Mastering Connected TV & OTT Ads for Event Promotion in 2026: Reaching Cord-Cutters with Big Screen Impact

Ready to reach cord-cutters on the big screen? In 2026, more people are streaming TV than ever, and smart event promoters are following suit. Connected TV (CTV) and over-the-top (OTT) platforms – think Hulu, Roku, Peacock, and other smart TV apps – let you run video ads on television screens with digital precision. This guide demystifies how event marketers can leverage CTV/OTT advertising to drive ticket sales. You’ll get a step-by-step roadmap for launching event ad campaigns on streaming services, covering targeting options, creative best practices for TV-sized screens, budgeting tips, and how to measure results. Packed with real-world examples of events that successfully used CTV ads to reach cord-cutting audiences, this guide offers practical insights to amplify your event promotion beyond social media and search. Let’s dive in and put your event on every screen in the house!

Why CTV Advertising Matters for Event Promotion in 2026

The Rise of Cord-Cutters and Streaming Audiences

Cord-cutters – viewers who’ve ditched traditional cable – are now a massive segment of the audience event promoters need to reach. Streaming isn’t niche anymore; it’s mainstream. As of early 2025, streaming accounted for 43.8% of all TV viewing time in the U.S., according to Nielsen’s 2025 report on connected TV trends, surpassing both cable and broadcast in share. This trend isn’t limited to the U.S. either – globally, millions have switched to on-demand TV. By 2026, services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and YouTube are entrenched in daily life, across age groups. In fact, industry surveys show over 90% of U.S. households use a connected TV device in some form, and other regions aren’t far behind. Younger audiences especially are unlikely to see your ad on traditional TV – many never subscribe to cable at all. To attract Gen Z and Millennial attendees (who overwhelmingly discover events through online media), promoters must meet them on streaming platforms. If your marketing plan ignores CTV/OTT, you’re invisible to a huge chunk of potential ticket buyers, making it vital to attract Gen Z and Millennials to concert halls. Simply put: in 2026, connected TV advertising has moved from “nice-to-have” to must-have for reaching modern event audiences.

TV Impact Meets Digital Targeting

What makes CTV advertising so exciting is that it combines the immersive impact of television with the precision of digital marketing. You get the big-screen visuals, sound, and storytelling of a TV commercial – the kind of engaging, emotional punch that can spark a fan’s excitement – but you don’t have to blast it out to an overly broad audience. Through OTT platforms, you can target specific demographics, interests, and locations just like you do on social media or PPC ads. For event marketers, this is gold. It means your festival’s 30-second video ad can play to exactly the people most likely to attend – say, 18–34 year-old music fans in a 200-mile radius – rather than a generic regional TV spot that reaches whoever happens to be watching the 6 o’clock news. And unlike traditional TV buys that require huge up-front budgets, CTV lets small and mid-sized events get on TV screens with modest spend. For example, Hulu’s self-serve ad platform requires around a $500 minimum spend per campaign, with typical costs about $10–$30 per thousand impressions, based on data regarding Hulu advertising costs and minimums – a far cry from old-school TV where you might have needed tens of thousands just to run a local spot. In short, connected TV advertising offers the best of both worlds: the prestige and engagement of television, delivered with the accuracy and cost-efficiency of digital. That’s a game-changer for event promotion.

Extending Beyond Social and Search

Chances are you’re already investing in social media ads and search engine marketing to sell tickets – and those channels are still essential. But they no longer cover the entire journey of your audience. Many potential attendees are spending their leisure time on streaming services and smart TV apps beyond the reach of Facebook or Google. Relying solely on social and search means you’re missing those touchpoints. CTV and OTT ads help fill that gap in your omnichannel strategy by putting your event in front of audiences relaxing on the couch, not just scrolling on phones. Savvy promoters now treat streaming ads as a natural extension of their campaign. For example, you might run a concert teaser video as an ad on Hulu to build awareness, even before your social hype kicks in. Or imagine someone hears about your festival from a friend on Instagram, then later that week sees your festival’s sizzle-reel play during a Roku streaming session – the repetition across channels reinforces the message. Research consistently shows that multi-channel marketing yields the best results, because each medium reinforces the other, as evidenced by strategies that integrate programmatic advertising with other channels. By integrating CTV into your mix, you ensure your event stays top-of-mind wherever your target audience consumes content. Experienced event marketers know that a platform like Connected TV can expand reach across the web with data-driven precision, capturing new ticket buyers who might not join the mailing list or follow on social otherwise. In a nutshell, CTV ads amplify your campaign’s reach and create a true 360° presence – critical for sell-outs in 2026’s competitive landscape.

CTV vs OTT: Understanding the Platforms and Options

What’s the Difference Between CTV and OTT?

These terms often get used together (even in this article), so let’s clarify. OTT (Over-the-Top) refers to any video content delivered via the internet without going through traditional cable or satellite providers – essentially “over the top” of those old distribution channels. If someone streams a show on Netflix, that’s OTT content. Connected TV (CTV) specifically means television sets (or devices connected to TVs like streaming sticks and game consoles) that are used to watch OTT content. In practice, an OTT ad could run on any internet-streamed video, whether it’s on a TV, tablet, or phone. A CTV ad is one that plays on a television screen via a streaming platform or device. For event marketers, this distinction is minor – the key idea is your ads are running within streamed shows or videos rather than traditional broadcast. But it matters when dealing with ad platforms: some might label inventory as “OTT” meaning it can hit mobile apps and smart TVs, while “CTV” is usually reserved for ads that appear on the TV screen. We’ll use “CTV advertising” here as shorthand, but know that your campaigns may reach viewers on TV sets as well as other OTT devices. The good news is most OTT services offer both large-screen and multi-device placements seamlessly. Understanding this ecosystem ensures you tap both couch viewers on smart TVs and cord-cutters watching on their laptops or phones.

