What exactly is CTV?
Connected TV (CTV) refers to the delivery of video content through internet-connected devices such as smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming devices. CTV has revolutionized the way we watch TV and has become a new channel for advertisers to reach their target audience.
You’ve probably heard about CTV, but even if you have, here are some good examples of where you might see CTV ads.
- Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+: These ads are typically shorter in length and more targeted to the viewer based on their viewing habits.
- Gaming consoles like Xbox and PlayStation: These ads can be interactive and provide a unique way for advertisers to engage with players.
- Live TV streaming services, such as Sling TV and YouTube TV: These ads are similar to traditional TV ads, but are delivered through an internet-connected device rather than through a cable or satellite connection.
- Social media platforms, like Facebook and Instagram: They’ve also entered the CTV space with their Watch and TV apps, respectively. Advertisers can target users watching video content on these platforms with CTV ads.
CTV is Growing Quickly
As you can imagine, with all of these platforms and the time consumers spend on them, the opportunities for CTV ads to serve are growing quickly. Emarketer estimates a near doubling over the next five years.
How CTV is Different From Linear TV
CTV differs from traditional linear TV advertising in several ways. CTV is more flexible, allowing advertisers to produce and track more ads more quickly—and it’s more measurable than linear TV, which means advertisers can see how their campaigns are performing in real-time and make adjustments as needed. With CTV, advertisers can also target specific demographics, geographic areas, and even individual households.
Linear TV has traditionally been an “upper funnel” marketing activity reserved for larger advertisers. With more granular targeting though, savvy small advertisers are able to target lower funnel prospects with super-targeted ads. In this sense, CTV provides the impact of traditional TV advertising with the pinpoint targeting of programmatic media. Because advertisers can reach their target audience more effectively and efficiently, they can get higher conversion rates, much less waste, and better ROI.
Another key difference between CTV and linear TV is that multi-screen engagement can be better leveraged. Many people use their phones while watching TV, and good CTV execution provides an opportunity for advertisers to engage with their target audience on multiple screens in the same viewing session. With CTV, advertisers can better capture attention and tailor messages to consumers’ devices.
But Inuvo’s CTV Solution is Even Better
IntentKey® by Inuvo makes CTV even better in three key ways.
First, by leveraging our IntentKey technology, we’re able to infer intent in ways that other companies cannot. For example, we could show a CTV ebike ad to a consumer who is reading about ebikes—while they’re still sitting there reading it, without needing cookies.
We also index individual episodes of TV programs and associate them with conversion intent, so we can target specific shows or even specific episodes that have more of a likelihood of converting interested consumers.
The second way we are better: our Media Mix Modeling technology. At a high level, MMM understands the actual contribution of all media channels to understand where advertisers are overspending and underspending. By following our MMM suggestions, we can be sure we’re spending the right amount on CTV and adjust in real time.
Thirdly, as we execute your CTV campaigns, we begin to learn more and more about your consumer intent based on our existing IntentKey intent database. We will find and identify niche consumer segments you didn’t know you had. These insights allow you to build custom ads to reach these specific consumers with the right message.
Get a CTV Assessment
With Inuvo, you don’t need to spend $1 million a month in order to be successful. You can spend much less and still achieve maximum impact while reaching your target customers. Larger advertisers who spend more will see more impact, of course, but CTV is by no means exclusive to advertisers with large budgets.
CTV is an essential part of a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes other channels such as social media, email, and traditional media. With its ability to reach a targeted audience, provide real-time performance metrics, and influence other channel behavior, CTV is a powerful tool for advertisers looking to achieve their marketing goals.
If you’d like a free CTV assessment, you can reach out to us here and we’d be happy to connect.
