Media Briefing: Digiday Taps David Dweck on TikTok’s Growing Share of Back-to-School Spend

Digiday brought in David Dweck, president at Go Fish Digital, for its look at how advertisers shifted spending during the 2026 back-to-school season. TikTok was one of the biggest beneficiaries, with advertisers increasing spend on the platform by 20-40% over the summer as brands competed for back-to-school shoppers.

Go Fish Digital saw an even larger shift among its clients. TikTok spending increased 41% year over year, while the number of advertisers using the channel during the back-to-school period increased 160%. David told Digiday that TikTok is now sitting just behind Amazon in sales volume for Go Fish clients.

Key Takeaways

More advertisers are putting TikTok into the media mix. Go Fish saw a 160% increase in the number of advertisers using TikTok during the back-to-school period. TikTok spend among brand clients also increased 41% year over year.

TikTok Shop is becoming a bigger sales channel. TikTok Shop sales increased 84% between March 2025 and February 2026, according to NielsenIQ figures cited by Digiday, while eMarketer estimates sales will grow another 48% over the course of 2026. Go Fish clients are using TikTok Shop Ads, including the automated GMV Max format, to capture that demand.

Brands are looking for room to grow beyond crowded channels. David told Digiday that some Go Fish clients are moving budget toward TikTok after reaching the limits of what they can efficiently spend across channels like Amazon and Google. TikTok Shop gives those advertisers another place to find customers and grow sales.

The Go Fish Perspective

The growth we’re seeing on TikTok isn’t limited to brands spending more. More advertisers are using the platform in the first place. A 160% increase in participating advertisers during back-to-school suggests TikTok is becoming a more established part of the commerce mix for brands that previously concentrated their budgets elsewhere.

TikTok Shop is a big part of that growth. As Amazon, Google, and other established channels become more competitive, brands are looking for additional places to reach customers and generate sales. For some Go Fish clients, TikTok is already producing sales volume just behind Amazon.

The same pressure is showing up in search. Go Fish saw advertisers increase search spend by an average of 16% in August, while David estimated that Google search advertising costs increased 20%. He expects that pressure to continue as more advertisers compete for a smaller amount of available search ad inventory.

For brands planning around major shopping periods, the timing is changing too. Digiday found that back-to-school campaigns started earlier this year, with some advertisers beginning shortly after July 4. Brands planning around the traditional late-July start risk entering the market after competitors have already begun spending.

Read the Full Story

Read the full Digiday piece for more on how advertisers approached the 2026 back-to-school season, including changes in TikTok, TikTok Shop, search, YouTube, and retail media spending.

Originally Published by Digiday: Media Buying Briefing: Back-to-school brand spending on TikTok rises.