Here’s the Fastest Path to Profitable Scale

by Isabel Greenfield

• The TV screen isn’t just an upper funnel tactic anymore. With Connected TV, it can tackle the full funnel
• We looked at the top 25% of our advertisers to determine the fastest path to growth on CTV
• Advertisers who launched both prospecting and retargeting saw faster results than those that launched prospecting alone or waited to launch retargeting
• Launching prospecting and retargeting together results in 27% more site traffic and ~2x more ROAS than launching prospecting alone

As a marketing professional, you know that campaign results take time. But finally launching your first Connected TV campaign might have you feeling a little Veruca Salt-y: don’t care how, you want results now. So MNTN Research analyzed MNTN’s first-party data to find steps that you can take to make the most of your launch and ensure you see the fastest scale possible.

The Full-Funnel Approach

Up until this point, television has been a classic top-of-funnel tool. TV ads allow for high-impact storytelling to create brand awareness. But without measurement, linear was stuck squarely in the upper funnel, since there wasn’t much feedback as to how the ads were working. Attribution was also non-existent since there was no way to tie conversions back to the TV screen. (Also relevant: TVs aren’t clickable.)

That has changed, however, as viewers have shifted to Connected TV. TV advertising still offers that immersive TV experience that, let’s be honest, we all love. But now it’s been upgraded to encompass the full funnel, adding the digital roots of the performance marketing channels marketers need to be able to achieve their goals. Attribution models allow them to track conversion data alongside their paid search and marketing efforts. And the myriad of other information CTV advertising provides—from audience-segment reporting to incrementality and beyond—expands the functionality of TV from purely an awareness play to something a lot more complex and all-encompassing.

CTV, like linear TV, is still a powerful demand generation tool that helps capture new people at the top of the funnel. But after CTV prospecting campaigns capture the attention of new audiences, CTV retargeting campaigns can move prospects down the funnel, reaching people who have visited the website but may not have converted yet. CTV even allows advertisers to use their CRM data to tailor specific messaging to valuable groups encouraging repeat business and other key initiatives. CTV has transformed the TV screen into a flywheel from acquisition to conversion. (Psst: It even helps other channels perform better—more on that here.)

Timing is Everything When It Comes to Fast Results

Now onto the juicy part. How can marketers launch to 1) reach the full funnel and 2) get the best results possible? MNTN Research looked at campaign results from MNTN’s top 25% of advertisers to see what they were doing to earn them top marks.

The easiest way to maximize your growth: launching both prospecting and retargeting at once. While it can be tempting to wait to launch a retargeting campaign until you’ve been able to test the waters with a prospecting campaign. Doing so, however, will greatly diminish your results.

In fact, MNTN advertisers who launched both prospecting and retargeting at the same time delivered 27% more site traffic and ~2x more ROAS than those who launched with prospecting alone.

As for those who did launch retargeting, but waited until halfway through the first 30 days? They only delivered 17% more site traffic and 52% more ROAS, a significant drop compared to those who launched both initiatives at once.

Want Better Results? Start Thinking Strategically

The charts speak for themselves: to maximize growth, marketers need to launch strategically. Prospecting alone can certainly generate new demand and create results in 90 days and while adding in retargeting boosts the results overall, neither is an alternative to launching at the same time. Small tweaks can set advertisers on the path to greatness without requiring additional set-up, budget, or management.