Major Streaming Ad Platforms in 2026

The CTV/OTT landscape is a patchwork of platforms, but a few heavy hitters dominate for advertisers in 2026:

• Hulu – One of the pioneers of ad-supported streaming, Hulu (U.S. only) offers premium TV content with commercial breaks. It has a self-serve Hulu Ad Manager for smaller advertisers, letting you target by demographics, interest categories, and location. Hulu’s audience skews young adult and urban, and ad completion rates are very high (since ads can’t be skipped).
• Roku – Roku isn’t a content service but a device/OS that many smart TVs use. However, Roku sells ad inventory across its platform (e.g., in the Roku Channel app and via partnerships). Through Roku’s OneView ad platform or third-party demand-side platforms, you can access Roku’s enormous user base. In Q2 2025, Roku devices accounted for about 37% of CTV ad impressions in North America, based on Connected TV statistics and trends, making it a top outlet for reaching viewers of free streaming channels.
• YouTube and YouTube TV – YouTube is technically OTT and frequently consumed on connected TVs. Advertisers can use Google Ads to target YouTube ads specifically to TV devices. Given that viewers now watch over 700 million hours of YouTube content daily on TV screens, as reported in Google’s insights on YouTube CTV advertising, this is a huge opportunity. YouTube ads on CTV combine Google’s granular targeting with the living-room experience. YouTube TV (the cable-like streaming service) also has ad slots available to certain advertisers.
• Free Ad-Supported Streamers (FAST) – Platforms like Pluto TV, Tubi, Amazon Freevee, Samsung TV Plus, and Peacock (free tier) are popular for cord-cutters who want free content. They run frequent ad breaks similar to traditional TV, and you can buy these ads either through programmatic ad exchanges or via the platforms’ own sales channels. These services have exploded in usage – hours watched on major free ad-supported streamers grew 43% year-over-year in 2025, according to Comscore’s State of Streaming report – meaning they offer a rapidly growing audience for event promos.
• Premium SVOD with Ads – Even formerly subscription-only services have embraced ads. Netflix and Disney+ launched ad-supported plans in recent years. By late 2025, nearly 45% of Netflix’s U.S. subscribers were on the ad-supported tier (up from 34% the year prior), per Comscore’s analysis of ad-supported platforms. While these platforms mostly work with large sponsors (and aren’t fully open for self-serve), they signal that almost every streaming service now has ad opportunities. Over time, access may broaden. HBO Max (now just Max) also offers an ad tier. As an event marketer, you might not start on these premium services due to higher costs and limited access, but it’s good to know they’re part of the landscape.
• Regional Streaming Apps – In different countries, the key OTT channels vary. For example, in the UK, services like ITVX (ITV), All4 (Channel 4), and My5 (Channel 5) offer ad-supported streaming of popular shows. In India, platforms like Hotstar (Disney+ Hotstar) have massive viewership (including for sports). Australia has 7plus and 9Now, etc. Many of these have avenues for advertisers. When promoting international events or targeting expats/visitors, consider the local streaming favorites. Adapt your platform choices to each market’s viewing habits by mastering omnichannel event marketing strategies.

The bottom line: there are many ways to get your ads onto streaming content. You can go direct to consumer platforms (like setting up a Hulu or YouTube campaign), or use programmatic ad tech to reach across multiple apps with one buy (more on that below). Understanding the major players in CTV helps you decide where your event ads might shine and ensures you don’t overlook a channel your target audience frequents.

Self-Serve, Programmatic, or Agency: Choosing Your Approach

Once you know which platforms appeal to your audience, you have to decide how to purchase those CTV ads. There are three main routes:

• Self-Serve Platforms – Several streaming services offer self-service ad buying for smaller advertisers. Hulu Ad Manager, for instance, allows businesses to create and run campaigns directly on Hulu. It’s still in beta (as of mid-2020s) but open to many U.S. advertisers. You set up targeting and upload your video creative, similar to boosting a Facebook post. YouTube/Google Ads is another self-serve route (targeting YouTube on TV devices), as is Amazon’s self-serve for Fire TV placements. These are user-friendly if you’re familiar with digital ad dashboards, and they’re great for smaller budgets. However, they’re siloed – you’ll reach only that platform’s audience.
• Programmatic DSPs – For a broader reach across many OTT apps and websites in one place, you can use a demand-side platform (DSP) to let Google find users across the web. Programmatic advertising platforms like The Trade Desk, Google Display & Video 360, Amazon DSP, or StackAdapt let you access ad inventory on multiple streaming services and connected TV networks via one interface. For example, through a DSP you could run a campaign that serves your video ad on both a streaming TV app (CTV) and as a pre-roll on a web video site. DSPs offer advanced targeting (using data providers to find “music festival enthusiasts,” for example) and frequency capping across platforms. The trade-off: they have a learning curve and often require higher budgets or minimum spends (some demand a few thousand dollars to start, or to unlock certain CTV inventory that seasoned event advertisers use via reps). If you have the budget and expertise (or an agency partner), programmatic can massively expand your event ad reach beyond the reach of social feeds and search engines.
• Agency or Managed Service – If all this sounds daunting, you can enlist help. Many event promoters partner with advertising agencies or specialised marketing firms to handle CTV campaigns. An agency might use those DSPs on your behalf and optimize the campaign daily. Some platforms also offer managed service where a rep helps run your ads (often with a higher spend commitment). For instance, if you’re a smaller promoter, a service like Basis (Centro) or Yahoo DSP can manage programmatic offerings for event clients. There are even cases where ticketing companies or event marketing platforms bundle programmatic ad services for their clients, as seen when companies bundle programmatic ad services for clients. The key is to weigh cost vs. convenience. Agencies charge fees or percentages, but they bring expertise that can improve ROI. If your team has never run TV or programmatic ads, an experienced partner can prevent costly mistakes. On the other hand, if you have a marketing team eager to learn and a modest budget, starting with a self-serve tool might be perfectly viable.

Choosing the right approach comes down to your budget, in-house skills, and objectives. For a first foray, you might try a direct buy on one platform (e.g. run a $1000 test on Roku or Hulu) to get your feet wet. As you scale up, a DSP can consolidate efforts. And at any stage, don’t hesitate to tap expert help if needed – knowing when to use an agency versus in-house resources is crucial as CTV and social media dominate advertiser spending plans. The goal is to get your event in front of the right eyeballs with as little friction as possible.

(Pro Tip: Before committing, do a little competitor recon – see if rival events are running CTV ads and on which platforms. If your biggest competitor is blasting ads on Hulu, you might choose to counter on the same service or find a less crowded channel. Staying aware of competitors’ marketing channels helps you find opportunities to outmaneuver them by expanding reach beyond obvious channels as advertisers shift budgets to CTV platforms.)

Step-by-Step: Launching a CTV Ad Campaign for Your Event

Ready to get your event on TV screens? Here’s a step-by-step guide to planning and launching a Connected TV advertising campaign, from concept to go-live.

Step 1: Define Your Goals and Audience

Every successful marketing campaign begins with clear objectives – CTV ads are no different. Ask yourself what you want to achieve with OTT advertising and who you need to reach. Common event goals include:
– Increase overall brand awareness of the event (especially for a new festival or first-time conference).
– Drive a burst of ticket sales during an on-sale or final push.
– Reach a new demographic or geographic market that isn’t responding to your other marketing.
– Boost recall and credibility (seeing an event advertised on TV can lend extra legitimacy and excitement).

