The Amazing Streaming Balancing Act
by Cat Hausler
6 Min Read
How CTV Is Turning Agencies Into Superheroes
Clients want TV—and CTV makes it easier than ever for agencies to oblige
4 Min Read
Ready for the biggest understatement you’ll read today? Connected TV has changed the advertising game. Everyone knows that CTV has changed how viewers consume content and how brands reach their audiences—and that’s a big opportunity for agencies looking to deliver the most value for their clients. But CTV’s very strengths—unparalleled targeting and comprehensive measurement tools—can also cause marketers to stumble if they’re not prepared.
Join MNTN’s Chris Contreras, Senior VP of Customer Success, as he shows how agencies can craft the best media plan and provide the best return for their clients. Contreras will cover the tools, technology, and mindset needed to get the most out of CTV, as well as how the platform can be a powerful performance channel for brands. Don’t miss out on this important webinar—RSVP now for free.
CTV and Advertising: The Origin Story
CTV changed the face of TV advertising with two key capabilities: the ability to target and deliver ads directly to a target customer, and the ability to measure the results in real-time. As a result, CTV ads leverage television’s impactful storytelling capabilities and marry them with digital marketing’s strengths. Now TV ads, once considered expensive, unmeasurable, and unable to target individuals, are getting in front of the brand’s ideal audiences—and producing the results that show their investment was worth it.
As more audiences cut the cord, polls are showing that viewers are not just watching free ad-supported channels—they’re 80% more likely to pay attention to CTV ads and 47% more willing to share information to get targeted ads. This radical shift in viewing habits is fundamentally changing how brands think about TV advertising. The good news for agencies? CTV makes it easier and more cost-effective than ever to get brands television exposure.
Powering Performance Marketing
CTV’s measuring and targeting abilities are the stuff that TV advertisers previously dreamed of. Before, TV ads served as more of an awareness channel. Advertisers bought television advertising inventory based on calculated guesses of when and where an audience was watching and hoping for the best. But that shotgun approach meant that often their money was mostly being spent on people who weren’t the target audience or weren’t interested—with hopefully a tiny sliver being viewers who’d convert. Worse, most advertisers wouldn’t know if those customers did convert or how their ads fared until long after they aired. The result was a lot of money spent in an effort to reach just a few people—and no way to prove it was even effective.
Today, CTV/OTT is giving brands the performance marketing they’ve been looking for. By getting real-time feedback on how ads are performing, advertisers can see what’s working and what’s not. This gives them the ability to quickly pivot, tweak creative, and get the messaging right—then measure again to see how the new creative is faring. Further, premium platforms like MNTN Performance’s Cross-Device Verified Visits model show what happens after an ad is served—including if a viewer takes the next step to engage the brand or make a purchase, regardless of what device they use. Thanks to CTV, advertisers now can get the creative right and then prove with confidence how the ad generated revenue. No need to play with numbers, try to tie in sales projections, or deal with clients questioning results.
Evolving Beyond Awareness
So we’ve covered that audience viewing habits are changing and CTV is turning television into a performance marketing platform. These two habits are radical alone, but as they continue to progress together, they’re changing perhaps the most important element of all: how brands think of TV ads.
As we mentioned above, TV ads were previously unmeasurable and thus thought of as a platform for driving awareness. CTV offers stronger reporting, deeper insights, and laser-focused targeting than linear TV, informing creative strategy and changing TV from an awareness-driven platform to a direct-response one. Today’s awareness-driven brands are finding CTV to be their go-to advertising platform, as they can now hit audiences with a one-two punch of awareness and engagement-driven campaigns. As a result, relevant ads are getting to the right people, at the right place, at the right time—and that means brands are saving money and energy by cutting out the guesswork.
Ready to Maximize the Most Powerful Ad Platform?
Never before has it been easier for agencies to get brands up and running on TV and produce quantifiable results that make them look like heroes. But all of CTV’s strengths could be stumbling blocks without a solid media plan and preparation. Don’t let a golden opportunity like Connected TV advertising go to waste—join us for How a Performance Mindset Elevates CTV Media Planning to make the most of the powerful ad platform.