Discover the incrementality of your next channel with Core Lift

Connected TV and media budgets: measure before scaling. From testing to decision-making: how Core Lift distinguishes real incremental value of CTV from simple media exposure.
A leading brand in the auto insurance market wanted to understand if Connected TV generated real incremental value compared to linear TV. With Core Lift, we measured the effect on the under-35 target audience and transformed the test into concrete guidance for media investment decisions.

Connected TV is now a staple in brand media plans, especially when the goal is to reach younger audiences. However, before increasing investments, marketing and finance departments ask a very concrete question: how much additional value does this channel actually generate?

For a major brand in the auto insurance market, we analyzed the contribution of CTV on the under-35 segment, separating its effect from what was already explained by other channels in the media plan.

The Challenge

CTV had been activated nationwide with limited budgets and during periods overlapping with linear TV. A purely observational reading therefore risked attributing effects to the new channel that were actually due to other media, seasonality, or competitive pressure. The goal was to estimate the real value of the channel and clarify its role relative to linear TV.

Our Approach

The analysis was conducted using Core Lift, our proprietary tool for designing, measuring, and interpreting incrementality tests.
We combined an experimental design on socio-demographic clusters, built on age data collected during the lead generation phase, with a subsequent recalibration of the Marketing Mix Modeling at a national level.
The test isolated the causal contribution of CTV on the under-35 target, and the evidence was then integrated into the MMM model to update saturation curves, time dynamics, and marginal returns.
AI and automation accelerated calculations and simulations.
The team’s experience guided the test design, the interpretation of effects, and the translation of results into useful scenarios for deciding where to invest.

Measurable results, more solid decisions

The analysis highlighted a measurable incremental contribution of CTV on the under-35 target, with a higher return than linear TV during the same period. ROAS indices, with Linear TV indexed at 100:

Linear TV: 100

Connected TV: approximately 130

YouTube: approximately 190

SEM: approximately 140

YouTube and SEM remain efficiency benchmarks, while the core of the analysis was the comparison between linear TV and CTV. In this context, CTV emerges as a complementary lever to linear TV, with incremental potential to be grown gradually.

Implications for marketing and finance

Core Lift allows every decision-maker to translate the same evidence into their own choices. For the Brand Manager: use CTV to test creative, messaging, and under-35 segments while maintaining high data quality.

For the Brand Manager: use CTV to test creative, messaging, and under-35 segments while maintaining high data quality.

For the CMO: scale CTV progressively, identifying the point where marginal return begins to decline.

For the CFO: evaluate investment increases based on measurable scenarios and control KPIs, without decisions lacking causal evidence.

Is CTV really adding value to your media mix?

We start with your data and transform the evidence into concrete guidance to decide if, how much, and how to invest.
Measure first. Scale better.

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Date:

February 6, 2023

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