Your goal will influence your approach. For example, if your goal is awareness, you might prioritise broad reach and frequency (showing the ad to as many relevant people as possible) and measure success in uplift in web traffic or social mentions. If your goal is direct sales, you’ll want to track conversions and perhaps use a strong call-to-action in the ad.

Next, define your target audience for the CTV campaign. This should align with your overall event audience, but consider the characteristics relevant to TV viewership. Key questions:
– Who are the ideal attendees? (Age, gender, interests, location, etc.)
– Where do they live? If it’s a local event, you’ll target a radius or specific cities. For a destination festival or tour, you might target multiple regions or countries where potential travelers live (tapping into concert tourism by reaching fans beyond your hometown, similar to how Otherside Festival targeted travelers).
– What are they interested in watching? Think about the genres or contexts. For a comic-con convention, your audience might be streaming anime, sci-fi, or gaming content. For a business conference, they might be on news or finance streaming channels.
– When are they watching? Are they more likely to stream in the evenings, or maybe during commute hours (if watching on a mobile device)? This can inform daypart targeting if available.

Use any data you have – past attendee surveys, social media insights, or ticketing analytics – to refine this persona. If you’re unsure, conduct some audience research on how younger fans discover events online: for instance, poll your followers on which streaming platforms they use most. The more precision here, the better you can utilise CTV’s targeting capabilities in later steps.

Experience Tip: Seasoned event marketers emphasise that CTV works best as part of a multi-channel strategy targeting a well-defined audience. Don’t go in blind. One festival marketer noted that when they synced their CTV targeting with the lookalike audiences from Facebook (built from prior ticket buyers), they saw far higher relevance and conversion from the TV ad placement strategy. Do the homework on your audience up front – it will pay off in ad effectiveness.

Step 2: Choose Your Platforms and Buying Method

With your audience in mind, decide where and how to run your CTV ads. This involves two decisions: which platform(s) to advertise on, and through what method (self-serve, DSP, etc.) as we outlined earlier.

Start by matching platforms to your audience and goals:
– If your event skews younger (18–34), consider Hulu, YouTube, and possibly gaming or music streaming apps on TV. Hulu has many young adult viewers (cord-cutters who still want TV content). YouTube on TV is universal for young demographics. Also, free services like Tubi have big audiences in the 20s-30s age range because they’re free.
– If you’re targeting a broad family audience or older viewers as well, the likes of Peacock, Pluto TV, and network streaming apps (like local news station apps on Roku) could be useful. Many families use free ad-supported platforms for movies and classic TV.
– Geo-targeting needs: If your event is regional, ensure the platform supports it. Hulu Ad Manager, for example, allows targeting by geographic areas (down to postal code level in the US) so you can zero in on your city. Some devices like Roku or programmatic exchanges use IP addresses to target cities/DMAs. Confirm your chosen channel can restrict to your desired market – you don’t want to pay for impressions in London if your concert is in Manchester!
– Content alignment: Think about context. If you can choose content categories or even specific shows, align with your event theme. A horror film festival might fare well placing ads on a horror movie channel in a streaming app. A startup conference might align with news or tech show content. While you won’t usually select single shows (unless doing a direct sponsorship), many platforms let you target genres (e.g., “Lifestyle” or “Sports” content clusters). Use this to your advantage to catch viewers in the right mindset.

Next, choose how to buy on those platforms:
– If you’re going self-serve for an initial test, perhaps pick one platform that best fits your demo. Many promoters start with Hulu Ad Manager for U.S. campaigns, or YouTube via Google Ads, due to their familiarity and relatively low barriers. These let you dip a toe in with $500–$1000 and see results. If you do this, you’ll set up an account on that platform, define your target (likely duplicating the persona from Step 1 in their targeting options), and upload your ad creative.
– If you have a bit more budget and want efficiency, consider a programmatic platform or ad network to reach across multiple apps in one go. For instance, The Trade Desk or Amazon DSP can place your ads on numerous streaming services at once. This is handy if your audience is fragmented or if you’re not sure which streamer they use – the DSP will scatter your ads widely and optimise. Keep in mind some DSPs have minimum spend requirements. It’s not unusual to need at least ~$5,000 to run a meaningful CTV campaign on a DSP, as seasoned event advertisers often recommend, as premium video inventory can be pricey. Some managed-service DSPs (like StackAdapt or Centro) might bundle smaller campaigns, but costs can still be in the thousands.
– For larger campaigns or if you’re short on internal bandwidth, talk to an agency. An agency can advise which platforms give the most bang for buck for your specific event. They might say, for example, that using a hybrid approach – Google’s Display & Video 360 plus a direct Hulu buy – will cover both web and TV inventory effectively, as suggested by strategies that combine programmatic and direct buying. Agencies also might have bulk deals or preferred rates on certain channels due to volume, potentially stretching your budget.

To illustrate, let’s say you run a 10,000-capacity music festival:
– You decide your core targets are 18–34 year-old music fans in your state. They likely use YouTube and Hulu a lot.
– You opt to use Google Ads to run ads on YouTube (TV devices) because you can start with a few hundred dollars and precisely target by age, interest (music festival content, etc.), and location.
– Simultaneously, you set up a Hulu campaign via Ad Manager to run during popular series that your target demo watches (maybe reality shows or music award shows streaming on Hulu). Hulu’s targeting lets you pick the cities in your region and some interest affinities like “Live Music” or similar if available.
– If budget allows, you could also allocate some spend to a DSP to reach smaller OTT apps – ensuring anyone on Pluto, Tubi, or Roku Channel also sees your festival ad. If not, you stick with the two self-serve channels for simplicity.

The key in this step is planning your media mix: it might be one platform or several, and deciding that upfront prevents random spending. Write down your plan: e.g., “Allocate $2k to Hulu from Feb–Mar for awareness, $1k to YouTube in Apr for retargeting video views, etc.” This will keep you focused.

(Quick note: Platform interfaces vary, but all will require setting up a campaign with details like start/end dates, budget or bids, targeting criteria, and uploading your video file or linking to it. Be prepared to navigate a new UI – budget time for learning each platform’s quirks. Hulu’s tool, for example, might have a longer approval process for creatives since it’s still newer. YouTube might be quickest if you’re used to Google Ads.)

