In media, there is no silver bullet. The recipe for a media that drives real business results depends on what you’re trying to accomplish, how the mediums you choose work together, and if your message and creative is strong.
While there may not be a silver bullet, there is a silver lining. For many GroundTruth clients right now, connecting the big screen in the living room to the small screen in our pockets results in standout real business results.
Whether companies want to create awareness among new customers or drive in-store visits, with performance campaigns, CTV is a medium that can turbo-charge the funnel when properly applied. Let’s talk about it.
CTV Audiences Rival TV (but Better)
In the past, companies hesitated to add CTV to their media mix because linear TV offered much larger reach. Today that isn’t true. 60% of households are either cord cutting or never had cable or satellite TV to begin with. It’s estimated that CTV + OTT will be bigger than traditional TV’s reach by the end of 2026.
Add to that the attribution capabilities of CTV, allowing marketers to tie impressions to results and connect targeted customers to other media types, and the picture gets even better.
Audience targeting is much better on CTV as well, allowing marketers to better isolate who is exposed to their messaging, change messaging based on targeted personas, and re-target to optimize conversion for real business results like foot traffic.
With all that information, marketers can build a more efficient funnel where awareness dollars aren’t wasted, but invested, tracked, and optimized with other performance mediums.
CTV Converts Customers Throughout the Funnel
To that end, CTV works best when combined with full-funnel media strategies. CTV works at the top of the funnel to reach large audiences, but it’s more than just an introduction to customers.
When combined with mobile ads, CTV has helped our customers increase foot traffic by as much as 61%. We even have one case where in-store traffic jumped by 6x. Each channel works best when they are working together, in part because of how audiences behave with each screen.
People still have a reverence for their favorite shows. When we binge watch a series, for example, we’re doing our best to put away our phones and stay engrossed in the story. That level of engagement transfers to the ads audiences watch on their smart TVs, especially when they’re non-skippable ads.
So when a customer then is re-targeted with a specific product or limited-time offer on their mobile phone, they are primed to recognize your brand and make the decision to visit your store. Build awareness then drive action, like the funnel is meant to do. Only fully connected, attributed, and optimized. While each channel can work on its own, together we’re seeing clients reach incredible new performance goals.
Decision Makers and Brand Advocates Meet on CTV
CTV also offers a unique connection to decision makers and brand advocates that’s hard to find in other media channels. Think about the last time you went to the grocery store. The head of the household will buy the staples, but inevitably, they’ll also add a snack or drink they’ve never heard of to their basket because someone else asked for it.
We know this chain of events happened when companies placed linear TV ads. But marketing teams had a hard time proving it.
With CTV, marketers can make direct connections between impressions of ads, increased foot traffic, and sales lifts at different locations. In terms of proving ROAS, you can’t beat that level of visibility and attribution.
The Future of CTV Conversions Is Wide Open
The most exciting thing about CTV, though, is what’s possible in the future. Between renting movies, buying video games, and downloading apps, CTV viewers are constantly completing transactions on their devices.
We are all building the habit of buying different products or services through our various devices. In another year, we could be ordering our groceries, or planning vacations, all from our living room. The future is wide open.
The question for media buyers now isn’t will you add CTV to your media mix. It’s how soon will you start. The earlier companies invest in CTV, the more they’ll learn about their audiences, how to leverage CTV with other channels to push customers through the funnel, and how to split their budgets between placements. That’s the kind of competitive advantage that separates growing companies from everyone else.
Key Takeaways
- CTV+OTT audiences will soon outnumber linear TV audiences. Investing marketing dollars into CTV lets you focus your investment and still achieve reach, leading to faster ROI from CTV combined with performance media. .
- CTV connects brands with customers at critical stages, driving awareness that easily leads to conversion in other media channels. It is a rare channel that reaches brand advocates and decision makers at the same time, without the massive waste of traditional mediums like linear TV.
- The future of CTV is wide open. Those who invest with a full-funnel approach and learn how their target audiences behave will stay ahead of their competitors.
