What you DON’T KNOW you don’t know

Confirming we have to drill in on this and don’t worry – we’ll get sorted quickly. 📺

Bonjour Millionaire,

What’s your deal with CTV?

When you say you “get” it, do you really understand how it works, and all the DIFFERENT TYPES that fall under its big umbrella? 

Are you sure?

Because…the channel’s changing. (See what I did there?) 

And yet, I still see teams jumping into it with outdated mental models, which leads them to spend money to learn the wrong lessons. 

If your understanding of CTV hasn’t evolved, I fear you’re missing out.

That’s why today, I want to do a reset. Not just on CTV, but on how TV actually works today. Then, we’ll talk how serious brands are using it as a growth lever instead of an v. expensive disappointment.

If you want a sanity check on your approach, Tatari can walk you through all this in more detail, and run the channel for you. 

Otherwise, keep reading for everything you always wanted to know about CTV, but were pretending to understand afraid to ask. 

PRESENTING: TV 101

If you already know this… Sure you do. 😉 Call this a refresher.

If you don’t, no judgment. Now you’ll know.

Back in the olden days (ahem, the early ‘90s and before), TV was linear. 

Consumers looking for some home entertainment watched broadcast or cable TV. Or I’m not sure, square danced? Farmed? 

Then, the streaming revolution happened. 

YouTube and iTunes launched in 2005. Netflix and Hulu started streaming in 2007.

CTV, or Connected TV, advertising took off in the 2010s with the rise of smart TVs and streaming platforms.

At first, brands bought CTV ads directly from publishers (Netflix, Hulu, etc).

But programmatic advertising took over in 2021, mimicking the same approach we use to place digital display and video ads across millions of websites…even though there are only a handful of major CTV publishers. 

In fact, almost 90% of CTV impressions go to just 10 publishers (!)

Publishers began lumping big chunks of ad inventory onto platforms and selling it to the highest bidder, and by 2024, programmatic seemed like the easiest point of entry for marketers. 

Given how popular programmatic is, it’s understandable you might think you have to use it for CTV placements. 

But not all CTV is created equal…no matter what the “standard” approach seems to be. 

For example, publishers usually reserve their BEST inventory for brands they have direct relationships with.

The programmatic inventory available to the rest of us is essentially… leftovers. 

Which is not to say that programmatic CTV doesn’t work. IT DOES. Up to a point.

But programmatic CTV comes with challenges:

Meanwhile, the boundaries between streaming and linear TV are blurrier than ever. Take live events, for one.

Let’s say you’re watching Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime or Watch What Happens Live on Bravo.

^ It feels like streaming, but from an advertising standpoint, it’s still linear TV, baby gorgeous. ❄️

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR BRANDS?

📺: TV advertising is more proven than it used to be. 

Adoption is widespread. Brands of all sizes are buying in. We can see, in hard numbers (my favorite), that TV can drive results beyond top-of-funnel. Including improving social and search performance.

Buuuut that success has created a new problem for us:

I don’t know if you noticed, but the number of platforms for buying TV ads has exploded.

They all look similar at a glance, but they all offer different types of access, management/level of control, inventory, etc. 

My job today is to outline a few of the key differences, so you’re ready to make an informed decision. 

Because knowing the difference between the zillions of platforms out there? It can make or break your TV tests before they even start.  

📺: TL;DR: TV’s more nuanced now, and success requires understanding these nuances.

Many brands are working with platforms that only offer programmatic CTV, meaning they’re accessing just a fraction of available TV inventory. 

And, when/if they fail with CTV (often due to limited inventory, or underinvestment of time AND $$$), they blame the channel, instead of the platform. 

So, how do we turn TV into a true growth channel? We meet people where they are, and how they watch. 

That means: not just limiting yourself to CTV leftovers, but instead tapping into a rich mix of linear, streaming, even some online video. Because people watch in different ways, your customers included. 

For ecom, this goes double. It’s why I tend to look for flexibility like Tatari’s when evaluating TV platforms. If you want to catch the full ~array,~ snag a demo for a white-glove-style preview of what I mean.

TATARI IS CONVERGENT TV, NOT JUST CTV 

50% of the US still watches linear TV via traditional broadcast and cable.

The diehard streamers are watching a combination of streaming AND linear that they think is streaming. 

Yet most CTV platforms are limited to programmatic. Which is limited to streaming.

Let’s use an analogy: 

Using ONLY programmatic CTV is a little like dumping your entire paid social budget on Instagram Reels and ignoring every other channel, i.e. a thing you would surely never do!! 

Tatari is built for the way consumers actually watch TV, i.e. in many different ways! 

Instead of exclusively offering programmatic, Tatari is convergent. That means it lets you buy across:

1 more time for the marketer in the back: Direct Publisher Inventory! 🗣️🗣️🗣️

It’s like a tasting menu of the premium opportunities the big brands get. NOT the usual programmatic leftovers. It’s why brands using Tatari can make a diversified, more intentional TV investment. 

They have greater control over and transparency about the specific networks, placements, and contexts where their brand shows up. 

Tecovas used Tatari to plant its boots in NFL playoff games, NCAA college football, the World Series, AND Yellowstone. 

Tatari empowers brands to harness TV as a lever for reaching not just current customers, but also FUTURE customers.

Saatva, the luxury mattress company, saw a 40% increase in branded search volume and 20% increase in branded search-generated revenue YoY.

Most CTV platforms only measure delivered impressions. Tatari drives and measures outcomes that really matter, like purchases and installs. 

Calm used Tatari to drive a 60% lift in subscriptions AND reduced CAC 52% in the process. 

Oh, now you’re ready to book a demo? Go right ahead. But I’ll warn you, Tatari isn’t for every brand…

SERIOUS BRANDS ONLY!

Convergent TV with Tatari is the NEXT level up.

That doesn’t mean it’s only for big brands, mind you! It just needs the willingness to test CTV seriously, rather than like a $50 or $500 side quest. 

Meaningful tests require more intentional allocation. A bigger investment of time, money, and creativity. 

Not a Super Bowl budget, as they say. But more in line with how serious brands approach Snapchat, Meta, or Search expansion. 

This is still unusual for CTV. And, in my view, that’s what makes CTV such an opportunity right now: teams willing to show up thoughtfully have the edge. 

Underpowered tests on CTV lead to false conclusions, wasted spend, or both. None of our brands can afford that. 

My honest advice has 3 options:

1️⃣: If you don’t think your team has the bandwidth or budget, sit Tatari out for now and work toward it. 

2️⃣: If you’re trying a “programmatic-only” CTV platform but not in love with your results, ask Tatari for an audit of your campaign. Free advice! (Tell them I told you to ask, OK?)

3️⃣: If you’re ready for Tatari, book a demo and get ready for your brand’s CTV close-up. 

I can’t wait to watch.

Yours, 

Ari