CTV Advertising: The Comprehensive Guide to Connected TV Marketing
The power of connected TV (CTV) is undeniable in the video advertising industry. CTV acts like a bridge between linear TV engagement and modern-day viewer habits—and publishers and agencies alike can use precise targeting tactics to drive ROI at scale.
CTV isn’t a well-kept secret, though. The landscape is filled with competitive players employing comprehensive marketing strategies that maximize cross-platform engagement. As a result, competitors are learning more efficient ways to allocate their ad spend—and they’re achieving more efficiency.
Source: eMarketer, 4 CTV ad spend trends to track in 2025, December 2024
So, how can you stand out from competitors and engage audiences in the CTV advertising landscape? What information do you need to create your own successful cross-platform marketing strategy? At VideoAmp, we’re huge CTV fans—and we have tips, tricks and tools to help you succeed.
In this article, we’ll cover:
- How CTV advertising works
- The perks of being a CTV marketer
- The differences between CTV, linear, social media and other video advertising platforms
- Best practices for cost-efficient, cross-platform advertising
How does connected TV advertising work?
As an industry advertiser—and a human being—you’re likely familiar with connected TV and the ability to stream content via smart devices. CTV unlocks a data-rich advertising environment with hyper-specific targeting capabilities that offer more personalized moments than linear TV often can. Brands and agencies purchase CTV ad placements from publishers, resulting in a healthy competitive environment where:
- Viewers see relevant ads
- Agencies and Brands reach the right audiences at the ideal frequency to drive outcomes
- Publishers increase revenue by selling targeted CTV ad inventory to agencies and brands.
Of course, reaching the right audience is never a guarantee—but striking the balance is a must for any advertiser who wants to make headway against competitors. That’s why savvy CTV advertisers are using addressability tactics to reach audiences based on deeper insights than age and gender alone. Combined with effective performance measurement, this addressable approach makes waste-free ad strategies a reality—and a vital component of cross-platform marketing strategies.
The perks of being a CTV marketer
So, why should CTV advertising be part of your approach to video marketing? If high-intent audiences and cross-platform engagement don’t offer enough of a draw, there are more reasons to lean in. Let’s break them down.
Fewer wasted impressions
Linear TV advertising has historically been bought and sold based on broad demographic categories like age and gender. While these traditional targeting methods may seem logical, they’re too broad to accurately reflect actual buying behavior and often result in wasted impressions on viewers who are unlikely to convert. This approach never offers a complete profile of the viewer behind the screen or their purchasing intent. CTV advertising partners, on the other hand, use an intelligent combination of first- and third-party data to precisely depict viewers as they are. As a result, you can serve ads to the right people more often.
Ad completion rates
Viewing CTV content isn’t a passive activity—it’s an intentional choice. While linear TV can help capture the attention of casual viewers, CTV offers an on-demand platform where viewers are more likely to lean in. You can use this high-intent landscape to drive higher completion rates.
Actionable performance analytics
With the right solutions, CTV advertising offers a rich landscape for valuable metrics you can use to measure cross-platform engagement. For example, measuring CTV reach can offer a valuable comparison to where your ads appear on digital channels.
It’s probably clear now that CTV advertising is prime territory for advertisers ready to boost engagement at scale—but how can you build a marketing strategy that improves ROAS on other platforms? After all, pivoting to a CTV-only advertising approach isn’t feasible in a modern advertising landscape—nor is it effective. By adopting an integrated mindset, you can leverage the benefits of CTV advertising to grow your cross-platform reach, as well.
Source: TV Scientific, 2024 State of Performance TV
What’s the difference between CTV, linear, social and OTT?
While CTV is technically a subset of over-the-top (OTT) content—referring specifically to streaming content viewed on television screens—the advertising approaches differ enough to warrant separate consideration. With a mix of ad platforms, each offering unique perks for advertisers, you’ll need to understand how CTV advertising fits into the matrix of video marketing options.
CTV advertising stands out for its precision targeting capabilities and real-time measurement. CTV brings together the large-screen viewing experience of television with digital advertising’s advanced targeting methods, allowing brands to reach audiences based on demographics, interests and viewing habits.
Linear TV still packs a punch for advertisers who want to reach massive audiences—especially when big events like the Olympics or elections have viewers glued to their screens. These moments can drive serious ad dollars and deliver the kind of broad reach that’s hard to replicate elsewhere. But here’s the catch: Linear TV traditionally operates with broader targeting, which means you’re working with less precision than you’d get from digital platforms.
Social media advertising lets you reach users where they’re actively scrolling and engaging with content. Businesses of all sizes can pay to reach social media users based on targeting parameters—including interests, behaviors, demographics and more—as an effective way to achieve business goals, whether that’s generating awareness, traffic, leads or conversions.
Other OTT platforms offer varying levels of targeting precision and measurement capabilities, depending on their data collection methods and advertising infrastructure.
Understanding these key differences can help you make better decisions about where to allocate your ad budget for maximum impact across your video marketing strategy.
How can I build a cost-effective CTV advertising strategy?
Put some guardrails in place before you leap into CTV. This way, you can avoid wasteful spending and get more bang for your advertising buck. Consider:
- Your addressable advertising plan. Who are the viewers you’re targeting? What performance analytics do you need to reach them efficiently?
- Your frequency strategy. Have a plan for reaching qualified audiences at the ideal frequency to convert, while also avoiding ad fatigue that can hurt campaign performance.
- Your cross-platform approach. Develop a holistic strategy across platforms that helps you achieve your marketing goals, ensuring each channel works together to maximize your overall impact and ROI.
What video advertising solution is right for me?
If you’re ready to enhance your CTV advertising strategy, VideoAmp’s integrated data can help drive precision across your campaigns and platforms. Our currency-grade measurement helps publishers make CTV placements valuable for agencies and brands that need to reach audiences where they are consuming content across CTV and linear TV.
Ready to waste less and sell more?