Step 3: Craft Compelling Big-Screen Creative

Now comes the fun part – creating the ad that will actually appear on TVs and devices, representing your event. CTV ads are video spots, typically 15 or 30 seconds (with some platforms also supporting 6-second “bumper” ads or longer 60-second spots in certain cases). To make an impact on a television screen, you’ll want to follow some best practices for creative design:

• Grab Attention Early: Just because someone can’t “skip” your ad (many CTV ads are unskippable) doesn’t mean they’ll pay attention throughout. Start strong in the first 2–3 seconds. Use riveting visuals or sound from your event – for a music festival, that could be a quick cut of the headliner’s most recognizable song or a stunning shot of last year’s crowd going wild.
• Design for the 10-Foot Viewing Experience: Remember, people will see this content from their couch, not inches from their face. This means bold, clear visuals and easily readable text. Small details get lost on a TV across the room. If you show your event name, dates, or a URL, put it in large fonts and high contrast. Avoid cluttered shots with text in the corner. Many marketers overlay big text for key info (e.g., “SummerFest – July 16–18 – Central Park”) in the final frames so that even if the viewer misses the audio, they see the vital details.
• Leverage Sight, Sound, and Motion: Unlike silent scrolling social ads, CTV ads usually play with full sound. Take advantage of that. Use music, narration, or crowd noise to convey the vibe. If it’s a DJ night, include a bass drop and crowd cheer; if it’s a corporate summit, maybe a confident voiceover inviting viewers to “join industry leaders…”. High-quality audio design elevates the professionalism of your ad. Visually, go for bright and high-contrast footage; dark, muddy shots might not render well on all screens. If you have professional footage from past events, this is the time to use it. If not, even a montage of artist photos or graphics can work if animated nicely.
• Keep It On-Brand and Emotional: The best event ads, like the best TV commercials, tell a story or at least evoke a feeling. Use your event’s branding (logos, colours, tagline) but don’t make it a static flyer. Show people having a great time at your event or imagine what they’ll experience. Tap into FOMO and excitement. For example, “Hear the roar of the crowd” over a shot of fans screaming can give viewers goosebumps. Emphasise what makes your event special – whether it’s a one-time reunion show, a beautiful festival location, or a celebrity speaker. On the big screen, emotions get amplified. Campaign veterans recommend aiming for either goosebumps or curiosity: give them chills or get them intrigued enough to learn more.
• Include a Clear Call to Action (CTA): This is tricky on TV ads because viewers can’t click. But you still need to prompt the next step. A common approach is to show the event website URL or a simple instruction like “Search ‘SummerFest 2026’ for tickets” in the last seconds of the ad. You might also encourage a promo code (“Use code TV10 for 10% off tickets at checkout”) – this not only spurs action but helps you track responses from the ad. QR codes have also become popular: a QR code can appear on-screen, which interested viewers can scan with their phone to directly visit your ticket page. During the pandemic, people got used to scanning codes on TV (for example, some Super Bowl ads used QR codes). If you use one, keep it on screen for at least 10 seconds and mention it via voice (“Scan now for details!”) so people know what to do. In 2026, many streaming platforms allow interactive CTV ads that might let viewers click with their remote or receive a text by pressing a button – but those formats may require special setup. For most event marketers, a memorable URL or code will do the job.

Some additional pointers: Keep the pacing brisk (15–30 seconds goes fast; don’t try to cram too much info – one core message is best), respect platform specs (ensure your video meets the resolution, codec, and file size requirements of the platform; most require HD 16:9 video, MP4 format), and test your ad on a TV screen before deploying. Play it on an actual television to see if text is legible and audio clear. Many first-timers are surprised that what looked fine on a laptop is hard to read on a TV from across the room.

To organise these tips, here’s a quick reference table for creating OTT ads:

Creating a great ad might take a few iterations. If budget permits, consider A/B testing different creatives across your campaign (some platforms allow you to upload two versions and will optimise to the better-performing one). For instance, test one ad that emphasises the star performer and another that emphasises the overall experience; see which drives more site visits or search lift. In one case, an event promoter found that a 15-second highlight reel of festival scenes outperformed a talking-head 30-second announcement in terms of engagement – people responded more to seeing the atmosphere, proving creative testing improves programmatic CTV results. Don’t be afraid to be creative and try unique approaches. Just always loop back to: would this catch my eye if I saw it while streaming? If the answer is yes, you’re on the right track.

Step 4: Set Budget, Schedule, and Targeting Details

With your platforms chosen and your shiny new creative ready to go, you’ll move into the campaign setup phase where you configure budget, schedule, and targeting. This is a critical step to ensure your ads reach the right people at the right time without overspending.

Budgeting: Decide how much you are willing to spend on CTV ads and over what time period. Many platforms allow you to set a total campaign budget or a daily budget. For event promotion, it often makes sense to define a total budget for the campaign (e.g., $5,000 over 4 weeks) aligned with your marketing timeline. If you’re unsure, start small – you can always increase the budget if you see positive results. Keep in mind that CTV ads are typically priced on a CPM (cost per mille, or thousand impressions) basis, usually ranging from roughly $10 to $30 CPM as noted. The exact CPM you get will depend on how narrow your targeting is (highly specific audiences or premium content can drive higher CPMs) and how much competition there is for that audience. Set a bid or budget that is competitive enough to actually deliver impressions. Some self-serve like Hulu will simply spend your budget at the going rate. DSPs might let you bid; if so, you may start around $20 CPM bid and monitor delivery.

A quick example budget table for an event CTV campaign might look like:

This is just to illustrate how you might break it down. Allocate more to the channel you expect to perform best or that has the largest audience for you. Also reserve a portion for retargeting or last-minute pushes if possible (we’ll touch on retargeting in Step 5).

Scheduling: Plan the run dates for your ads. Timing is everything with event marketing. Work backward from your event date or key on-sale dates. For instance:
– If you’re promoting a festival on July 1st, you might run CTV ads throughout May and June, with perhaps a heavier concentration in the final 2-3 weeks of June as urgency builds.
– If you have an on-sale or early bird deadline, you could do a burst of ads a few days before the price increase to spur action (e.g., “Prices go up Monday – get tickets now!” messaging in that window).
– Consider day-of-week and time-of-day if the platform allows scheduling ads at specific times (dayparting). For example, you might focus on evenings (7–11pm) when streaming viewership peaks for a leisure event, and perhaps morning news hours for a business event audience. The Riversport case study (an adventure attraction) found engagement spiked on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings, as seen in a case study on attraction attendance in Oklahoma – aligning ad delivery to those times maximised their impact, targeting disposable income for recreational activities. Use any viewer habits data you have, or general knowledge (primetime is primetime for a reason), to schedule smartly.
– Make sure your campaign ends with enough lead time before the event if awareness needs to translate to sales (you don’t want someone seeing an ad for a festival after tickets are sold out or the event has passed). Conversely, if you expect a lot of last-minute ticket buyers, you can run ads right up to the day before the event (“Door sales tomorrow!” etc., though many platforms need a bit of time to ramp down).

