Most guides about CTV advertising explain the theory. This one shows what campaigns actually look like in practice.
If you’re evaluating CTV as a channel and want to know what real brands are doing with it, you’re in the right place. We’ll walk through campaign examples by industry and goal, break down the ad formats available, and explain what separates campaigns that produce results from ones that burn budget.
CTV Ad Formats (What Your Ads Can Look Like)
Before we get to campaign examples, it helps to understand what CTV ads actually are. These aren’t banner ads or social feed interruptions. CTV ads run on the television screen during streaming content, and they come in several formats.
Pre-Roll Ads
Your ad plays before the viewer’s content starts. Common on free ad-supported platforms like Tubi and Pluto TV. The viewer hasn’t started watching yet, so attention is high but patience is lower. Best used with 15-second spots that get to the point fast.
Mid-Roll Ads
Your ad plays during a commercial break in the middle of a show or movie. This is the most common CTV ad format and the closest to the traditional TV experience. Viewers are invested in the content and waiting to get back to it. Completion rates on mid-roll ads regularly exceed 95% because most CTV inventory is non-skippable.
Post-Roll Ads
Your ad plays after the content ends. Least common and least effective because viewers are deciding what to watch next or turning off the TV. Available on some platforms but rarely the preferred placement.
Interactive Ads
Some platforms now support ads that let viewers take action with their remote. QR codes that pull up a landing page on the viewer’s phone. “Click to learn more” overlays on smart TV apps. Shoppable ads that add items to a cart. Interactive formats are still emerging, but early data shows 3-5x higher engagement rates compared to standard spots.
Home Screen and Native Placements
Ads that appear on the streaming device’s home screen before a viewer picks a show. Roku, Fire TV, and Samsung TV Plus offer branded tiles, sponsored recommendations, and takeover placements. These aren’t traditional video ads but they reach users at the moment of content discovery.
CTV Campaign Examples by Industry
DTC and Ecommerce
The scenario: A direct-to-consumer mattress company spending $30,000/month on CTV to drive website traffic and online sales.
What the campaign looks like:
- 30-second spots running on Hulu, Peacock, and Tubi
- Targeting: adults 25-54 in the top 20 DMAs, behavioral targeting for “home furnishings” and “new movers”
- Creative: product demo showing the unboxing experience, ending with a unique URL (brand.com/tv)
- Retargeting: households that saw the CTV ad get follow-up display ads within 48 hours
Why it works: DTC brands need to build awareness outside of Meta and Google. CTV reaches people in a lean-back environment where the brand message has room to breathe. The unique URL lets them track website visits directly from the TV spot, and retargeting keeps the brand in front of people after they’ve seen the ad.
Typical results: 90%+ video completion rate, 15-25% lift in branded search, $18-30 CPM depending on inventory mix.
B2B (Account-Based Campaigns)
The scenario: A cybersecurity company targeting 400 enterprise accounts with a $15,000/month CTV budget to support their ABM program.
What the campaign looks like:
- 15-second and 30-second spots running across premium FEP inventory (Hulu, Peacock, ESPN app)
- Targeting: CRM list uploaded and matched to employee households via IP-based targeting. Firmographic filters for company size (1,000+ employees) and industry (financial services, healthcare)
- Creative: thought leadership style. “Your board will ask about cyber resilience this quarter. Are you ready?” Focus on the business problem, not the product demo.
- Measurement: account-level engagement tracking. Which target accounts saw ads and then visited the website?
Why it works: B2B CTV isn’t about driving clicks. It’s about making your brand familiar to the people you’re selling to. When your sales team reaches out to an account that’s already seen your brand on their TV, the conversation starts differently. The cybersecurity company isn’t trying to get 400 companies to all buy immediately. They’re warming accounts so that outreach converts at a higher rate.
Typical results: 40-60% CRM match rate (160-240 accounts reached), $30-45 CPM on premium inventory, measurable lift in website visits from target accounts, improved response rates on sales outreach to exposed accounts.
For more on how B2B companies approach CTV differently, see our B2B CTV primer.
Local and Regional Business
The scenario: A regional hospital network running CTV ads across a three-state area with a $10,000/month budget to build brand preference for their specialty care services.
