Capturing intent at the precise moment consumers are ready to take action has always been the goal in search.
But there’s value – and real payoff – in influencing that intent before the search even begins.
As customer journeys grow more complex and span multiple touchpoints, the need to reach audiences earlier continues to rise.
Connected TV (CTV) advertising offers that opportunity.
It helps build brand awareness and consideration that drive downstream search behavior – all while maintaining the targeting precision and measurement capabilities search professionals expect.
What is connected TV?
Connected TV encompasses any television that offers digital streaming beyond traditional satellite and terrestrial programming. This includes:
Smart TVs.
Plug-in devices like Roku, Amazon Fire TV sticks, and Apple TV.
Gaming consoles that stream video content.
Rising viewership across platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Paramount+, and YouTube has made TV advertising more accessible – once the domain of big-budget brands.
It has also transformed TV from mass-market targeting with little customization to a targetable, measurable digital medium.
Unlike traditional TV advertising, CTV ads are delivered programmatically, which enables them to target specific households or audience segments – similar to what’s familiar in social or display advertising.
Connected TV offers opportunities for non-skippable, pre-roll, mid-roll, and skippable ad formats.
How connected TV complements search advertising
Search marketers often focus exclusively on lower-funnel tactics, capturing demand that already exists.
While this approach delivers strong ROI, it leaves a gap at the top of the funnel to build that demand over time.
This is where CTV can help. Video advertising drives considerable reach and has been shown to increase the level of brand searches.
When consumers see compelling video ads on their connected TVs, they often turn to search engines to learn more, compare options, or make a purchase.
CTV plants the seed. Search translates that into traffic and sales.
Here’s how they work together in several ways:
Brand awareness that drives search volume: Audience targeting naturally has a wider reach than relying solely on those searching for your brand, product, or service.
Retargeting audiences on the big screen: When run through specific platforms like Google and Microsoft Ads, you can not only build awareness but also re-engage audiences already familiar with your brand.
Sequential messaging: You can use CTV for storytelling to build a picture of your brand, product, and service.
Measuring incremental search impact: By comparing branded search volume in the locations where the CTV ads were delivered, you can quantify exactly how much incremental search traffic your investment is generating. This closed-loop measurement helps optimize both channels together rather than in silos.
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