Targeting Configuration: This is where you input all that audience definition work into the ad platform. Typical targeting options on CTV/OTT might include:
– Geography – You might set a radius (e.g., 50 miles from city center), select specific cities/regions, or choose DMAs (Designated Market Areas) if in the US. Some platforms allow postal code targeting; others might just do metro areas. Be as granular as needed. If you’re running a multi-city tour campaign, you might clone separate campaigns per city for tight geo-focus, rather than one broad campaign nationwide.
– Demographics – Age ranges, gender, household income (sometimes), presence of children, etc. Use these if relevant. For instance, an all-ages comic convention might target 18-49 broadly, whereas a music event with a 21+ venue age restriction should target 21-54 if you assume core concertgoers. Avoid overly narrow demos that could restrict scale (e.g., targeting 23-27 might be unnecessarily tight – think in broader bands unless your content is extremely age-specific).
– Interests/Behaviours – Many CTV platforms let you target by interest categories or viewer behavior. Hulu might have categories like “Entertainment & Music Enthusiasts” or “Foodies” depending on data. Programmatic DSPs can tap third-party data segments (like people who have attended live events before, or who stream a lot of sports, etc.). Choose segments that align with your event; but again, don’t overdo it. Combining too many filters (e.g., age + geo + multiple interests + strict behaviors) could shrink your reach too much. A good strategy is to target somewhat broadly (say geo + age + one key interest like “live music”) and then let the platform optimise.
– Contextual / Content Targeting – If available, opt in to categories of content that make sense. For example, target “Music” or “Travel” genres if you’re promoting a destination festival, since viewers watching travel shows might be open to traveling for an event. Some DSPs even allow targeting specific apps or channels (like “only show my ad on the Pluto TV Music channel or Vevo music videos app”). Contextual targeting can boost relevance – one festival campaign saw great success by placing a 15-second festival highlight ad on streaming platforms specifically to users watching travel and music-related shows to target music and travel enthusiasts, ensuring those viewers were predisposed to their event genre.
– Device / Tech – You usually can specify connected TV devices vs mobile/desktop. If you only want the big-screen impact, ensure you choose “Connected TV devices” as the placement (most DSPs have this option). But also consider if you want cross-device retargeting (some will let you retarget someone who saw a CTV ad with a follow-up banner on their laptop, which can be very effective to drive action). Initially, stick to CTV for the main awareness, but keep in mind this cross-device capability for later.
– Frequency Capping – Determine how often the same person should see your ad. With event marketing, you want enough frequency to be remembered, but not so much that it becomes annoying or wasteful. A typical cap might be 3 impressions per user per day for prospecting (cold audiences), which can dramatically improve ROI on ad spend. You could allow a higher frequency in the final week push when urgency is high – seeing “Last chance!” multiple times might actually help then. Many self-serve platforms automatically optimise frequency, but if they provide a setting, use it. Example: maybe cap at 10 impressions per user over the whole campaign, or 2 per day, depending on campaign length. Monitor if people are seeing it too often (most platforms have reporting on frequency).

Take the time to double-check all these settings. It’s a lot of detail, but an error here could mean wasted spend (e.g., wrong location, or forgetting to include an interest filter means your ad about a niche conference might run to totally random audiences). One experienced promoter’s advice: if the platform allows, preview the estimated reach or audience size after you input targeting. If it says something like “audience size: 20,000” and you expected much more, you might have been too restrictive. Conversely, if it says “audience: 20 million” and you only can afford 100k impressions, you might consider narrowing to ensure higher relevance. Adjust until the audience size aligns with your budget and goals (for instance, you might aim to reach 100k unique people with 2-3 impressions each – so ~250k impressions total – see if your targeting likely covers roughly that many people). Some trial and error is normal.

By the end of Step 4, you will have essentially configured your campaign in the chosen platform: you’ve uploaded the video, set when it runs, who it targets, and how much to spend. It’s like loading a rocket on the launchpad – all systems go, ready for launch in the final step.

Step 5: Launch, Monitor, and Optimise

With everything set up, it’s time to light the fuse and launch your CTV campaign! Once your campaign goes live (or as the start date hits), keep a close eye on it. Monitoring and optimisation during the run can turn a good campaign into a great one.

Here’s what to watch and how to adjust:
– Delivery and Pacing: Check within the first couple of days that your ads are actually delivering impressions as expected. If your campaign is supposed to spend $100 per day but only spent $20, you might have an issue – perhaps the audience is too narrow or your bid too low to win impressions. On many platforms you can adjust mid-flight: try broadening targeting a bit or increasing your bid if needed. On the other hand, if you see the budget being eaten up too quickly, you might tighten the frequency cap or narrow targeting to conserve impressions for the most relevant viewers.
– Performance Metrics: Even though CTV ads are mostly about awareness, you’ll likely have some metrics to gauge engagement. Common ones include:
– Video Completion Rate (VCR) – the percentage of ads watched to completion. CTV often sees very high VCR (95%+ is not unusual) with completion rates reaching 99.1% in some campaigns because most ads aren’t skippable. If your VCR is significantly lower, it could indicate the content is off-putting and people are backing out of the app or otherwise abandoning – rare on TV, but watch for it. A near-99% completion (like the 98–99% completion rates achieved in the adventure park CTV campaign case study) means your ad is holding attention or at least people let it play – which is good.
– Impressions and Reach – how many times your ad was shown, and how many unique viewers saw it (if the platform provides unique reach). This helps you track progress toward your goals. Say you aimed for 200k impressions total and 100k people reached; you can see if you’re on track halfway through. Also monitor frequency (impressions per user). If by mid-campaign you’ve already hit an average frequency of 8+, you might be oversaturating the core audience – consider expanding the audience or ending earlier to avoid ad fatigue.
– Clicks or Interactions – Some OTT ads on certain devices allow clicks or info requests (for example, an interactive overlay). But for standard video ads, you may see few direct clicks. Don’t be alarmed – viewers aren’t expected to click a TV ad. More important is what happens offline: do you see direct traffic to your site or more branded searches when the ads run? For instance, a festival that ran CTV ads noticed a spike in Google searches and direct URL visits whenever their ad aired, demonstrating programmatic CTV’s impact on limited budgets. You’ll want to watch your web analytics for these patterns.
– Conversions – Ultimately, did ticket sales increase? It may be hard to directly attribute a sale to a specific TV ad view, but you can look at overall lift. If you’re using a tracking setup (more on that in the Measurement section below), check if any conversions are being logged from devices that saw the ad. Some advanced attribution tools can match households that saw the ad to ticket purchases, especially if you have a pixel on your site and the platform offers cross-device attribution. For example, a DSP might show that 50 conversions happened among the exposed audience versus 30 in a control group – indicating incremental sales from the campaign. We’ll discuss more ways to measure success in the next section.

