The Last Broken Layer Of CTV. What Happens When The Creative Message Responds To The Same Data Signals As Targeting.
- Origin
- 6 hours ago
- 6 min read
CTV has truly never been more capable.
We can identify audiences with precision.
We can reach them at scale.
We can ascertain the ideal frequency.
We can measure what happens during - even after - exposure.
And yet, for all that progress, media planners and strategists are still swaying around on the back foot when it comes to meeting their clients' constantly evolving needs and expectations.
Why is that? Because in the words of Origin's CEO, Fred Godfrey - "While the plumbing that underpins CTV has been progressing at the speed of sound, the needs and aspirations of the brands we serve have been progressing at the speed of light - and all that plumbing, while vital, is not the whole story."
There is another side to the story that has been staring us in the face all along (quite literally), but which has been greatly overshadowed - the poetry (aka the creative).
Before you read on, here is the 'short version' of what lies ahead:
Why has the creative layer been left behind?
Until now, there has been no incentive to evolve creative beyond its basic existence as a static piece of content - and the reason for this is structural. Publishers and platforms are engineered to reward scale, and scale doesn't require anything from the creative except its existence. When combined with the fact that incremental improvements to plumbing strategies has been enough to keep brands happy, the need to think more laterally about how the creative layer could serve as a 'performance contributor' simply never made it into the discussion.
So what's changed? That's easy - Brands are beginning to want more than the plumbing can deliver.
What's 'wrong' with the creative layer?
Fixing the creative layer is not going to happen just because we make it more interactive, slap more QR codes onto it or conduct the cardinal sin of shrinking down an ad so it's running on the same screen, at the same time, as a random piece of sports content.
The answer is not to add more gimmicks, nor is it to have two or three different creatives running at the same time (although it's definitely a step up). How do we know? Because all of this is already being done and yet here we still are.
In order to truly address the opportunity, we must first be smart about how we locate the creative opportunity. In most CTV campaigns today, the same ad is delivered to every household within every target segment. So while the media plan may be highly personalized, the message is not. It remains a generic bowl of often extremely well made vanilla ice cream.
But if we're going to put all this money into knowing who we’re talking to, why are we still saying the same thing to everyone. This is a structural 'gap', it's where the creative layer is broken - and it's where 'performance' is leaking out.
This is where the creative layer must be fixed.
What can we do to the creative layer so it fills the gap?
Brands want outcomes - store visits, sales, sign-ups. This is a serious ask of a consumer at a time when they already see thousands of ads a day, have an instant distraction in their hand and are in an environment (the living room) where they've chosen to relax and be entertained in - not sold to.
Getting through to someone requires 'payment'. Not literal payment, but payment in the form of offering them value in exchange for their time and attention.
The key to earning that attention and inspiring that value exchange lies in relevance and emotional resonance.
If the story being told can demonstrate even the lightest nod towards someone's interests, their physical presence (aka location), or their daily life, then in the mind of the viewer the brand has all but said - 'Hey there, I see you.' But critically, in a privacy-forward and respectful way.
What does that look like?
The answer is extremely easy, although the execution is far from it - take the data you've used to target someone and weave it into the story itself. Align the story with the audience you are showing said story to.
This requires a shift in how the creative is treated - not as a fixed asset, but as a dynamic creative layer or ad extension that adapts in perfect harmony with targeting and measurement.
At a practical level, it also requires a multi-faceted sequence of considerations, all of which might be needed, but with no one facet overshadowing the other. Looking at this solely from the perspective of travel and tourism (which is one of Origin's most successful verticals FYI):
Where is that viewer (and where they might be going)?
How far away are they from that gorgeous destination you're selling them?
How's the weather where they are (and is it better or worse than where they might be going)?
Are they packing for a solo trip or are they part of a family?
What do they enjoy doing outdoors (in fact, do they even enjoy being outdoors)?
What language should you speak to them in?
Does their income suggest an affinity towards filling their vacation with luxury excursions or good old fashioned family fun?
Have any recent events affected exchange rates?
Was hurricane season early (or late)?
And that's just travel! Now ask yourself all the same questions through the lens of being a retailer, a fast food chain, a disposable table-wear brand, even a financial institution.
Oh, and then don't forget to stick a cherry on top - change the messaging you've chosen to layer into the base creative every.time.the.ad.is.served.
To help provide perspective, the last time we did this for one of our retail clients, we ended up building over 20,000 unique creative layers for their ad. You can read more about that campaign here.
Yes. The results were good. Very good. And yes, they were independently measured and verified. iROAS ranged from $5.12 to $8.27, with millions in incremental revenue across both in-store and e-commerce sales.
This is not about personalization for its own sake. It is about making every impression speak to someone in a language they can hear.
________________________________
What changes in practice
When creative becomes as data-driven as targeting, and is in the hands of real humans whose entire world is dedicated to finding 'the story within the story', who have the creative tools needed to layer this level of personalization into (or around) an ad, and who have ways of leveraging AI to deliver production at almost limitless scale - the role of CTV changes:
Campaigns stop optimizing purely for delivery and start optimizing for outcomes.
Creative becomes a lever, not a constraint.
The relationship between media and messaging becomes tightly coupled, rather than loosely aligned.
Designed by hand and scaled through creative technology powered by AI, you have the ability to strike a precise balance that allows true storytelling at scale.
The balance between brand relevance, personal relevance and emotional resonance is an art form driven by science, and pushed by the need for performance.
And when you get it right, the result is not more work - it’s better work.
________________________________
This is no longer optional
For a long time, improving creative in CTV was considered a luxury. Something that would be 'nice to have' if the innovation budget permitted.
That is no longer the case.
In the not too distant future what we're talking about here only has one place - as the standard.
This is how the creative layer catches up, and how CTV will continue to deliver on its full potential.
________________________________
The path forward
The opportunity is clear. CTV has the infrastructure to drive real business outcomes. It simply needs to be as adaptive, as responsive, and as accountable as the rest of the stack.
That means moving beyond static messaging.
Beyond one-size-fits-all creative.
Beyond the assumption that delivery alone is enough.
Because it isn’t.
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.
Origin is a multi-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
