In the ever-changing digital marketing landscape, staying ahead of the curve is important for businesses looking to make an impact on their audience. Some exciting recent trends that may be worth considering, depending on the target audience, are the rise of programmatic audio and connected television (CTV).
These tools are key elements that fall under the “P or Paid” component of the PESO Model™. Through this forward-thinking, integrated model for impactful communications, paid, earned, shared, and owned media come together to enhance thought leadership, credibility, trust, and ultimately – results – that enhance brand reputation. Established by SpinSucks, this model continues to evolve with digital technologies and AI and is a key approach many agencies like ours have adopted to maximize the impact of the work we do for our clients.
Programmatic audio allows brands to reach their audience through streaming audio services and podcasts, creating highly targeted and personalized campaigns. Whether it’s Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, or one of several podcasting networks, this approach ensures your message reaches listeners during their most engaged moments – whether commuting, at the gym, or unwinding at home after a day’s work. By incorporating programmatic audio into your marketing strategy, your business can tap into a growing and receptive audience.
To help illustrate its potential, through a small, localized campaign, one of our clients’ recent three-month campaigns returned with an ad completion rate of 92.9%, meaning almost 93% of the audience heard the entire ad. This is also known as the Listen Through Rate (LTR). That same ad had an average frequency of 5.5, the average number of times each unique user heard the ad in full. These metrics suggest high listener engagement and repeated exposure. While there were only 64 clicks from the ad, the objective was awareness and not conversions. This top-of-the-funnel approach makes sense with programmatic audio as most people are listening in the car, on their mobile, or while preparing dinner—and not in front of a computer or spending quality time with their mobile device. That’s why frequency is so essential in programmatic audio advertisements, and clicks are not a good measurement tool. The more you hear it, the more likely you are to remember, share, or take action.
CTV is another tool in the “paid” portion of the PESO Model that can also reform how businesses approach advertising in 2025. As more consumers shift to streaming platforms and cut cable, CTV provides unparalleled opportunities to deliver high-quality video ads directly to viewers via smart TVs and streaming devices on televisions, computers, and mobile devices. This trend isn’t just about creating a broader reach; it’s about accuracy. With data-driven targeting, your business can connect with potential customers in an immersive, highly measurable, and effective way. The benefits offer deeper audience insights and improved ROI, allowing us to analyze real-time campaign performance, tweak strategies, and optimize for better results. CTV offers more precise audience targeting and measurement capabilities than traditional TV advertising.
We’ve just wrapped up a three-month CTV campaign for a client aiming to reach individuals in New Hampshire to inform them about education and career options after high school. The video ad reached nearly 46,000 households and 234,304 impressions in the Granite State. Our campaign’s 97.2% view-through rate compares favorably to the industry average of over 95%, higher than other digital video formats. The View-Through Rate (VTR) is the percentage of people who watched the entire video ad from start to finish. The average completion rate for CTV ads is often over 95%, higher than other digital video formats. Popular apps and channels include Tubi, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Sling TV, DirecTV, Fubo TV, Max, Fox News, HGTV, Flex, and others. The average cost per view was $0.02 — the 2024 CTV benchmarks indicate an average of $0.012 to $0.02 per view, so this campaign hit the mark. Remember, many CTV ads are non-skippable or have limited skip functionality.
While these trends are strong, navigating their complexities requires expertise. Programmatic audio and CTV have specific best practices, targeting parameters, and performance metrics. Without a solid understanding, campaigns can quickly become overwhelming and miss their targets. When a listener presses ‘play’ on a podcast or a viewer streams content on a connected TV, an instantaneous auction—known as real-time bidding—occurs behind the scenes to determine which ad will be displayed.
Given the numerous marketing tools and channels available today, it’s essential to understand where to allocate marketing resources to achieve the best return on investment. Missing the market can be expensive. Conducting front-end research on audiences, tools, and behaviors is a crucial step. Programmatic Audio and CTV are two channels worth considering. Both often excel at generating brand recognition rather than direct conversions. While both drive awareness effectively, they are most powerful when used alongside other channels with the PSEO Model, such as owned social media and paid search, to create a cohesive brand experience. For example, you might engage new audiences through CTV and programmatic audio ads, while social media can help reinforce your messaging, ultimately guiding them through each step of the marketing funnel. This integrated cross-channel approach that is key to the PESO Model keeps your brand top-of-mind, enhancing overall campaign performance and ROI. If this feels overwhelming, just let us know. We’ll manage your campaigns so you can concentrate on what matters most – your business.
