From Passive Interruptions to Tailored Moments - CTV As a Creative Canvas

Connected TV (CTV) is rapidly redefining how brands think about storytelling, engagement, and conversion. With the convergence of digital targeting and responsive, dynamic creative formats, CTV transforms advertising from a passive exposure to an interactive, personalized experience.

No longer confined to static, generic 15s or 30s commercials, CTV enables marketers to craft narratives that viewers can relate to, engage with and even shop from - effectively blurring the line between entertainment and commerce.

Interactive Ad Experiences: From Passive Watching to Active Participation

CTV introduces a fundamentally different way of interacting with viewers. Unlike traditional TV commercials, which are often ignored, CTV ads can invite real-time viewer interaction. Examples include:

• Dynamic QR codes: Contextually designated scannable codes within the ad that lead to exclusive offers, specific product details, or downloads.

• Targeted overlays: Viewers see flight times from their nearest airport to travel destinations, the weather outside their door or flash sales on products in their shopping cart.

• Tailored narratives: Ads which 'speak to' specific household situations, be it family status, household income, sporting preferences and so on.

These formats drive engagement by turning a traditionally passive experience into a dialogue. These formats deliver up to 8x the attention rate of generic ads, showing that audiences are not only watching - they’re participating.

Shoppable Television: Turning Interest into Immediate Action

One of the most transformative aspects of CTV is its ability to make the living room entertainment experience more 'transactionable'. Shoppable CTV ads allow viewers to take immediate action while their interest is at its peak, often through companion devices like smartphones or via on-screen prompts.

• According to LG Ads Solutions’ 2023 research, 42% of U.S. smart TV users have used their TV to research or buy a product they saw in an ad or show.

• As discovered during Origin's 2024 survey of 10,000 US households, 62% of viewers are finding their next purchase through the TV.

• A recent survey from Roku and MAGNA Global revealed that 68% of viewers prefer ads they can interact with, and more than half are likely to make a purchase if the ad experience is seamless and personalized.

In practice, this could mean tapping a remote to send product details to a phone, using voice commands to “buy now,” or scanning an on-screen QR code to complete a purchase. Shoppable formats reduce friction in the path to purchase, allowing discovery and conversion happen in a single moment.

In November 2024, Origin surveyed 10,000 US households in an effort to establish current best practices when it comes to Shoppable TV - to receive the full report, click here.

Immersive Storytelling Formats: Content, Not Interruption

CTV supports a range of ad formats that enhance, rather than interrupt, the viewing experience. These include:

• Expandable overlay ads: Light, dynamic elements/widgets powered by solutions such as Aperture, which expand on-screen without taking users away from the ad's core message.

• Native ad extensions: Ads that run with a customized 15s extension powered by solutions like Slingshot, either before the main creative, after it or around it.

• Sequential storytelling: Ads that unfold across multiple viewing sessions or commercial breaks, building a deeper brand narrative.

Perhaps most powerfully, dynamic creative optimization (DCO) allows ads to change in real time based on context - such as time of day, weather, sudden events, viewer demographics or content being watched. According to a 2023 Kantar study, contextually relevant ads delivered via DCO see up to 70% higher attention scores and 34% higher brand recall than non-dynamic ads. Furthermore, case studies of recent Origin campaigns showed even greater outcomes for brands who leverage Origin's zero-code creative optimization solutions - see here.

These formats transform ads into additive content rather than intrusive interruptions. Viewers don’t just remember the brand - they remember the experience.

Driving Action, Not Just Awareness: A Full-Funnel Experience

CTV uniquely combines the broad reach and emotional impact of TV with the targeting and measurability of digital. This fusion allows marketers to build brand equity while also driving real-time actions like:

• App downloads

• Email signups

• Cart additions and purchases

• Website visits via companion devices

A 2024 study by eMarketer found that 78% of marketers using CTV say it delivers both awareness and performance goals, outperforming other media channels in balancing the full-funnel journey. In fact, a CPG brand who partnered with Origin in 2024 even saw a staggering 11.8% sales lift vs the 2.7% average and a $1.60 ROAS.

The measurable actions driven by CTV are substantial. Innovid’s 2023 benchmarks show that interactive CTV campaigns average a 4.5% engagement rate, with some high-performing verticals (like retail and auto) exceeding 10%. These results demonstrate that dynamic creative ad formats are not gimmicks - they’re high-performance creative tools.

Conclusion: A Creative Revolution in the Living Room

CTV’s evolution is empowering brands to rethink what advertising can be. No longer just passive storytelling, CTV is a dynamic canvas for engagement, interactivity, and commerce. Brands willing to explore these new formats are transforming viewers into participants - scanning, clicking, choosing, and buying - all without ever leaving the couch.

In this new era, the most successful campaigns will be those that blend entertainment with utility, storytelling with transaction, and awareness with action — all within the same experience.

CTV is not just the future of advertising; it’s the future of brand storytelling.

If you find this topic interesting and would like to know more, you can schedule a consultation with one of Origin's CTV specialists by clicking here.

---

ABOUT ORIGIN 

Origin is an award winning provider of creative solutions and services for media buyers, creative teams and brands who want to transform conventional CTV ad creatives into powerful, personal and provocative advertising experiences.

With unparalleled creative capabilities and proprietary ad serving technology, Origin’s unique suite of dynamic ad overlays and native CTV ad extensions allows advertisers to engage distracted audiences and achieve the results they need.

Founded by media veterans Stephen Strong and Fred Godfrey, Origin is driven by the belief that winning viewers today requires breaking free from how it was done yesterday.

Learn more at: originmedia.tv