• Mid-Campaign Optimisations: Based on early data, you can tweak the campaign. If you launched on multiple platforms, see which is performing best. Maybe Hulu is driving more site traffic than YouTube, so you shift more budget to Hulu. Or if your ad is doing great with one segment (say, you targeted both “music lovers” and “travel enthusiasts” segments, and music is outperforming), you can reallocate to focus on the winner. Also watch geographic performance if spread out; you might notice one city responding more (you could then weight ads to that city if tickets are selling well there). Programmatic platforms often auto-optimise by shifting spend to where CTRs or view rates are highest, ensuring placement optimization improves ROI, but with a manual buy, you should be nimble. One key optimisation in event campaigns is timing: as you get closer to the event, consider adjusting the message (some platforms let you swap creative or have sequential messaging). For example, a couple of weeks in, you might swap your generic ad for one that says “Tickets are 80% sold – act now!” if that’s true. Keep the content fresh to maintain urgency.
• Troubleshooting: If something isn’t working – say your ad got disapproved (maybe the platform didn’t like a word or the formatting), resolve it quickly. Check notification or policy sections. Hulu might reject an ad for too much text on screen, or YouTube might flag audio levels. Fix any issues and resubmit; most platforms review ads within 24 hours. Also be mindful of sound levels – a common mistake is audio that’s too low or too loud compared to programming. Many CTV platforms normalize volumes, but ensure your ad is compliant with their guidelines (like Hulu follows CALM Act guidelines for ads not being louder than content).
• Harnessing Learnings: Throughout the campaign, note what you’re learning. Maybe you discover weekend streaming ads get more engagement than weekday, or that one creative cut outperforms another. These insights are valuable not just now but for your next event’s marketing. Logging performance data by channel will help build benchmarks. For instance, if you see a cost per website visit of $5 from CTV this year, you’ll know how that compares to your Facebook ads or to next year’s campaign.

Finally, keep stakeholders in the loop. If you can show halfway through that “our CTV ads have reached 50,000 local residents with a 98% completion rate, and our direct traffic is up 20%,” that can reassure your team or client that the investment is working. Be prepared to prove the value of these ads – not everyone is used to thinking beyond clicks, so educate them on these metrics.

Once the campaign completes, congratulate yourself – you’ve just executed a modern multimedia ad campaign! But the work isn’t done. Next, you’ll want to thoroughly measure the results and extract insights to refine future efforts. Let’s explore how to gauge the success of CTV ads in driving those precious ticket sales.

Measuring Success and ROI of OTT Advertising

How do you know if your shiny new connected TV campaign actually helped sell tickets? Measuring ROI for CTV ads is admittedly more complex than for pure digital ads, because viewers often don’t click an ad and immediately buy a ticket the way they might with a Facebook ad. However, there are several ways to track the impact of OTT advertising on your event’s success. A combination of direct and indirect metrics will give the full picture.

Tracking Key Performance Metrics

First, make use of the metrics provided by the ad platforms themselves as a starting point:
– Impressions and Reach – How many times was your ad served, and to how many unique users/households? This tells you the scale of exposure. If you reached 100,000 people in your target market with an event ad, that’s 100k people now aware of your event who might not have been before. Compare this to other channels: perhaps your social ads only reached 50k people; CTV might have doubled your unique reach.
– Video Completion Rate (VCR) – As noted, a high VCR (95%+ is typical for unskippable ads) indicates your content held viewers. If it’s much lower than expected, something might have gone awry (like the ad was too long or not engaging). But generally, with CTV you can expect most people saw your full message. This is a big advantage over volatile social feeds where many users scroll past videos within seconds.
– Website Traffic During Campaign – Monitor your web analytics (Google Analytics or similar) for direct and organic traffic spikes. A good approach is to annotate the timeline when your CTV campaign ran. Often, you’ll notice a lift in direct traffic (people typing your URL or using bookmarks) and in organic search (people searching your event name) corresponding to the period and regions where your ads were active. For example, if you targeted the Los Angeles area on streaming, check if LA traffic to your site rose. One music festival reported seeing notable spikes in direct visits and Google search queries for their event whenever their CTV ad aired, proving programmatic CTV drives search traffic. These correlations strongly suggest the ads drove curiosity and action.
– Promo Code Redemptions – If you used a unique promo code (like “TV10”) on your ad, track how many ticket purchases used that code. It won’t catch everyone (some will forget or not bother), but it provides a concrete count of conversions directly attributable to the TV ad. If 50 people used the code, that’s a minimum confirmed 50 sales from the campaign. Often, more people saw the ad and bought without the code, so this is a conservative measure.
– QR Code or Vanity URL Hits – Similarly, if you had a dedicated short URL (e.g., YourEventTV.com redirecting to your main site) or a trackable QR code, check hits to those. For instance, if your QR code in the ad led to a special landing page, how many visits and perhaps ticket purchases came through that page? This helps quantify engaged viewers.
– Survey and Attribution Studies – This is a more advanced tactic: you can survey ticket buyers asking how they heard about the event. Add “Saw ad on TV/streaming service” as an option. Post-event surveys at that festival earlier found a “notable chunk of attendees mentioned ‘saw a TV ad’ as how they heard about the festival” (www.ticketfairy.com) – a sure sign the CTV campaign was effective since traditional TV hadn’t been used. On the attribution tech side, some platforms or third-party measurement providers (like Samba TV, LiveRamp, or Nielsen) can do a study matching households exposed to your ad against ticket purchase data to estimate conversion lift. These can be costly, so they’re usually for bigger budgets, but it’s worth knowing about. If your event is large, you might engage one of these to prove the ROI in a scientific way (they’ll typically give a report like “exposed audience was X% more likely to buy a ticket than control audience”).

Now, let’s talk Conversion Tracking in a more traditional sense. If you’re using a programmatic DSP or even Hulu/YouTube, you should set up conversion tracking just as you would for digital ads, following steps to set up conversion tracking and analytics. This usually means placing a pixel on your ticket purchase confirmation page (or integrating via your ticketing platform’s conversion API). Ticket Fairy’s ticketing platform, for example, can pass back the purchase value to ad platforms’ pixels, allowing you to see exactly how much revenue was generated from ad-driven buyers by sending purchase data from your ticketing platform. Configure this at the start of the campaign: e.g., for Google/YouTube, set up a conversion goal for a ticket purchase (perhaps via Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager on the checkout complete page). For DSPs, use their pixel and define the conversion event. While many CTV ad viewers won’t click and convert immediately, some will see the ad on TV and then later grab their phone to buy. Those conversions can still be picked up by tracking if it’s the same user or household (some platforms use IP matching to attribute a conversion on a household’s device to a prior CTV ad view). It’s not perfect, but you might be pleasantly surprised to see direct conversions. If you see, say, 30 last-click conversions in Hulu’s dashboard, that’s definitely impacting sales.

