The uproar over TikTok’s brief disappearance and its now-uncertain future was a wake-up call for U.S. marketers who advertise on the platform. And it highlights the power of video advertising. Whether short-form content on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube Shorts or longer content on YouTube or streamers, video is a highly effective way to reach a large audience of engaged consumers.
Connected TV (CTV) has become the fastest-growing major ad format in the last few years and shows no signs of slowing down. EMARKETER predicts that by 2026, CTV will account for 20% of the time adults in the US spend with media daily.
If you’re not already tapping into CTV, it’s time.
The Power of CTV
Linear TV has long been a staple advertising tactic and remains powerful. However, experts predict CTV will overtake linear TV ad spending in the next few years. Why? CTV offers advertisers a flexible way to connect with highly targeted audiences at scale. You can:
Reach more users.
Today, 88% of US TV households own a CTV device, and 68% of the population watches CTV. YouTube leads among ad-supported OTT/CTV platforms in audience reach.
Effectively target your audiences.
CTV enables precise targeting using advanced data to reach audiences based on their interests, demographics, habits and households. It can integrate with your media strategy to activate first-party data, drive engagement and convert your audiences. You can use tools like PAIR (Publisher Advertiser Identity Reconciliation) to securely leverage your first-party data for valuable CTV buys on Disney, Hulu, NBCU, SlingTV, Paramount, Netflix and more.
Get the flexibility you need to stay relevant.
Leverage your first-party data to craft engaging, addressable experiences across various ad formats, reaching your audience at the right time and place. With programmatic CTV, you can quickly start or pause campaigns, ensuring your messages and offers stay timely and relevant.
Keep user data privacy-safe.
CTV relies on consented first-party data and proprietary IDs instead of cookies, so your digital media strategy adheres to the latest advertising regulations and respects users’ desire for privacy while ensuring you still receive valuable targeting information.
Measure and report holistically.
CTV is digital, which allows you to collect data and report on KPIs like ad exposures, viewer demographics and more to help you optimize future buys. Plus, today’s ad platforms offer conversion measurement and attribution tools that help you integrate CTV into your cross-device, cross-channel attribution strategy — and see its impact.
Three Leading Google-Only CTV Inventory Sources to Consider
Whether you’re already using CTV advertising or are just starting out, consider adding three proven video options to your media mix: YouTube, YouTube Shorts and YouTube TV.
YouTube
You know that YouTube is popular, but did you know it offers the top video platform reach among all ad-supported over-the-top and CTV services? According to EMARKETER, 68.8% of YouTube’s 248.6 million monthly viewers will watch on CTVs this year.
YouTube Shorts
Like TikTok or Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts lets creators create quick videos (under three minutes) that viewers can watch on any device — including connected TVs. With 70 billion daily views, it gives you the ability to create ads that are native, authentic and personal, while offering phenomenal reach — especially to the Gen Z audiences who gravitate toward short-form content.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV, a cable alternative, offers exclusive access to a wide range of television networks with ad-supported subscription options. Google’s Display & Video 360 (DV360) is the only demand-side platform (DSP) with access to this inventory, providing personalized ads on live TV, on-demand videos and cloud-based DVRs.
Accessing DV360 Inventory
You can take advantage of all your CTV options using DV360 as your DSP. It’s the only one with access to YouTube inventory so that you can leverage both Google and third-party inventory. It covers 93% reach of all ad-supported CTV households in the U.S. and the top 50 most-watched ad-supported TV apps in the U.S.
DV360 can access Display, Mobile, Video (OLV and YouTube), Native, Audio, CTV, Newsletters and Digital Out-of-Home. So, you can activate all of the critical Google-owned and operated (O&O) inventory and invaluable third-party inventory, such as Magnite, Xandr, Sharethrough, AdsWizz, LiveIntent, Vistar, Oracle, Adobe and more.
Plus, you can combine Google and third-party inventory in many scenarios for maximum returns. Managing frequency across third-party CTV platforms and YouTube TV simultaneously can gain a 5% incremental reach per dollar spent.
Because DV360 is part of the Google Marketing Platform, it seamlessly integrates with Campaign Manager 360 (CM360), Search Ads 360 (SA360) and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for end-to-end campaign lifecycle management, from audience targeting through attribution.
Even better? According to Nielsen MMM meta-analysis, advertisers who unified their media buying with DV360 have seen a 120% higher ROAS compared to third-party video bought directly and an 18% higher ROAS than linear TV.
Three Ways DV360 Benefits Your CTV Campaigns
With DV360, you can bid more efficiently, measure performance across devices and get programmatic guaranteed deals for YouTube inventory.
Get more control over your bidding.
With DV360, you can use your Google Analytics 4 or Campaign Manager 360 data to identify your most valuable audiences and adjust your bidding to ensure you reach them. And Google’s advanced machine learning algorithms automatically optimize your bids in real time based on your specific business goals.
Measure across devices
DV360 provides a unified experience, so you can simultaneously measure campaign performance across different platforms and devices. You can attribute CTV impressions to cookie and mobile device ID-based events on web, app and mobile conversion environments. This allows you to give conversion credit to CTV campaigns and identify opportunities for refining targeting and optimizing spend across your entire marketing mix.
Get the best YouTube, YouTube Shorts and YouTube TV inventory
Use DV360’s Instant Reserve to tap into YouTube’s most premium inventory offering, YouTube Select. You can curate custom deals to include YouTube TV, Shorts, NFL Sunday Ticket inventory and more. And, with a programmatic guaranteed deal, you can get a fixed CPM and budget, giving you full transparency into your expected ad delivery.
With precision targeting, unmatched flexibility and measurable results, CTV helps you connect with highly engaged viewers. However, only DV360 lets you tap into popular YouTube content for more powerful reach and ROAS with everyone from Boomers to Gen Alpha. To learn more about CTV, DV360 or YouTube inventory options, please reach out. We’re happy to help.