The Rise of CTV in B2B

By Kebrina Robinson, Director B2B Research & Insights, EssenceMediacom.

Should your brand take a closer look at LinkedIn CTV, Google TV Ads and other Connected TV platforms?

The rise of Connected TV is transforming the media landscape and it’s fast becoming an essential tool for B2B marketers thanks to its rapidly growing reach and targeting potential.

According to eMarketer, adults in the US will spend more than two hours a day on CTV devices such as Apple TV, Xfinity Flex, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast and Roku in 2024.

Additional research shows that 70% of B2B marketers are now incorporating such platforms into their plans, attracted by the potential to drive performance.

And they are backing this with increased spend, with an impressive 92% planning to maintain or expand their investment in CTV.

What’s the benefit for B2B?

B2B CTV advertising offers a range of benefits, including precise audience targeting and better measurement and attribution. It also allows brands to express their personality in a visually engaging format.

Precise audience targeting: Marketers can use multichannel demand-side platforms (DSPs) to access the same audience segments available with other programmatic buys, including niche B2B-specific groups. This is particularly valuable for B2B campaigns that require specificity that is unattainable with linear TV.

Better measurement and attribution: CTV offers precise measurement and attribution that enables B2B marketers to proactively understand who is interacting with their ads and optimize accordingly. They can retarget users based on impression or video viewership, driving messaging and product affinity.

Expressing brand personality: CTV allows B2B marketers to express brand personality and tell compelling stories. This is crucial for establishing brand recall, a powerful metric for B2B brands.

Full-funnel strategy: CTV's ability to reach viewers at scale makes it an ideal component of an upper-funnel strategy. These top-funnel impressions can then be utilised as part of a full-funnel strategy to create a holistic viewer experience. With real-time reporting and enhanced targeting options, CTV enables B2B marketers to assess effectiveness in real-time and optimize the whole customer journey.

Key platforms to consider

Currently at an exploratory stage, LinkedIn's venture into CTV is concentrated on specific regions such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, primarily catering to English-speaking audiences. Despite these constraints, LinkedIn CTV offers a unique opportunity for B2B marketers to utilise first-party data to captivate audiences through large-screen experiences. Ads can be seamlessly integrated into streaming content across various platforms and smart TVs, strategically surfacing during long-form videos to heighten engagement and broaden brand visibility.

While Google TV OS has been around for over a decade, its recent integration with Google Ads marks a significant turning point. This allows advertisers to purchase Google TV inventory programmatically, extending its video advertising reach into consumers' living rooms and supplementing existing options such as YouTube TV.

The accessibility of Google TV ads has been further broadened through the Google Ads User Interface , expanding the range of advertisers who can benefit from this platform. Prior to this, access was confined to those utilising Google Display & Video 360 (DV360) and its programmatic video buying platform.

Amazon’s recent addition of ads into the Prime Video streaming service is poised to expand from customers in the US, UK, Canada and Germany to include France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Australia later this year. This presents marketers with a substantial opportunity to engage with streaming audiences, drive conversions and enhance brand visibility.

Finally, Netflix's ad-supported plan , launched a year ago, has already achieved a significant reach of 15 million global monthly active users. Netflix has improved measurement capabilities and introduced innovative ad products, such as binge ads and QR codes. The introduction of various sponsorship options – title, moment, and live sponsorships – also offers B2B advertisers a range of opportunities.

What to do now

As CTV continues to reshape B2B marketing, it's essential for brands to adapt and capitalise on the opportunity. There are five areas where they can take action now to maximize the benefits.

Embrace CTV advertising

CTV is becoming an integral part of B2B marketing. It allows brands to express their unique personality and narrate compelling stories, leaving a lasting impression on audiences. By establishing strong brand recall, businesses can set themselves apart from competitors.

Explore LinkedIn CTV opportunities

Keep an eye on LinkedIn's experimentation with CTV ads. Despite being in the testing phase, LinkedIn CTV presents a potential opportunity for B2B marketers to extend reach beyond the platform and engage key audiences as part of large-screen experiences.

Educate your team

Train your marketing team in the benefits and potential of CTV advertising. Provide resources to ensure everyone understands this platform.

Optimise audience targeting and measurement

Apply data-driven approaches for precise audience targeting in CTV advertising. Exploit multichannel demand-side platforms to access niche B2B-specific groups and measure effectiveness accurately. CTV's precise measurement and attribution capabilities enable proactive optimisation of campaigns for better ROI.

Implement full-funnel CTV strategies

Use CTV's ability to reach viewers on a mass scale for upper-funnel awareness campaigns, then draw upon real-time reporting and enhanced targeting options for mid and bottom-funnel actions. Align campaigns with specific performance goals to maximize results and drive revenue and conversions effectively.

This is a fast-changing area so please subscribe to EMB2B’s Newsletter and SharePoint to stay up to date with the latest CTV trends and other B2B developments.