Evaluating ROI and Cost-Effectiveness

Once you have all these data points, evaluate Return on Investment (ROI) for the campaign. This can be done on multiple levels:
– Direct ROI: If you can attribute some ticket revenue directly (say your pixels or codes show $20,000 in sales came from people who saw CTV ads) and you spent $5,000 on the ads, that’s a 4:1 revenue-to-ad spend ratio – a healthy direct ROI. In many cases, direct attribution will undercount, so don’t be dismayed if it’s not break-even on paper. Consider that a CTV ad often influences a purchase in combination with other touchpoints (e.g., someone sees the TV ad, then later sees a Facebook retargeting ad and clicks to buy – the last click goes to Facebook, but CTV played a role in getting them there).
– Lift and Indirect ROI: Look at overall ticket sales velocity during the campaign vs before. Did you observe a surge in sales or web inquiries after launching CTV? You might compare regions – e.g., ticket sales in cities where you ran the ads vs a similar city where you didn’t – to gauge lift. Or compare this year’s sales curve to last year’s (if last year you didn’t use CTV). For instance, you might find you sold 15% more tickets in the early weeks of the campaign compared to last year, indicating the extra reach paid off.
– Cost per Acquisition (CPA): Calculate an approximate CPA – ad spend divided by number of tickets sold that can reasonably be tied to the ads. If $5k spend contributed to 200 sales (direct or via lift), that’s $25 per sale. Is that good for your event? It depends on your ticket price and margins. If these are festival tickets at $150 each, a $25 CPA is excellent (ROI of 6x). If tickets are $30 each, $25 CPA might be too high unless you have other revenue per attendee. Benchmark against your other channels: maybe Facebook ads had a $15 CPA and search a $10 CPA. Even if CTV’s $25 is higher, remember it’s also bringing incremental audience you might not get elsewhere (as was the case in one campaign where programmatic including CTV had a slightly lower ROAS than Facebook but still brought in new buyers profitably, as tracked in cities like Phoenix and San Diego). As long as CPA is within a range that you can afford for a new attendee, it’s a win.
– Brand and Buzz: Not everything shows up in spreadsheets. CTV ads can create word-of-mouth effects and general buzz that are hard to quantify. Maybe people mention “I saw an ad for that show on Hulu!” on social media or in your ticket buyer surveys. That’s added value – it builds credibility. One first-time festival promoter found that running a short OTT ad campaign not only sold tickets but also impressed sponsors and local media (“we saw your ad on Roku!”), making it easier to secure partnerships. While anecdotal, these things matter for the overall success of your event business.

Optimising Future Campaigns

Measurement isn’t just about justifying the past spend – it’s about learning how to be better next time. After the event (and campaign) is over, do a post-mortem analysis:
– Which platform delivered the best results for the cost? Maybe YouTube CTV ads gave you more site traffic per dollar than Hulu. Or vice versa, Hulu produced higher spend per customer (maybe those users bought VIP tickets more often). Note this and consider focusing on the more effective platforms next time, or adjusting strategies (e.g., keep using both but allocate budget differently).
– How accurate was your targeting? Did certain demographics end up buying more? If your data shows, for example, that 25-34 year-olds converted at twice the rate of 35-44 year-olds, you might tighten the age focus in the future or craft separate creatives for each age segment. If one city produced disproportionate ticket sales from the ads, you know to prioritise that city in future geo-targeting (or to allocate more on-ground marketing there to complement the ads since interest is high).
– What creative worked? If you ran multiple creatives or messages, look at their individual performance. Higher completion or engagement might tell one story, whereas tracking might show one ad drove more conversions. Incorporate those findings into creative brainstorming for the next campaign. Maybe the ad that highlighted the event’s unique experience outperformed the one focusing on lineup, suggesting future ads should lead with experience.
– Timing and Phasing: Did you start the ads early enough, or did sales pick up only after ads ran for a while? Perhaps you learned that a longer runway (8+ weeks) is better for big festivals to build awareness, whereas a short burst is fine for a smaller show. Plan your next timeline accordingly. Also, if you notice drop-offs (like after 3 weeks, frequency was saturated), you could shorten the campaign next time or introduce fresh creative at the 3-week mark to keep it effective.
– Cross-Channel Effects: Evaluate how CTV ads interacted with your other marketing. If you were also running an omnichannel event marketing effort by integrating programmatic with their omnichannel event marketing efforts (social, email, PR, etc.), does it appear that those who were exposed to both CTV and other channels had a faster conversion? It’s tricky to parse casually, but for example, you might see email open rates increased after the TV ads started (meaning people were primed by the ad and more likely to open your newsletter). Or your retargeting ads on social had higher conversion rates because the audience had seen the TV ad prior. All this can reinforce that the channels are complementary.

Take these insights and refine your strategy. The beautiful thing about digital marketing – even on “big screen” channels like CTV – is the wealth of data and adaptability. Each campaign makes the next one smarter. Over time, you’ll develop a sense for, say, how many ticket sales you can drive per $1,000 of CTV spend, and what type of creative resonates best with your fanbase.

In summary, measuring CTV advertising success requires a blend of traditional ad metrics (impressions, completion rate) and creative event-specific tracking (promo codes, surveys, multi-touch attribution). It may not always be as straightforward as measuring a click on a Facebook ad, but with the right approach you can quantify the impact. And if done right, the numbers will likely show what anecdotal evidence has been suggesting – that Connected TV ads can indeed move the needle for event ticket sales in a significant way, by reaching audiences you’d otherwise miss and boosting the overall effectiveness of your marketing mix.

Real-World Examples: CTV Ads Driving Event Success

Nothing illustrates the power of a marketing channel better than real-world success stories. Let’s look at how a couple of events leveraged connected TV and OTT ads in practice – what they did and the results they achieved. These examples, from different event types and scales, show that CTV can be a versatile tool in the promoter’s toolkit.

