CTV Audience Targeting: 10 Advanced Connected TV Capabilities

In today’s dynamic advertising landscape, CTV targeting has revolutionized the way marketers reach their audience. Connected TV targeting allows for precision and efficiency, ensuring ads are seen by the most relevant viewers.

This article explores ten advanced CTV targeting capabilities that can enhance your CTV advertising strategy and maximize your campaign’s effectiveness.

1. Lookalike Targeting

Lookalike targeting allows advertisers to reach new audiences that resemble their best existing customers by leveraging data and algorithms to find similar user profiles. This method enhances the precision of CTV audience targeting by expanding reach to potential customers who are more likely to engage.

Example: A fashion retailer uses lookalike targeting to reach viewers who share similar interests and purchasing behaviors with their top buyers, increasing the chances of converting these new prospects.

2. Cross-Device Targeting

Cross-device targeting enables advertisers to reach users across multiple OTT devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and connected TVs, ensuring a consistent message throughout the customer journey. This approach helps maintain engagement and reinforces brand messages by targeting the same user on various platforms.

Example: A streaming service uses cross-device targeting to show complementary streaming ads on viewers’ mobile devices and connected TVs, ensuring a seamless brand experience.

3. Geographic Targeting

Geographic targeting allows advertisers to serve local TV ads based on the viewer’s location, from broad regions like countries and states to more specific areas like cities and ZIP codes. This capability ensures that ads are relevant to the local audience, enhancing their effectiveness.

Example: A local restaurant chain uses geographic targeting to promote its new menu items exclusively to viewers within a 10-mile radius of their locations, driving foot traffic to their restaurants.

4. First Party Data Targeting

First-party data targeting utilizes information collected directly from an advertiser’s customers, such as purchase history, website interactions, and loyalty programs. This highly personalized targeting method leverages the advertiser’s own data to reach highly relevant audiences.

Example: An e-commerce brand uses first-party data targeting to show personalized OTT ads to customers who have previously purchased from their website, promoting similar or complementary products.

5. Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO)

Dynamic creative optimization (DCO) involves creating personalized ad variations in real-time based on data signals like audience demographics, behavior, and context. This approach enhances ad relevance and engagement by tailoring creative elements to individual viewers.

Example: A travel company uses DCO to display ads featuring destination recommendations based on viewers’ recent online searches and travel preferences, making the programmatic ads more appealing and likely to convert.

6. Contextual Targeting

Contextual targeting places ads based on the content being viewed, ensuring that the advertisements are relevant to the viewer’s current interests. This type of CTV audience targeting matches ads with content themes, keywords, or topics.

Example: An eco-friendly product company uses contextual targeting to display ads during a documentary about environmental conservation, aligning its message with the viewer’s interests.

7. Interest-Based Targeting

Interest-based targeting uses data on viewers’ long-term interests and preferences to deliver ads that align with their hobbies, passions, or lifestyle choices. This method helps ensure that the content of the ads resonates deeply with the audience.

Example: A sports apparel brand uses interest-based targeting to show TV ads to viewers who frequently watch sports content and follow fitness influencers, increasing the likelihood of engagement.

8. Behavioral Targeting

Behavioral targeting focuses on serving ads based on viewers’ previous actions, such as their browsing history, purchase behavior, and content consumption patterns. This strategy ensures that ads are highly relevant to the viewer’s past activities.

Example: An online electronics retailer uses behavioral targeting to display ads for gaming accessories to viewers who have recently watched gaming-related content or visited gaming forums.

9. Retargeting (Remarketing)

Retargeting, or remarketing, involves showing ads to viewers who have previously interacted with a brand, such as visiting their website or abandoning a shopping cart. This CTV targeting technique aims to re-engage potential customers and encourage them to complete a purchase.

Example: A travel booking site uses CTV retargeting to show ads for discounted flights to users who have previously searched for vacation destinations but didn’t complete the booking process.

10. Demographic Targeting

Demographic targeting allows advertisers to reach audiences based on demographic information such as age, gender, income, education, and family status. This ensures that ads are shown to the groups most likely to be interested in the product or service.

Example: A luxury car manufacturer uses demographic targeting to promote their latest model to high-income viewers aged 35-55, maximizing the relevance and impact of their ads.

CTV Targeting: Final Thoughts

Advanced CTV audience targeting capabilities have transformed the way advertisers connect with their audiences, offering precision and relevance that traditional linear TV cannot match. By leveraging techniques like lookalike targeting, cross-device targeting, and contextual targeting, marketers can deliver highly personalized and effective ad campaigns.