7,000 Site Visits and a $100 Lower CPA Through TikTok
To reach younger foodservice professionals, the National Restaurant Association Show needed a channel that felt native to how the next generation discovers, evaluates and engages with industry opportunities.
Case Study
- Nearly 7,000 website visits from TikTok at an average cost of 61 cents
- 90% of TikTok-generated web traffic from new users
- Cost per conversion reduced by more than $100 year over year
Client
National Restaurant Association Show
Challenge
The National Restaurant Association Show had a clear strategic imperative: reach the next generation of influential foodservice professionals. Doing so required more than repurposing existing campaign assets. Younger operators, chefs and entrepreneurs expected content designed for the platforms they use most, delivered in a format that felt authentic rather than promotional.
Approach
mdg led the strategic and creative approach for a TikTok campaign built specifically for younger foodservice audiences. The team partnered with influencers to develop creator-style content highlighting the top reasons to attend — in a format that felt native to the platform. Beyond generating engagement, the campaign fed into the broader remarketing strategy, improving conversion efficiency across Meta and Google.
Results
The campaign proved TikTok could be more than an awareness channel. Nearly 7,000 website visits were generated at an average Cost per Conversion (CPC) of $0.61, with new users accounting for 90% of those visits — directly supporting the goal of expanding the show’s reach among younger professionals. The resulting audience pools improved remarketing performance across other platforms, helping reduce average CPC by more than $100 compared to the previous year.
Frequently asked questions
Younger professionals increasingly use TikTok as a discovery platform, not just an entertainment platform. They use it to learn new skills, stay current on industry trends and explore career-related content, making it a valuable channel for marketers looking to reach the next generation of the workforce.
TikTok rewards relevance and authenticity more than polished production. Audiences engage with content that feels informative, entertaining or useful rather than overtly promotional. For the National Restaurant Association Show, creator partnerships helped deliver event messaging in a format that resonated with younger professionals and expanded reach among new audiences.
TikTok tends to be effective at building the top-of-funnel awareness that feeds remarketing pools on other platforms. For example, when mdg developed a TikTok strategy for the National Restaurant Association Show, prospects reached on TikTok were then re-engaged through Meta and Google with conversion-focused messaging — which is why the campaign reduced average cost per conversion by over $100 compared to the prior year.
TikTok can be an effective channel for B2B marketing efforts — particularly for industries like foodservice, construction and manufacturing, where professionals are active content consumers on the platform. When content feels relevant and platform native, TikTok can become a valuable tool for reaching and engaging younger professional audiences.
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