What the campaign looks like:
- 30-second spots on FAST channels (Tubi, Pluto TV, Roku Channel) plus some Peacock inventory
- Targeting: geographic (three-state DMA), adults 35-65, behavioral targeting for health and wellness interest categories
- Creative: patient testimonial featuring real patients discussing their experience, ending with the hospital’s name and phone number
- Frequency: 4-6 impressions per household per month
Why it works: Local businesses used to be limited to local broadcast TV (expensive, broad) or digital display (cheap but low attention). CTV sits in the middle. A $10,000/month budget buys significant reach in a regional market, especially on FAST channels where CPMs run $12-20. The patient testimonial format builds trust in a way that display ads can’t.
Typical results: 200,000-400,000 impressions/month at regional level, $12-20 CPM on FAST inventory, strong video completion rates (85-95%), increased branded search in the target geography.
Enterprise Brand Awareness
The scenario: A Fortune 500 software company running $200,000/month in CTV as part of a broader brand campaign during a product launch.
What the campaign looks like:
- Premium inventory only: Hulu, Disney+, Netflix ad tier, Max, ESPN during live sports
- Targeting: broad demographic (business decision-makers 30-55) plus behavioral (technology interest, business news viewers)
- Creative: cinematic 30-second spot produced by an agency, with brand storytelling (not product demo)
- Geo-holdout testing: running CTV in 60% of markets and holding out 40% to measure incremental lift
- Companion campaigns: connected display retargeting, LinkedIn sponsored content, search brand campaigns in exposed markets
Why it works: At enterprise scale, the goal shifts from direct response to measurable brand lift. The geo-holdout test is the gold standard for proving CTV’s value. By comparing markets that saw CTV to those that didn’t, the company can isolate CTV’s contribution to website traffic, branded search, and pipeline.
Typical results: $35-55 CPM on premium inventory, 95%+ completion rates, 10-20% lift in branded search in exposed markets vs holdout, measurable impact on pipeline velocity.
App Install and Subscription Services
The scenario: A meal kit delivery service spending $50,000/month on CTV to acquire new subscribers.
What the campaign looks like:
- Mix of FEP and FAST inventory (60/40 split) across Hulu, Tubi, Roku Channel, Peacock
- Targeting: households with income above $75K, “food and cooking” interest categories, conquest targeting against competitor subscribers
- Creative: two versions. A 30-second brand spot showing the cooking experience, and a 15-second offer spot with a promo code
- A/B testing: rotating the two creative versions to measure which drives more conversions
- Attribution: pixel-based conversion tracking plus unique promo code (WATCHNOW) to measure direct TV-to-signup
Why it works: Subscription services thrive on CTV because the 30-second format lets them show the product experience (unboxing, cooking, enjoying the meal) in a way no banner ad can. The promo code creates a direct attribution path, and the interest-based targeting reaches people who are already cooking at home.
Typical results: $20-35 CPM on blended inventory, 12-18% lift in website visits from exposed households, 3-6% promo code usage rate from CTV-exposed viewers, lower CAC compared to Facebook prospecting for many brands.
What Makes CTV Campaigns Work (Patterns Across Examples)
A few patterns emerge from the campaigns above.
Creative quality matters more than targeting precision. A well-produced 30-second spot will outperform a mediocre one even with perfect targeting. CTV is television. Viewers expect TV-quality creative. That doesn’t mean a $100,000 production budget. It means clear messaging, good audio, and production values that match the content running around your ad.
Frequency is underrated. One impression doesn’t move the needle. Most effective CTV campaigns target 6-12 impressions per household per month for awareness goals and 12-20 for consideration and conversion goals. If your budget only supports 1-2 impressions per household, you’re spreading too thin.
CTV works best as part of a mix, not standalone. Every high-performing CTV campaign in these examples includes retargeting, search, or other channels that reinforce the TV message. CTV puts the brand in front of someone on the biggest screen in the house. Other channels close the loop.
Measurement must match the campaign goal. A brand awareness campaign measured by click-through rate will always look like a failure. A performance campaign measured only by impressions will look like a success even if it drove zero revenue. Match the KPI to the objective. For more on this, see our guide on measuring CTV campaigns.
When CTV Isn’t the Right Example for Your Brand
Not every brand should run CTV. Here are situations where the examples above won’t apply to you.
