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It’s time to put these learnings to work. Speak to an expert and discover how Performance TV can deliver consistently strong performance—whether it's for a holiday, or any day.

What Q4 Connected TV Trends Teach Us About 2022.

You’re probably tired of hearing about the 2021 Q4 holiday shopping season at this point. Who isn’t? But, there’s lessons to be learned—ones that can be applied to your overall 2022 Connected TV strategy.

We Analyzed Q4 Connected TV Campaigns

MNTN Performance TV, our Connected TV ad solution, once again saw a busy holiday season.

We analyzed the Performance TV advertisers who ran campaigns throughout the entirety of Q4 2021. The goal was to better understand CTV’s role in advertisers’ marketing strategies, how they managed their budgets, and what impact these two influences had on their success.

And while this analysis specifically covers Q4, its conclusions can help develop CTV strategies—whether it be for another major shopping season, or an evergreen approach.

Connected TV is Becoming Performance TV

As CTV adoption increases, many brands are still in the early learning stages—and some still hold onto a linear TV mindset. This makes them ignore specific performance-based measurement in favor of reach and impressions.

That wasn’t the case with Performance TV advertisers, however. They approached CTV with the right mindset, and were able to track their campaigns’ total impact.

Leaning Into Measurement

Advertisers took full advantage of Performance TV’s ability to measure direct outcomes. Nearly all—95% of advertisers—tracked conversions, while 100% measured website visits driven by their campaigns.

95%

measured conversions

100%

tracked website visits

Increased Focus on Revenue

2021 saw more advertisers use Performance TV campaigns as a key piece of their revenue strategies. The year-over-year increase suggests advertisers increasingly see CTV as a revenue channel.

What percentage of advertisers were revenue-focused?

Q4 2019

Q4 2020

Q4 2021

59%

70%

76%

Return on Ad Spend Increased

As the holiday shopping season wore on, advertisers averaged stronger returns. The total return on ad spend for Performance TV advertisers steadily rose—proving it to be an effective way to drive revenue regardless of where shoppers were in their buying journey.

October ROAS

November ROAS

December ROAS

7x

8x

9x

Lessons for 2022
Connected TV Strategies

Whether you’re new to CTV, or are already running campaigns—ensure your CTV software solution gives you specific insight into your performance. It helps you define success, and makes full use of CTV’s advantages over linear TV.

Go beyond measuring impressions or reach, and instead drive measurable conversions, revenue, and website visits.

Treat CTV like you do paid search or social; it offers precision targeting and measurement, and can be exceptionally effective at delivering return on investment.

Even if your goal isn’t tied to revenue, you can still effectively drive and measure conversions and website visits.

Budget Management's Impact

The holiday shopping season is long—which can lead to tough budget decisions for many advertisers. Should they spend heavier early on, or later? Should they try to keep their budget steady throughout? These decisions can impact success.

This isn’t just a Q4 question, either. As we see more advertisers leverage Performance TV for evergreen campaigns, it’s good to know how spending over a multi-month stretch impacts performance. Here’s what we found.

Consistency Matters

Advertisers who kept a strong budget throughout Q4 saw consistent conversions, revenue, and visits. This speaks to CTV’s inherent strength in delivering strong, steady results—perfect for an evergreen performance channel.

Monthly Split of Key Metrics for Brands Who Kept a Steady Q4 Budget Monthly Split of Key Metrics for Brands Who Kept a Steady Q4 Budget

Spending Early Paid Off

Those who spent more in October saw better early returns, as well as strong November performance—which was great news for Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions. But there’s also a cautionary tale here: decreasing budget in December had a negative effect late in the quarter.

Monthly Split of Key Metrics for Brands Who Spent More in October and Less in December Monthly Split of Key Metrics for Brands Who Spent More in October and Less in December

Better Late than Never

Advertisers who spent higher percentages of their total Q4 budgets in December reaped the rewards—proving there is still plenty of revenue and conversions to capture late in the season.

Monthly Split of Key Metrics for Brands Who Spent More in October and Less in December Monthly Split of Key Metrics for Brands Who Spent More in October and Less in December

Lessons for 2022 Connected TV Strategies

Consistency is key, and so is laying the groundwork early for major shopping events. The data suggests those who spent more in October saw better outcomes in November—generating more revenue (+9%), website visits (+2%), and conversions (+9%) than advertisers who spent more in December. What lessons can be taken into 2022?

Evergreen success can be found with a steady budget; advertisers who spent evenly throughout tended to generate consistently strong returns.

If you have a major shopping event on the horizon, ensure the preceding month’s budget is well funded—it can help you generate even more success when it’s time.

For Q4 specifically, there is plenty of business to capture after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so ensure you keep some budget ready to take advantage.


Conclusion

Performance TV advertisers enjoyed a strong Q4 in 2021, and along with it, discovered ways to ensure they carry that success well into 2022. By deploying campaigns that focused on generating visits, conversions, and revenue, they took full advantage of CTV’s strengths as a fully-measurable performance channel.

Their budget strategies have shown that consistent spend pays off with consistent results. There’s a strong correlation between actively spent budgets and driving home key metrics, which is good news for advertisers looking for an evergreen performance channel that can continuously deliver on the metrics that matter most.


Methodology: Analysis was conducted on MNTN Performance TV advertisers using recorded performance/spend data from October 1st, 2021 to December 31st, 2021. To be included, advertisers needed to have recorded performance/spend data for 90%+ of the days that fell within the Q4 timeframe.

Let’s Get Started

It’s time to put these learnings to work. Speak to an expert and discover how Performance TV can deliver consistently strong performance—whether it's for a holiday, or any day.