advertising strategy apart is how little the ads feel like advertising. Instead of repurposed TV spots or overproduced product demos, Starface leans into:

• Playful, self-aware storytelling
• Creator collaborations that feel native to the platform
• User-generated content that celebrates individuality
• Unfiltered “real skin” moments instead of perfection

 

Their creator-led ads often resemble a friend talking to you in your feed. The tone is casual and the product is integrated into everyday routines, not positioned as a glossy hero shot.

One ad showcases a creator walking through a step-by-step product demo in a casual, personal tone, making the product feel like a recommendation from a friend rather than a brand pitch.

3. Neutrogena: Adapting Branded Campaigns for TikTok

While many winning TikTok ads lean into lo-fi, creator-led content, traditional brand campaigns can still perform when they’re designed with the platform’s audience in mind. Neutrogena demonstrates how higher-production creative can succeed when it’s adapted to TikTok.

Instead of repurposing traditional TV spots, the brand designs celebrity-led campaigns specifically for TikTok. That means choosing talent who resonates with younger audiences and shaping the creative around humor, internet culture and conversational storytelling.

A recent example is Neutrogena’s “How to Adult Like an Adult” campaign with actor Joey King. The content taps into relatable Gen Z moments around navigating adulthood while integrating skincare into everyday routines. Rather than positioning the celebrity as a polished spokesperson, the campaign leans into self-aware humor and light storytelling.

Neutrogena’s “How to Adult Like an Adult” campaign with actress and producer, Joey King.

This strategy helps craft a celebrity campaign that still feels native to the feed. It delivers the production value of a major brand while speaking the platform’s language.

Are TikTok Ads Worth the Investment in 2026: Measurement

For leaders under pressure to prove ROI, skepticism is healthy. TikTok ads are worth the investment when you treat them like a performance channel rather than an experiment.

High-performing brands:

• Commit to creative velocity
• Test aggressively and kill underperformers fast
• Measure incrementality, not just click-through rate
• Align paid and organic teams
• Integrate TikTok into their broader paid social strategy

 

Go beyond vanity metrics. To show incremental impact, measure:

• Incremental lift
• Blended CAC
• New-to-brand customer rates
• LTV by acquisition source
• Contribution to total paid media efficiency
  

 

When measured correctly, TikTok performance marketing often improves blended acquisition costs by introducing incremental demand rather than cannibalizing existing traffic.

 

At the 2026 CommerceNext Growth Show in New York City, you will hear directly from leaders experimenting on platforms like TikTok and translating engagement into profitable growth. Register to join us and learn how to turn TikTok ads from experimental spend into a measurable advantage.