TikTok is changing its focus to the middle of the marketing funnel as shifting consumer behaviour and advertiser demand push the platform to rethink how brands convert attention into intent.
The shift was outlined by Amy Bradshaw, general manager of global business solutions at TikTok Australia and New Zealand, as the platform announced a new wave of advertising and commerce tools for brands at its Spotlight event in Sydney on Friday.
These include new ad formats Prime Time and Logo Takeover, measurement tool Market Scope and expanded TikTok Shop capabilities designed to help brands move consumers from discovery to purchase.
B&T spoke with Bradshaw ahead of the announcement to unpack why the marketing funnel is evolving so quickly, and why TikTok is weighing in on the consideration stage as it opens the door to more partnerships with Australian brands.
Why the funnel is changing so fast
According to Bradshaw, the biggest opportunity for marketers right now sits in the “often-overlooked space” between awareness and conversion.
“Right now we’re seeing huge potential in mid-funnel consideration,” she told B&T.
“For a long time, marketers have had strong tools for awareness and increasingly sophisticated tools for conversion, but the space in between has often been harder to define and activate.”
That gap has become more important as brands face growing pressure to prove both performance and brand value from the same media investment.
“In today’s environment, brands can’t afford to treat brand and performance as separate streams,” Bradshaw said.
“On TikTok, consideration is where interest becomes intent, so helping marketers identify and influence that phase more clearly can improve outcomes across the entire funnel.”
The comments come as TikTok announced new growth opportunities for Australian businesses, including premium ad formats and commerce tools designed to help brands move consumers from discovery to purchase within the platform.
More than 350,000 Australian businesses are already using TikTok to connect with audiences, with the company positioning itself not just as a discovery platform but increasingly as a commerce ecosystem.
The ‘messy middle’
A key challenge, Bradshaw said, is that modern consumer journeys no longer follow a neat linear path.
“There’s been a lot of industry conversation about the ‘messy middle’, and that’s because consumer decision-making is no longer linear,” she explained.
“People are exposed to more brands, content and choices than ever before, which means the journey from awareness to purchase is fluid and often unpredictable.”
According to her, the consideration stage sits squarely inside that complexity.
“That’s the point where consumers are comparing options, validating decisions and moving in and out of intent,” Bradshaw said.
She highlighted that historically, that stage has been “difficult to measure consistently across platforms” which has resulted in marketers relying on proxies instead of clear signals.
Bradshaw said the platform’s increased focus on consideration is being driven by a combination of forces at once.
“It’s really a combination of advertiser demand, changes in consumer behaviour and broader industry shifts,” she said.
“Advertisers are asking for clearer insight into what happens between awareness and conversion, particularly as pressure on marketing effectiveness grows.”
She said “at the same time, consumer behaviour has evolved” with people increasingly discovering, researching and validating brands in more dynamic ways.
New tools to drive brand partnerships
The company’s latest product developments reflect that shift.
Bradshaw said feedback from agencies and brands has played a major role in shaping TikTok’s roadmap, particularly when it comes to measurement and intent signals.
“Agencies and brands consistently tell us they want more visibility into how audiences move through the funnel and clearer signals of intent, particularly in the middle where things have historically been harder to measure,” she told B&T.
“That feedback has directly shaped how we’re building products.”
One example is TikTok Market Scope, a measurement solution designed to give marketers a unified view of how paid and organic activity is performing across awareness, consideration and conversion.
“The goal is to help marketers not only see what’s happening across the funnel in real time, but also act on those insights in ways that drive tangible business outcomes,” Bradshaw said.
TikTok also announced new premium ad formats aimed at helping brands create larger cultural moments on the platform.
Prime Time enables up to three sequential video ads from the same brand to appear to a single user within a 15-minute window, creating a story-driven experience designed to deepen engagement.
Logo Takeover, meanwhile, allows brands to co-own the moment users open the app, displaying co-branded creative with the TikTok logo before transitioning into a TopView placement.
“Marketers have traditionally associated premium ad formats with TV or BVOD, not short-form video platforms,” Bradshaw said.
“But in Australia alone, more than 10 million people come to TikTok to connect, share their passions and find inspiration.”
“That’s a highly engaged audience with real attention, creating a powerful opportunity for brands to show up in high-impact moments that drive both cultural relevance and measurable business outcomes.”
Commerce becoming a massive driver of growth
Commerce was a big theme of the Spotlight event, with TikTok highlighting how its shopping tools are helping Australian brands reach global audiences too.
Through TikTok Shop, users in markets including the US, UK and Singapore can discover products through creator content and purchase them directly within the app.
Bradshaw looked at Australian brands such as HiSmile and EHPlabs as proof points of how the platform is evolving beyond marketing into a full commerce engine.
HiSmile reported that TikTok Shop generated more than US$2.67 million (A$3.81 million) in gross merchandise value for the brand in 2026 year-to-date, while supplement brand EHPlabs recorded more than $350,000 in incremental GMV during the 2025 Cyber Weekend.
She said both success stories “show what’s possible when brands fully embrace TikTok Shop overseas”.
