Connected TV (CTV) plays a central role in today's advertising mix. Streaming viewership continues to grow, and ad-supported tiers offer marketers reliable ways to reach audiences in brand-safe environments. Campaigns that once belonged only to large budgets are now accessible to teams of all sizes, provided there is a clear strategy in place.
This practical guide to CTV will teach you how to structure campaigns from the start, understand where CTV aligns within the funnel, and identify metrics that prove value to leadership. Along the way, we'll highlight opportunities where platforms like AdRoll simplify bidding, targeting, and measurement so your strategy can move from plan to performance with confidence.
Why Strategy Matters in CTV
Brands rely on CTV to build awareness with new audiences, re-engage viewers through retargeting, and support conversions by driving traffic to owned channels. This flexibility allows CTV to serve as both a top-of-funnel introduction and a mid-funnel performance driver.
When placed in a full-funnel plan, CTV connects with audiences at multiple stages of the journey. A single exposure can spark awareness, and follow-up impressions across devices can reinforce recall or prompt action. This alignment makes CTV an effective partner to display, social, and search campaigns.
Because CTV influences the funnel in so many ways, campaigns need a clear strategy to guide objectives, targeting, and measurement. Without a strategy, it's easy to miss opportunities, overspend on impressions, or overlook the channel's contribution to broader marketing goals.
To see how CTV works at each stage of the funnel, explore our Connected TV Advertising: Your Guide to Smarter Streaming Campaigns for foundational insights.
Strategic Moves to Maximize CTV Impact
Strong CTV campaigns rely on more than creative and budget. The tactics behind targeting, pacing, and delivery shape how well ads perform and how efficiently spend is used.
Manage frequency
CTV ads command more attention than display or social placements, but overexposure can create fatigue. Frequency capping ensures audiences see your ad often enough to build recall without tipping into annoyance.
Sequence ads
Ad sequencing helps maintain audience interest and create a sense of narrative across your campaigns. While CTV platforms differ in how sequencing can be executed, marketers can achieve a similar effect through campaign flighting: running one creative in the early weeks of a campaign, then introducing a follow-up with a stronger product or conversion focus.
Employ contextual targeting
Contextual targeting places ads alongside relevant content categories, like cooking shows for kitchen appliances, which can improve message alignment and receptivity.
Retarget across devices
With device graph technology, marketers can connect the dots between a smart TV impression and follow-up activity on a phone, tablet, or laptop. This enables retargeting campaigns that bridge CTV and digital channels.
Balance reach with precision
CTV offers both broad and highly targeted approaches. Wide-reaching campaigns are effective for building brand awareness, while precision targeting helps narrow in on high-value segments. A balanced strategy often works best — starting broad to build scale, then layering on data-driven refinements to reach the most responsive audiences.
Designing Your First CTV Campaign
Define clear objectives
Launching a CTV campaign starts with clarity on objectives. The most common goals include:
Raising brand awareness
Driving qualified site traffic
Supporting conversions
Choosing a primary objective sets the direction for every decision that follows, from audience targeting to creative development.
Segment audiences and map devices
Audience segmentation comes next. CTV allows marketers to reach broad groups based on demographics or niche audiences defined by behaviors and interests. Device mapping adds another layer, linking smart TV activity to other connected devices. This makes it possible to track when a viewer sees an ad on a TV and later engages on a laptop or phone.
Balance budgets for testing and scale
Budgeting requires a balance between testing and scale. Smaller budgets are well suited for awareness campaigns and creative experimentation, while larger allocations make it possible to expand reach, test new audience segments, or layer in multi-platform retargeting. Clear pacing and frequency caps help ensure spend is directed toward meaningful impressions.
Align creative with campaign goals
Creative is the element audiences notice most. Storytelling that works in a 30-second spot may need to be reimagined for a 15-second format, and calls-to-action should be easy to act on across devices. Whether repurposing existing video or producing new assets, aligning creative with campaign goals is critical for performance.
For more details on how platforms, devices, and inventory shape campaign planning, explore Your Guide to CTV Platforms: Choosing the Right Partner.
Measuring and Optimizing Performance
The success of a CTV campaign depends on more than impressions served. Tracking the right metrics and refining campaigns over time ensures spend delivers meaningful results.
Choose the right metrics
CTV provides a mix of traditional and digital signals. Matching KPIs to campaign objectives is essential — awareness campaigns may prioritize reach, while performance campaigns should emphasize measurable actions. Common CTV metrics to track include:
Impressions - total number of times your ad is served
Completion rate - percentage of viewers who watch an ad in full
Reach - number of unique households exposed to your campaign
Frequency - average number of times a household sees your ad
Cost per completed view (CPCV) - spend efficiency tied to ad completion
Incremental site visits - website traffic driven after ad exposure
Conversions - measurable actions such as sign-ups or purchases influenced by CTV
Brand lift - survey-based measurement of awareness, favorability, or intent
Cross-device engagement - actions taken on mobile, desktop, or tablet after CTV exposure
Establish attribution models
Unlike cookie-based channels, CTV relies on identity resolution tools such as device graphs to connect exposures across screens. This makes it possible to see when a viewer sees a CTV ad and later takes action on a laptop or phone. Attribution models that account for these cross-device interactions provide a clearer view of CTV's role in the funnel.
Optimize with feedback loops
Performance data creates opportunities to fine-tune campaigns. If impressions cluster around a narrow audience, broadening targeting can unlock scale. If frequency runs high, adjusting caps protects brand sentiment. Creative testing adds another layer of optimization, ensuring messaging resonates across placements and formats.
For a closer look at how bidding influences campaign delivery, explore How to Optimize CTV Campaigns: The Bid Strategy to Maximize CTV Performance.
How AdRoll Supports Smarter CTV Campaigns
While the fundamentals of CTV strategy apply across platforms, AdRoll provides added advantages that make campaigns easier to manage and more effective.
Extend retargeting across devices
AdRoll's device graph links activity across TVs, phones, tablets, and desktops within the same household. This makes it possible to follow up with viewers after a CTV exposure on other devices, creating continuity that strengthens recall and drives action.
Optimize Bids in Real Time with BidIQ®
AdRoll's BidIQ engine uses machine learning to analyze billions of signals and adjust bids as conditions change. By evaluating audience intent, publisher data, and historical performance, BidIQ ensures campaigns are paced correctly and impressions are served at the right cost.
Gain clarity with transparent reporting and attribution
Clear reporting makes it possible to understand how CTV fits within your larger marketing mix. AdRoll provides attribution models that connect exposures to downstream actions, helping you show leadership exactly how CTV campaigns influence site visits, conversions, and return on ad spend.
Bring these capabilities into your next campaign and unlock the full value of CTV.