Over a decade ago, connected TV (CTV) was a growing technology but had almost zero practical use for marketers. Advertising opportunities were limited, and programmatic buying capabilities were virtually nonexistent.

Fast-forward to today, and nearly every major streaming service—Disney+, Netflix, and Max included—has introduced a lower-priced ad-supported tier and made their inventory available to marketers.

As a result, more households are streaming content through CTV than ever before, and CTV ad spending is surging.

Meanwhile, traditional linear TV—once prized for its broad reach and brand-building power—is on the decline. Four in 10 US agency and marketing professionals said they shifted ad dollars from linear TV to CTV in 2024, and 80% of advertising decision-makers reported that CTV achieved their branding goals.

CTV can be used for more than increasing brand recognition, though. Recent advancements in targeting, measurement, and attribution are transforming CTV from a top-of-funnel awareness tool into a proven performance channel that can help drive conversions.

Here are a few strategies and tips for boosting brand awareness and driving action with your CTV and multichannel campaigns.

1. Go super granular with your targeting

Although traditional linear TV advertising provides massive amounts of reach, there's one major problem: Most of the time, you have little visibility into who's actually watching your ads.

That's fine if your goal is broad brand awareness, but it's less effective if you need to reach a specific type of decision-maker or target audience.

CTV is different. With programmatic advertising platforms like StackAdapt, you can use ABM targeting that leverages firmographic and persona-level data, such as industry, company size, job title, or seniority level, to target high-value companies and prospects.

You can also securely upload first-party CRM data—similar to how it's used in email or paid social marketing—through data partners or direct integrations to engage specific leads further down the funnel and increase their likelihood of conversion.

2. Use retargeting to re-engage prospects on CTV and other digital channels

Depending on the capabilities of your programmatic advertising platform, there are two primary ways to retarget audiences with CTV.

The first involves a retargeting pixel, which identifies and pools users who either visited your site or completed a specific action into a retargeting audience.

You can then use this audience to re-engage users on CTV devices by serving them ads while they're streaming content. That allows you to make a greater visual impact on a bigger screen than a laptop or smartphone—perfect for brands with strong visuals and more of a story to tell.

The second method involves using a CTV ad as the first touchpoint in a campaign and retargeting engaged viewers across other digital channels—such as native and display—to drive further action.

For example, a marketer could retarget users who have watched a CTV ad in full and use cross-device retargeting, which matches a CTV device's residential IP with other devices in the same household, to serve follow-up ads that encourage users to click through and complete a conversion, such as a purchase, sign-up, or form fill.

You could even repurpose your CTV ad creatives for an in-banner video ad that auto-plays in a display placement online to reinforce brand recognition and further drive engagement.

3. Be clear with your CTAs

QR codes are all the rage in video advertising right now. That's because they allow marketers to drive conversions and track user interactions, which are incredibly valuable in a zero-click environment like CTV.

But let's face it: Unless your targeting is spot-on, most viewers won't be interested enough to whip out their phones and scan a QR code.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't use them. Many creative techniques, from countdown clocks to static overlays, can increase visibility and keep QR codes on-screen longer.

However, if you want your CTV ad to drive conversions, the best advice (and this may sound overly simplistic) is to tell viewers exactly what you want them to do.

If you want them to sign up for an event, show them the URL and tell them to visit the site and register now. If it's to claim a limited-time offer, tell them to scan the QR code before time runs out.

Ultimately, you want to reduce friction, so keep it simple and make the next step easy to follow.

4. Set your measurement up for success

In the past, marketers trying to understand the impact of their CTV campaigns were limited to metrics like impressions and completion rates. However, one of the biggest advancements that has helped transform CTV into a performance channel is the ability to track cross-device conversions.

For example, with certain attribution models, when a viewer watches a CTV ad, visits the advertiser's website within a predefined timeframe, and completes an action—a demo request or a purchase—an identity graph can link the user's devices and attribute the conversion to the original CTV ad exposure.

Taking things a step further, you could assign a revenue value to the conversion event, helping you track the return on ad spend, even for conversions that are part of a longer sales cycle that don't have an immediate monetary value, such as a whitepaper download or product-demo booking.

5. Always be testing

Finally, whether you're running campaigns on your own or as part of a managed service, you don't want to skip out on A/B-testing.

Compare performance between a third-party audience segment and your first-party CRM data. Test premium inventory against run-of-network placements. Experiment with creative variations to see what drives the highest engagement.

Although it's easy to rely on benchmarks and best-practices, every situation is different and many variables contribute to CTV performance. That's why continually testing is key to refining your strategy and driving better conversion rates.

CTV—like linear TV before it—will always be associated with building brand awareness. But with today's technology, it's easier than ever to target high-intent audiences and measure real performance.