You don’t have video creative. CTV requires 15s or 30s video spots. If you don’t have them and don’t have budget to produce them ($5,000-15,000 for basic production, more for premium), CTV isn’t ready for you yet. Some platforms offer creative services, but quality varies.
Your budget is under $5,000/month. At that level, you won’t generate enough reach or frequency to see results. The DTC example above runs $30,000/month. The B2B example runs $15,000/month. Even the local business example runs $10,000/month. Below $5,000, you’re better off putting that budget into channels with lower entry points.
Your target audience is too narrow. B2B campaigns targeting fewer than 200 accounts may not generate enough matched reach for CTV to work. CRM match rates run 40-70%, so 100 accounts might yield only 40-70 targetable households. That’s not enough for a meaningful campaign.
You can’t measure results. If you don’t have website analytics, conversion tracking, or some form of attribution in place, running CTV is spending blind. Set up measurement first. Then test.
Your other channels aren’t maxed out. If you’re not capturing existing demand through search and social, invest there first. CTV is best for creating new demand, not capturing demand that already exists. Don’t add CTV until your bottom-funnel channels are performing.
Getting Started
If the examples above match your situation, here’s the practical starting point.
Step 1: Define your goal. Is this brand awareness, pipeline influence, direct response, or something else? The goal determines your targeting, creative, and measurement approach.
Step 2: Set your budget. We recommend a minimum of $10,000-$15,000/month for 90 days to generate enough data for meaningful conclusions.
Step 3: Get your creative ready. At minimum, you need one 30-second spot and one 15-second cutdown. The 30s version tells the story. The 15s version reinforces it at higher frequency.
Step 4: Choose a CTV platform that fits your use case. DTC brands have different needs than B2B companies. Match the platform to your targeting requirements.
Step 5: Run for 90 days before judging results. CTV campaigns need time to build frequency and measurable lift. If you’re ready to pull the trigger after two weeks, you’re not measuring anything meaningful.
Frequently Asked Questions About CTV Advertising
What does a CTV ad look like?
CTV ads are video commercials (typically 15 or 30 seconds) that play during streaming content on connected TVs. They look like traditional TV commercials but run on platforms like Hulu, Peacock, Tubi, Disney+, and Netflix. Most CTV ads are non-skippable, full-screen, and play with sound on. Some platforms also support interactive ads with QR codes or clickable overlays.
How much does a CTV advertising campaign cost?
CTV campaigns are priced on a CPM (cost per thousand impressions) basis, typically $15-55 depending on inventory quality. Premium platforms (Hulu, Disney+) run $30-55 CPM. FAST channels (Tubi, Pluto TV) run $12-25 CPM. Most brands spend $10,000-$50,000/month on CTV, though entry-level tests can start at $5,000/month. We recommend at least $10,000-$15,000/month for 90 days to generate meaningful data.
Can small businesses run CTV ads?
Yes, but with realistic expectations. Some self-serve platforms start at $500/month, and regional campaigns on FAST channels can deliver meaningful reach at $10,000/month. Small businesses should focus on geographic targeting in their local market, use FAST channel inventory for lower CPMs, and run for at least 90 days. CTV works well for local businesses that previously relied on local broadcast TV but want better targeting.
What is the best CTV ad format?
Mid-roll ads (playing during commercial breaks within a show) are generally the most effective CTV format. Viewers are engaged in content and completion rates exceed 95% on non-skippable placements. 30-second spots are standard for brand storytelling. 15-second spots work well for retargeting or reinforcing a message at higher frequency. Interactive ads with QR codes are emerging but still limited in scale.
How do B2B companies use CTV advertising?
B2B companies use CTV primarily for account-based campaigns. They upload a target account list from their CRM, match it to employee households via IP-based targeting, and serve ads to decision-makers at those companies. The goal is typically brand awareness and pipeline influence rather than direct response. Most B2B CTV campaigns run on premium inventory (Hulu, Peacock, ESPN) for brand credibility and measure success at the account level: which target accounts saw ads and then engaged with the brand.
How long should a CTV campaign run?
We recommend a minimum of 90 days for any CTV campaign. CTV is a frequency-based channel where results build over time. You need enough impressions per household (6-12 for awareness, 12-20 for consideration) and enough time to measure downstream effects like branded search lift, website visits, and pipeline impact. Two-week tests don't generate enough data to draw meaningful conclusions.