Wondering When You���ll Be Ready For CTV? Spoiler: You Already Are.

Since its inception as an advertising channel in 1941, the TV has maintained two constant truths for decades: that it’s the most compelling form of advertising, and that it’s only attainable for the biggest brands with the biggest budgets. Fast forward 85 years, and only one of those statements still holds true today. Just like every other facet of technology, the television ad has rapidly evolved in the digital age, keeping its storytelling capabilities but adopting digital capabilities. Today, Connected TV ads reach millions of viewers across multiple platforms, wherever and whenever and however they watch their favorite shows. 

But far too many advertisers still think that TV advertising is beyond their reach. They daydream about achieving it someday, when they’re bigger and “ready.”

The good news: many are more ready than they realize. You’re probably already doing all of the hard parts of CTV, just under different names. If you’re posting to social media, running paid search campaigns, or simply doing any type of digital advertising, congratulations—you’re ready for CTV advertising.

TV’s Good Looks with Digital’s Smarts

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: there’s a powerful new performance marketing channel that lets you target granular audience segments. Measure campaigns in real time. A/B test ads and instantly optimize. Easily reallocate budgets, upload creative, and deploy ads in a few clicks. All of the above is nothing new to advertisers. But what if we said there’s a channel that does all of this on the largest screen in the house?

Thanks to its digital DNA, CTV functions a lot like paid search and social at first glance. But the integration goes deeper. In fact, CTV is an essential next step for advertisers running paid search or social campaigns, generating new demand and boosting existing campaign performance (more on that in a moment).

Best of all, you don’t need additional training, hiring, or team restructuring. That familiarity with digital marketing makes CTV a natural fit for anyone who has used social media for their business, making once-lofty TV ambitions a reality for millions of small-to-mid-sized businesses.

Two decades ago, it took at least a few dozen people to create and run TV ads; now it only requires one.

The Halo Effect

One welcome side effect of running CTV ads: it boosts performance outcomes across the board. Search and social aren’t scaling like they used to, and CTV is challenging the outdated “TV vs. digital” mindset. When CTV is added to the marketing plan, its halo effect amplifies efforts on paid search, social, and even linear TV.  A study by MediaScience found:

• Viewers spend 3x more time with ads when they air on CTV with digital, vs. digital alone
• There’s a 15% purchase intent lift when ads air on CTV with digital, vs. digital alone
• Brand recall more than doubled when a brand runs both digital and CTV ads

At JamLoop, we’re a proponent for what we call the “70/30 Rule” to plan smarter, test creative faster, and reallocate budgets with confidence: 

• 70% of your budget: Apply to CTV to build efficient, local, and targeted demand at scale
• 30% of your budget: Apply to digital channels like (like Meta or LinkedIn) to reinforce, retarget, and convert 

The result is better site traffic and conversions that drive more attention and qualified site visits on other channels. With the halo effect, savvy marketers are taking their ad budgets further across every channel, applying their existing knowledge and strategies to prove that CTV can drive measurable income.

Readiness Is a Mindset, Not a Milestone

Connected TV has become an increasingly important platform in every marketing mix. Today, thousands of local, small and mid-sized businesses and challenger brands use the platform to compete against legacy brands with ten times the budget—and they’re winning the fight. But these TV newcomers dominating CTV didn’t wait to feel ready; they simply started.

The entry point for TV advertising has never been easier to cross. Brands don’t have to “prepare for CTV” but can simply start small and learn fast. At JamLoop, we don’t require you to sign a contract, commit to a minimum ad spend, or even supply your own creative. And with full transparent reporting, comprehensive targeting, and an intuitive dashboard, digital marketers are finding a second home on the TV screens…building new audiences and becoming superheroes to their marketing teams.