Embarking on the journey of connected TV (CTV) advertising is undoubtedly an exciting venture. With CTV ad spend exceeding $30 billion in 2024 (per eMarketer), it’s clear that businesses are delving into new opportunities with CTV advertising.

However, measuring the performance of your CTV campaigns can feel a bit like navigating through uncharted waters – intriguing, yet complex.

Evaluating CTV Campaign Impact 

The surge in Connected TV consumption, fueled by diverse content across platforms like AVOD, FAST, and vMVPD, brings about increased measurement challenges in this fragmented landscape. Unlike traditional TV, CTV operates in a digital ecosystem, demanding a nuanced measurement approach to truly understand its impact on viewer behavior and engagement.

To uncover the true impact, relying on singular metrics fails to provide enough context. Despite impressive video completion rates (VCR) exceeding 95%, especially with non-skippable inventory, this type of metric alone offers limited insight and differentiation. Instead, marketers must blend performance indicators across the consumer journey to reveal fuller value.

Are audiences more likely to convert when exposed to both a CTV ad and another advertisement on a different channel, such as Google? For example, we often use assisted conversion analysis to demonstrate CTV’s unique influence. In a recent retail automotive campaign we ran at Vuja Dé Digital, audiences exposed to both CTV and search ads showed a 100% higher site conversion rate versus search alone. This comprehensive analysis was pivotal for optimization and budget decisions.

Leveraging Cross-Device Measurement

To truly understand the impact of CTV exposure, the use of cross-device measurement is crucial. Cross-device measurement in the context of CTV advertising involves tracking and analyzing user behavior across multiple devices to gain comprehensive insights into the impact of CTV exposure.

In our experience, cross-device measurement allows us to follow the consumer journey beyond the CTV screen. We’ve observed multiple instances where exposure to a CTV ad on a smart TV led to subsequent interactions on other devices, providing us with a holistic view of consumer engagement.

The insights derived from cross-device measurement go beyond the immediate impact of CTV exposure and provide a holistic view of consumer engagement across the digital landscape. Advertisers can understand how CTV fits into the larger ecosystem of consumer touchpoints, enabling them to optimize campaigns for maximum effectiveness and align with the evolving media consumption habits of their target audience.

Key Metrics to Measure in CTV Advertising

Let’s take a look at the core metrics we should be considering for robust CTV measurement:

CPCV (Cost per Completed View):

Measure the cost incurred for each completed view, providing insights into the efficiency of your ad delivery.

VCR (Video Completion Rate):

Measure the percentage of viewers who watched a video commercial in its entirety. Within Connected TV it typically exceeds +95%. 

Reach x Frequency:

Quantify unduplicated reach across households and balance frequency to optimize ad exposure without overwhelming viewers.

Post-View Website Visits:

Track the number of website visits after viewers are exposed to your CTV ad, gauging the impact on online engagement.

Online Conversions (Leads, Purchases):

Measure the online conversions generated from CTV exposure, whether it’s engagement, leads, or actual purchases.

Foot Traffic:

Evaluate the impact of CTV campaigns on physical store visits, providing insights into offline consumer behavior.

Brand Lift:

Conduct brand lift studies to measure changes in brand perception and awareness attributed to CTV advertising.

Assisted Conversion Analysis:

Explore how CTV exposures contribute to conversions in other channels (like Google or Meta), providing a holistic view of the customer journey.

Combatting Fraud and Ensuring Inventory Quality

Discussing measurement naturally leads us to think about where our ads appear. Recognizing that real human engagement is crucial, this approach understands that none of these metrics holds weight unless driven by genuine human interactions.

As CTV ad spending keeps growing, the surge in fraud becomes a growing concern. Fraudsters see the environment as increasingly ripe for exploitation – ad fraud schemes have spiked 69% from 2021 to 2022, fueled by limited quality inventory and high CPMs, costing over $140 million, according to DoubleVerify.

Through our decades of hands-on experience, we’ve come to understand that actions like pulling site lists and implementing manual optimizations, such as site checks, blacklisting, and implementing bid adjustments, might not seem like the most sophisticated strategies. However, they remain possibly the most crucial steps in guaranteeing campaign success and ensuring brand safety.

It’s not uncommon for traders (or advertisers) to be taken aback when pulling a site list report and discovering a slew of low-quality or MFA (made for advertisement) sites consuming a significant portion of the campaign budget. Identifying and mitigating these issues takes personal experience and manual work, emphasizing that we can’t solely rely on algorithmic optimizations or 3rd party verification tools.

To address the challenge of ad fraud, we recommend advertisers adopt a comprehensive “fraud toolbelt” strategy, blending various tech layers. Establishing direct connections to publishers through private deals minimizes the risk of fraud, ensuring genuine value.

Using ACR data confirms ads are displayed as intended, while AI and machine learning, in collaboration with 3rd party verification tools, implement protections like pre-bid activations for brand safety, viewability, fraud, and invalid traffic.

Reports like the TradeDesk’s “TV Quality Index Report” assess CTV ad quality through historical data, adding an extra layer of defense against fraud. Recognizing the importance of real human engagement, this approach understands that no single metric holds weight unless driven by genuine human interactions.

With no single solution, resolutely combating evolving CTV threats means combining tailored approaches, and most importantly, aligning with the right partners. As budgets accelerate, advertisers must armor up and snuff out fraudsters looking to divert ad dollars. We must be vigilant, and ready to take on processes that undermine transparency.

So, stay connected, stay measured, and stay ahead in the world of Connected TV – where every measured step leads to a more successful and impactful advertising campaign.