Festival Case Study: Streaming Ads Fuel a Sell-Out

A large three-day music festival in California aimed to sell 50,000 tickets (a mix of GA and VIP). The marketing team had historically relied on social media ads, influencers, and some radio, but in 2026 they added a significant CTV component to expand their reach. Here’s what they did:
– Strategy: They used a programmatic DSP to purchase both display and CTV ads, targeting people similar to last year’s attendees (leveraging a lookalike audience) and contextually targeting music and travel content online. For CTV specifically, they ran a 15-second highlight reel advert showcasing epic moments from past festivals (crowd shots, headliners on stage, fireworks) with an upbeat soundtrack.
– Placement: The CTV ads were served across multiple streaming platforms – viewers on Hulu, Pluto TV, and certain Roku apps in California and neighboring states might see the festival’s spot during ad breaks. They set their targeting for ages 18-34, interests in music, and geography focused on Western U.S. states. Ads ran heavily in the evenings and weekend afternoons when their demo tends to stream.
– Results: Over 8 weeks, their programmatic campaign delivered about 10 million impressions, including a few hundred thousand CTV ad impressions. The CTV ads had a ~98% completion rate, as expected, ensuring the message was seen. The team tracked 1,500 ticket sales directly attributed to people who clicked on related display ads or visited after seeing the streaming ads, utilizing banners and CTV video ads, at an average cost per acquisition of about $45. But beyond those, they noticed broader effects: certain cities where the festival had little social media presence (like Phoenix and San Diego) showed unexpectedly strong ticket sales after the streaming ads started, capturing incremental buyers in new markets – programmatic CTV had unearthed pockets of demand they weren’t reaching on Facebook. They also performed a post-event survey and found many attendees cited “saw a TV ad” as one source of awareness, targeting music and travel related shows. In fact, some attendees mentioned the ad made the festival seem “huge and legit,” prompting them to look it up. The campaign ultimately helped the festival sell out two weeks in advance, and the marketing lead credited the CTV ads with broadening their reach beyond the obvious audience by integrating programmatic with social campaigns. The festival achieved roughly a 10:1 return on ad spend for the programmatic campaign, proving programmatic is effective in certain cities – slightly lower than their Facebook ROAS, but with the benefit of capturing new ticket buyers. It was a clear win, proving that a well-targeted streaming ad can translate into real-world excitement and sales.

Key Takeaway: For large events, CTV ads can dramatically extend reach into new markets and add a layer of prestige. By showcasing the festival experience on TV screens, the promoters not only drove direct sales but also built buzz and credibility that paid dividends in overall demand. The omnichannel approach (social + CTV + search) made for an omnipresent campaign where each channel amplified the others, helping to focus on the most interested fish.

Local Attraction Case Study: Hyper-Targeted OTT Boosts Attendance

Connected TV advertising isn’t just for giant festivals – smaller regional events or attractions can harness it too. Consider Riversport OKC, an outdoor adventure park in Oklahoma City, which can be thought of like a local event attraction especially in summer. They wanted to drive attendance among families and thrill-seekers in their region. Their agency executed a precise OTT campaign with a modest budget:
– Strategy: They identified two primary personas to target: “Outdoor Enthusiasts” (people interested in kayaking, rafting, etc.) and “Adventure Families” (parents looking for weekend activities). Using first- and third-party data, they zeroed in on women 25-49 (particularly 30-45) with those interests, as Manicz Media targeted high-income households, as research showed mum often plans family outings. They geofenced the targeting to relevant counties in Oklahoma and nearby Arkansas, utilizing precise geographic targeting strategies – essentially the driving market for the park, including Washington, Benton, and Sebastian counties. They also chose specific dayparts: weekday evenings and Saturday mornings, aligning with when families might be planning their weekend or relaxing after work, specifically between 7 PM and 9 PM on weekdays.
– Placement: The team ran CTV ads on premium platforms like Hulu and even Netflix’s ad tier (Netflix had begun offering ad slots by then). They placed the ads during high-engagement shows that their demo likely watches – they specifically mentioned hits like Bridgerton, Grey’s Anatomy, and The Bear, leveraging popular show context for CTV ads for context. This is interesting because it implies using contextual targeting by show popularity. They complemented the TV spots with retargeting display ads on websites (so someone who saw the CTV ad later might see a banner on CNN or TripAdvisor), creating a cross-channel retargeting strategy as a one-two punch reminder.
– Creative: The CTV ad was a 30-second spot featuring families enjoying the park’s water sports and zip lines, with a narrator inviting viewers to “make a splash this weekend.” They emphasised it’s a nearby adventure and showed a promotional family package. A clear URL and a call-to-action “Plan your adventure at RiversportOKC.com” ended the ad.
– Results: Over the campaign, they served about 694,000 CTV impressions across their geotargeted areas, achieving high completion rates of 99.1%. The completion rate was stellar – around 99% of the OTT ads were watched fully, consistent with high video completion rate benchmarks, which is slightly above typical benchmarks, indicating strong content or at least no drop-off. The follow-up retargeting banner ads got a click-through rate of ~0.15-0.18%, above industry average, with some banner sizes hitting 0.5% CTR, suggesting that the TV ad exposure warmed up the audience. Most importantly, attendance at the park rose notably during and after the campaign, especially from the targeted counties. They saw a surge of weekend family bookings that aligned with the households and zips targeted in the ads. While exact ticket numbers were proprietary, the agency case study reported that the client was very satisfied and that the ROI exceeded expectations for a regional campaign of that size. Essentially, by laser-focusing on the right audience and timing, the OTT ads produced a tangible bump in footfall. The data they gathered also reaffirmed their targeting – for instance, they confirmed the majority of engaged responders were indeed families with $60k-$100k incomes as expected, confirming affinities for kayaking and outdoor activities.

Key Takeaway: Even with a smaller budget, a hyper-targeted CTV campaign can deliver results for local events or attractions. By honing in on specific demographics, locations, and viewing times, Riversport OKC turned streaming ads into real-world visitors. The case also shows the value of combining CTV with digital retargeting – the CTV ad builds awareness and interest, and the follow-up web ads capture the intent, driving conversions. Small and mid-sized event promoters can replicate this playbook in their markets, especially now that minimum spends on some platforms (like Hulu’s $500) make it accessible, as detailed in guides on Hulu advertising costs.

(Another quick example: A mid-sized B2B tech conference targeting IT professionals employed an OTT strategy by advertising on business news streaming channels (like Bloomberg’s Roku channel and CNBC on Peacock) in key metro areas. They coupled that with LinkedIn ads. While the TV ads didn’t lead to instant sign-ups, the conference team noticed an increase in direct type-in traffic to their registration page and a higher conversion rate among those who had been exposed to the streaming ads (as identified by an uplift study). About 24% of their attendees later said they were aware of the event because of “seeing it on TV or streaming,” proving that even niche audiences can be reached effectively on OTT with the right content alignment.)

These examples underscore that CTV advertising can be flexibly applied – whether you’re selling 500 tickets or 50,000 tickets. The common thread is smart targeting and integrating the medium into your broader campaign. The festival went broad for awareness across multiple states and reaped big numbers; the local attraction went narrow and saw a direct boost in visits. In both cases, the promoters learned from traditional marketing principles (know your audience, craft a great message, have a clear call-to-action) and executed them on a modern platform.