If you’re a CMO, your job is to make sure your brand gets noticed, remembered, and chosen. Easier said than done in today’s fragmented, scroll-happy media environment. That’s why Connected TV (CTV) is quickly earning a place in the modern marketer’s full-funnel toolkit. It brings together the best of both worlds: the emotional resonance of traditional television and the precision targeting of digital. CTV helps you show up across the entire customer journey, whether your goals are brand lift, performance, or all of the above.
I’m not a CMO, but I’ll take a crack at defining what’s at the top of a CMO’s mind most often: What marketing strategies are we underutilizing? What channels are we under-represented in? Where are my customers spending most of their time? How can we strengthen reputation?
You probably won’t be surprised to hear that CTV is either the whole or a big part of the answer to all of these questions. Let’s look at why—and how—CTV can round out your overall strategy and accelerate your journey towards your goals.
At Adroll’s 2025 Sales Kick Off, we played a little game that’s now a core component to my Connected TV pitch: “What’s a TV commercial that’s stuck with you since you were a kid?” For me, it’s the classic Milton Bradley board game CROSSFIRE with its late 80’s hair metal jingle where the singer screams "You'll get caught up in tha CROSSFIYAAHHHH!!”
Now, compare that with a 728x90 display ad from your childhood. Oh right—you can’t. They simply don’t exist. That’s the power of the big screen. The combination of sight, sound, and motion locks a brand into consumers’ minds. It’s visceral, it’s emotional, and it’s long-lasting.
To be clear, I’m not knocking display ads here—they’re extremely effective. But no single channel can do it all. Display is your cello, but a great marketing strategy requires a full orchestra. With that in mind, let’s talk about how you should be showing up in the whole home.
Even if you’re focused on bottom funnel conversions, your performance can improve dramatically when you engage your customer from top to bottom. Think of it like preparing for a job interview: the interview drives the conversion, but it’s all your prep that makes that possible. CTV builds that foundation. Its high brand recall and favorability prime the pump for your display, search, and retargeting efforts. Here’s how CTV fits into each stage of the funnel:
Goal: Awareness—let people know you exist, what you offer, and why you matter.
Start by defining your audience, and go as wide as possible. Focus on targeting, not just context. When it comes to creative, front load your messaging: think brand name, product, or service. Let them know that you’re the one they’ve been looking for. If you get this done in the first 10-15 seconds, the rest of the time can build out the story or tease other services and features. And always include a call to action or path to learn more.
Goal: Deepen consideration and build relevance by reinforcing your value.
Now that your audience knows you, get more specific. Introduce product updates, highlight seasonal relevance, or show off use cases. This is where urgency and relevancy matter. CTV retargeting really starts to shine at this phase; serve ads to people who visited your site, and retarget views with display ads to reinforce the message.
Goal: Drive immediate action and make conversion as easy as possible.
It’s time to close that deal. Any urgency you can add to your messaging will be a huge help: limited time offers, seasonal promotions, or one-time perks. Also, be incredibly clear about the next step. QR codes can be especially useful here, as they can drive customers directly to the relevant pages on your site. Make every touch point count.
With all these strategies, aim for a frequency of less than 10 impressions per household per month. That’s the sweet spot for maximizing recall without becoming that brand that people want to mute. Shorter ads (think 6 seconds) can be shown more often without overwhelming viewers—and they’re often more affordable than 30-second spots.
I like to think of CTV as an investment in future customers. You’re reaching audiences before they’re ready to buy, but when they are ready, they’ll remember you. And that memory pays off. But, like most good investments, the payout isn’t instant.
I really like this takeaway from a recent Analytic Partners study: “On average, CTV and streaming video ads deliver +30% higher ROI versus other marketing channels… shifting spend from lower performing marketing channels and doubling CTV ad investment could drive $15 million in additional revenue for an established brand. ”
Their recommendation? Allocate closer to 20% of your media mix to CTV and streaming, which is well above the current industry average of 10%.
Keep in mind that it also builds CTV marketing momentum. Once you hit cruising speed and frequency, ROI compounds. Give your campaigns a half or full quarter to reach your core audience and then watch the brand + performance payoff click into gear.
Want to know if your CTV strategy is set up for success? Ask these five questions:
1 - How do our customers translate to our targeting strategy?
Is your targeting helping you reach more of your best-fit audience—or just limiting your exposure? Let the platform find your customers. Don’t just guess where they’ll be.
2 - How are we managing frequency?
One per household ain’t great. 30 is far too much. Use a brand lift study (e.g., with Cint) to understand your sweet spot, but aim for 5–10 per month for longer ads.
3 - Where do our measurement gaps exist? Are you stuck in a bunch of walled gardens?
If so, cross-channel measurement is tough. Either integrate a third-party measurement solution—or simplify with a full-funnel, multi-channel platform that tracks unified outcomes.
4 - Are we pairing CTV with display and retargeting?
Use CTV to drive recall. Use retargeting to remind them why they opened their laptops in the first place. Use both together and watch performance improve.
5 - Are our creatives clear and actionable?
Don’t waste your 30 seconds on abstract shots of a dude in a kayak playing buzzword bingo.. Tell the viewer who you are, what you do, and where to go next.
CTV isn’t just a branding play or a performance hack—it’s both. It meets today’s consumer where they are: streaming, multitasking, and increasingly skipping traditional channels. When done right, it powers awareness, drives engagement, and converts interest into action. CMOs who take CTV seriously today will be the ones future-proofing their funnel and outpacing the competition tomorrow.
Last updated on May 12th, 2025.