Linear TV vs OTT Streaming: Differences & Similarities Explained
by Cat Hausler
Min Read
How the B2B advertiser benefits from an experienced CTV platform
4 Min Read
As Connected TV continues to grow, and more people realize how powerful advertising on this platform can be, more companies are throwing their hats in the ring. And while of course we’re biased that our own solution is the best (especially since we’re always working to optimize it), our platform also offers some real, objective advantages over the competition.
One of the most significant changes B2B advertisers have enjoyed with the rise of Connected TV is the ability to use the TV screen as a powerful performance channel that fuels the sales funnel and generate leads. Linear TV was always a challenging space for B2B advertisers. Not only was it expensive, but it also was very limited in terms of audience-targeting and measurement. B2B brands that did venture into the TV advertising space were often left to advertise during Sunday afternoon golf — not exactly the sophisticated advertising tool they were looking for.
It wasn’t until Connected TV incorporated the digital roots of B2B marketers’ favorite performance channels that that high-impact tool was finally realized. Advertisers are turning to CTV to make a meaningful investment in their performance goals — with the data to back it up. Other CTV solutions, such as LinkedIn’s new offering, don’t offer these capabilities, instead relying on a brand awareness positioning that can’t offer the precision of a performance solution. There’s no way for B2B brands to plug in their KPIs or optimize toward their business’ most essential results when their only option is a brand awareness campaign.
When you’re an early mover in the CTV space, one of the biggest benefits is the great relationships you develop with a variety of channels. MNTN is one of the largest buyers of TV advertising. This is important for a few reasons. With a large inventory, B2B advertisers can actually reach their target audiences across more of the content they are watching (not just Sunday golf). This is essential for performance-focused, lead-generating campaigns, as it means that the backend can better auto-optimize toward your KPIs. And — likely the most exciting part for any cash-conscious B2B brand — a lot of inventory means better pricing. With an inventory-flush partner like MNTN, your dollar can go a lot further.
New solutions, on the other hand, may take a while to build up these types of relationships. This means the number of people who see your offering — and how effective the results of your campaigns are — will be limited from the start, which can mean a major sacrifice for B2B marketers. When you work with experts in the CTV space, your campaigns make an impact right out of the gate.
Attribution, APIs, and Actionable Insights
Attribution models are a key concern in any performance marketing strategy, but picking an effective one is especially tricky for TV and its non-clickable screen. At MNTN, we dedicate our best minds to solving the challenge of CTV attribution. We call our model Verified Visits™, and it works like this:
With our expertise in the CTV space, you can be sure that the results you see with Verified Visits truly come from your CTV efforts.
Speaking of reporting, MNTN also extends access to its reporting to ensure you can actually use the data that you receive. Not only can you integrate your reporting into Google Analytics and Rockerbox, right alongside your other performance efforts, but we also have an API available so you can send the data to your Business Intelligence (BI) platform of choice. This API allows you to leverage your favorite BI platform from Looker to Tableau and beyond so you can make better data-driven decisions and drive greater growth.
As CTV continues to show great results for B2B brands, more and more players continue entering the game. While other platforms may have some splashy features to show off, MNTN has the advantage of time and experience — and B2B brands need both to see the best results as they wade into the CTV space. Don’t just take it from us: B2B brands are leveraging our solution and seeing results. “With MNTN, I can hit my addressable audience at scale whenever they’re streaming TV. That’s important because B2B buyers—when they aren’t working—are people who are logging into streaming apps like ESPN. While they might not buy anything right there, they might take a moment to visit our site. That’s why we’ve seen MNTN deliver site traffic with better cost efficiency relative to other channels,” Kogi Takagi, Senior Director of Marketing at Pluralsight explained.
MNTN has momentum. Our finely tuned performance solution can already address B2B marketers’ most urgent needs, and even now, we’re constantly evolving. The others? They’re still getting started.