Marketing has evolved to the point that streaming video presents an invaluable stage for presenting product and service ads to specific audiences. Attribution on CTV is gradually entering the lexicon of the marketing industry for good reason.
In simple terms, CTV attribution is a process that measures CT ad campaign success or failure. This is your guide to the nuances of attribution as used for CTV.
The Magic of CTV Attribution
The initial step of CTV attribution is to gather information on target personas inclined to pay for a value offering. Data on online activity, subsequent conversions, and the steps in between tell the story of the buyer journey. Once information is gathered, attribution modeling is used to gauge the CTV ad campaign’s impact.
Attribution modeling requires in-depth analysis of the data to determine what drives viewers to become actual customers. The last leg of CTV attribution is the quantification and reporting of results ranging from click-through rate to conversion percentage and even highly specific data such as the return on ad spend. CTV attribution aims to obtain a crystal clear comprehension of how advertisements impact CTV ad campaigns.
CTV attribution is likely to become even more popular as the landscape of advertising changes in the years ahead. It is no secret that consumers are moving away from cable TV to streaming services for TV content. Therefore, gauging the impact of CTV advertising campaigns will become even more important in the years to come.
CTV Tells the Story of Ad Campaigns
CTV measurement tracks performance TV ad campaigns for analysis. Attribution pinpoints exactly where consumers begin their journey toward conversion, focusing on specific actions, be it a certain channel or even a specific advertising campaign effort. Gauging the effectiveness of CTV ads requires metric tracking such as:
- Value of average orders
- Cost per acquisition
- Cost per view
Contrast the depth of ad campaign tracking with linear TV’s lack of linear tracking and you’ll notice quite the contrast. The days of getting a rough estimate of TV viewership through antiquated Nielsen ratings are in the rearview mirror.
As an example, the advertisers of yesteryear commonly relied upon the GRP metric to gauge the efficacy of ad buys on conventional TVs. GRP is short for Gross Rating Points, a system in which advertisers financially compensate publishers under individual ad rating points.
Viewers are rapidly transitioning away from cable TV toward streaming content. The underlying tech of streaming video services empowers businesses and marketers to better understand the specific content and ads that drive desired actions including sales.
The CTV Attribution Process
Measuring ad performance on CTV is highly nuanced compared to that used in linear TV. Ads are transmitted to the desired CTV platform and presented to individual households. The platform records the IP address of the household using an exposure file.
CTV attribution technology is even advanced to the point that device graphs are now used to map additional devices connected to the specific ID address within the house. If there are several individuals in the home using laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other connected devices, each of them is included in the exposure file.
When individuals using one of the web-connected devices listed above perform the desired action, be it visiting a site or following through with a purchase, information about that specific action is also recorded. Such a recording takes place using a pixel, then stored within outcome files.
Comparing data within outcome files and exposure files allows for the identification of individual IP addresses. The IP addresses are subsequently matched for attribution purposes. The purpose of matching is to connect the dots between the completion of the intended action after seeing the CTV ad.
CTV attribution ultimately expands on the foundation laid by linear TV ads. Advanced targeting combined with measurement tools empowers businesses and advertisers with the means necessary to not only connect with those who’ve drifted away from linear TV but also understand ad campaign success down to the last detail.
Make Data-driven Decisions
Connected TV attribution ultimately helps businesses and advertisers piece together the puzzle of consumer psychology and behavior. CTV technology is designed to gather extensive data for analysis and subsequent action.
Use the metrics of CTV attribution such as post-ad online visits and post-view conversions to your advantage and you’ll have a much better understanding of the specific ads that drive desired actions. This data-driven approach is vastly superior to the outdated TV rating system used in the pre-CTV era.
Moreover, CTV attribution also provides extensive data used to support ongoing marketing decision-making whereas the advertisers of yesteryear relied upon estimation and gut instinct to make decisions. Take full advantage of CTV attribution and you’ll make informed decisions based on accurate facts and figures for maximum impact.
