Advertisers and media buyers frequently ask, "What is the best way to measure the success of my Connected TV (CTV) campaigns?" In the evolving digital landscape, it's tempting to equate campaign success with the breadth of CTV supply or the number of inventory partners. However, this "myth of supply supremacy" can be misleading.

This guide explains why focusing on measurable performance outcomes—not just inventory access—is the key to maximizing your CTV advertising impact. We will cover the essential metrics, strategies, and tools for running high-performance CTV campaigns.

What's More Important: CTV Supply or Campaign Performance?

While access to vast CTV inventory seems appealing, it does not guarantee better business outcomes. The primary goal for any advertiser should be to ensure ads are served in brand-safe environments and, most importantly, that they effectively reach the right audience to drive a result.

True success lies in the quality of the supply and the performance of the campaign. An abundance of supply doesn't inherently translate to better outcomes. This is why leading programmatic platforms, such as the Quantcast Advertising Platform, curate high-quality supply partners to prioritize brand safety and audience relevance over sheer quantity, ensuring an advertiser's message resonates where it matters most.

How to Measure CTV Campaign Performance: Key Metrics

Gone are the days of CTV being only a top-of-funnel (TOFU) awareness tactic. Modern CTV advertising, when executed through a powerful demand-side platform (DSP), is a full-funnel performance powerhouse.

To measure its true impact, advertisers must track metrics that bridge the gap between brand awareness and tangible business results.

• Incremental Reach: This measures the unique audience your CTV campaign reached beyond your linear TV campaigns. It answers the question, "Am I reaching new viewers, or just the same people?" For example, Auto Trader leveraged this metric to identify a 51% incremental reach over their linear TV efforts, successfully connecting with an audience of exclusive streaming viewers.
• Brand Lift: This measures the direct impact of your ads on consumer perception. Effective brand lift studies track shifts in key areas like brand awareness, ad recall, brand familiarity, and purchase intent.
• Conversions: This tracks how many viewers took a desired action after seeing your CTV ad, such as visiting a website, adding a product to a cart, or making a purchase. This metric directly ties CTV spending to bottom-line revenue and business outcomes.

How to Integrate CTV into a Full-Funnel Omnichannel Strategy

Consumers don't exist in a silo; they interact with brands across multiple touchpoints. For CTV to be most effective, it must be integrated into a cohesive omnichannel advertising strategy.

This approach ensures a consistent brand message across all channels, including display, video, mobile, and audio. Using a unified DSP is one of the most effective ways to achieve this, as it allows advertisers to synchronize and optimize campaigns across all stages of the customer journey.

A real-world example is Sky's promotion of its Sky Glass product. By aligning their CTV campaigns with other digital channels through the Quantcast platform, they achieved a significant 35% lift in brand familiarity, demonstrating the power of an integrated strategy.

Is CTV Advertising Accessible for Mid-Market Brands?

Historically, the high production and media costs associated with TV advertising were a significant barrier for mid-market advertisers.

Today, programmatic buying and advancements in creative automation have democratized access to high-impact CTV inventory. Efficient platforms now enable mid-market brands to deploy large-format, television-quality creatives without the prohibitive costs, allowing them to reach new customers at scale and compete with larger incumbents.

The Final Verdict: Prioritize Performance for CTV Success

To maximize your CTV advertising impact, the most effective strategy is to shift focus from a supply-centric mindset to a performance-first approach. While broad supply access is beneficial, it is not the definitive factor in campaign success.

Key Takeaways for Advertisers:

• Focus on Metrics: Prioritize measurable outcomes like brand lift, incremental reach, and conversions over vanity metrics like inventory volume.
• Integrate Your Strategy: Use CTV as a core component of a holistic, omnichannel plan to ensure message consistency and compound your results.
• Use the Right Tools: Leverage a performance-focused DSP, such as the Quantcast platform, to gain the insights, audience-building tools, and controls needed to optimize campaigns toward tangible business growth.