Marketers prefer Instagram as their platform for video-based user acquisition over TikTok, according to global research from app marketing solution Zoomd. When asked to split their user acquisition spend between Instagram and TikTok, 79% of survey respondents allotted at least 75% of their budget to Instagram, compared with 25% at most for TikTok. However, when asked which media sources they worked with in 2023, 53% of respondents said both TikTok and Instagram. 

While the potential preference by mobile marketers for Instagram when it comes to user acquisition could easily be explained away by the uncertainty of TikTok’s future, the fact that the Zoomd survey was conducted before the U.S. Congress voted to force a sale of the platform from its Chinese ownership or face a ban could reveal a separate issue. Specifically, Instagram and its parent, Meta, may be more advertiser friendly than TikTok and, therefore, more palatable to marketers.  

“I believe the preference for Instagram is a reflection of the user acquisition KPIs achieved via Instagram and the combined impact of Meta’s ad solutions for mobile marketers,” said Zoomd CMO Omri Argaman. 

Other findings in the survey revealed that a median of 50% of mobile marketers have used artificial intelligence (AI) technology to optimize their user acquisition campaigns, though that usage rate varied widely. The buzzy tech continues to captivate adland, while platforms including Meta have simultaneously been expanding their know-how. Forty percent of respondents said that they used AI to optimize 60% of their user acquisition ads.

Optimistically, 53% of respondents said they plan on increasing their user acquisition budgets this year, while the remaining 47% said they would stay the same. More than half of the respondents (53%) said they used more than 10 mobile media sources in 2023. Three-quarters of respondents said they’ll use the same amount in 2024 while the remainder said they would use more.  

Between the possible TikTok ban and the rise of AI, there are so many unknowns that are constantly changing the marketing atmosphere. Although the majority of marketers use both TokTok and Instagram, the latter is coming out on top amidst the ever-evolving digital world.

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