I hear the same thing from B2B marketers almost daily. They say they know they should probably be using Connected TV, but they haven’t found the right solution to justify the effort.

I get it. But we’ve been here before. The same thing was said by similar brands about display ads a decade or so ago. Native ads also prompted uncertainty from B2B marketers before being widely accepted.

The pattern is understandable. B2B marketers are naturally cautious about adopting new channels. It’s not because the technology isn’t ready. It’s mostly a matter of habit and unfamiliarity. Any encouragement to break out of long-held mindsets tends to come across as hype in favor of newness. There is a reluctance to embrace evidence supporting the value of CTV and its effectiveness in reaching decision makers.

But if the encouragement is coming from the same subset of lower funnel lead gen providers, a B2B marketer’s options will remain limited. That’s why so many brands continue to focus on tried and true performance methods.

Wait, so is CTV a performance play? Yes, this is another typical question. I do get that misunderstanding as well. In part, it’s the result of old ways of reaching B2B audiences.

The Short List Problem

Practically all purchasing decisions — 92%, according to a joint Google/Bain &Co. study — are made based on a buyer’s “short list” of companies. If your company isn’t on that short list when someone thinks about your category, you have only a slim 8% chance of winning that deal.

Think about that. When a B2B media buyer says, “I need a demand management platform,” and a CTV specialist isn’t one of the two or three companies that immediately come to mind, that channel is essentially out of the running before the conversation even begins.

This is where most B2B marketers fundamentally misunderstand their challenge. They’re too focused on generating immediate leads and white paper downloads to produce clear outcomes. The problem is, they completely ignore the critical work of building brand awareness that creates those short lists in the first place.

The Captive Audience Advantage

Here’s what makes CTV different from every other digital channel: your audience literally cannot skip your ad. Plus, they’re not distracted by scrolling through a newsfeed.

Consider the typical B2B decision-maker’s day. They’re in back-to-back meetings. They’re responding to incessant emails and putting out sundry fires. They’re not browsing the internet looking for vendor solutions. And they’re certainly not spending a lot of time on social media during work hours.

Also, take into account that these professionals are also likely to be working from home. They’re also likely to have CTV on during quiet breaks or even watching live news programming or YouTube videos related to their businesses. And those are the moments they’re truly reachable.

That 30-second window when your CTV ad plays might be the only opportunity you have all day to reach that C-level executive. While your competitors are fighting for attention in their cluttered LinkedIn feeds, you have their undivided attention in their living room.

Breaking Free from Lower Funnel Tunnel Vision

It should be clear by now that the biggest obstacle to changing B2B marketers’ habits isn’t technological — it’s psychological.

B2B marketers have trained themselves to think exclusively about lower funnel conversions. They want leads, downloads, and demo requests. They measure success by immediate, tangible actions.

But this approach ignores two-thirds of the marketing funnel. You cannot nurture a buyer from awareness to conversion if you’ve never achieved awareness in the first place. CTV excels at the top and middle of the funnel — reach and engagement — the very areas most B2B marketers have been neglecting.

This requires a fundamental shift in how the B2B ecosystem thinks about KPIs. Instead of obsessing over click-through rates and immediate conversions, successful CTV campaigns focus on account reach. If you have a target list of 1,000 accounts, your primary goal should be ensuring that 70% of them see your ads consistently over time.

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The Measurement Revolution

One of the most common objections I hear about CTV is the supposed lack of transparency and measurement capabilities. This complaint might have been valid five years ago. But it’s simply not true anymore — especially for B2B marketers.

In B2B advertising, the IP address serves as a reliable identifier for both CTV and display campaigns. This means account reach is not only trackable but highly accurate. You can now measure exactly which target accounts are seeing your CTV ads, something that was impossible with traditional video advertising on platforms like YouTube.

This breakthrough solves one of the longest-standing challenges in B2B marketing: proving that your upper funnel activities are actually reaching your target accounts. With proper measurement in place, you can demonstrate clear value from your CTV investments.

The Omnichannel Opportunity

While CTV should be the centerpiece of your strategy, the targeting capabilities extend to other premium channels as well. Streaming audio targeting has evolved dramatically in just the past six months, allowing you to reach the same target accounts across multiple touchpoints.

Digital out-of-home advertising offers another intriguing opportunity. If your prospects attend industry conferences or work in specific geographic areas like financial districts, you can target them with remarkable precision. These channels work together to create multiple touchpoints with your target accounts throughout their day.

The Work-From-Home Reality

Remember when B2B marketers used day-parting to show ads only from 9-to-5 because they wanted to reach people while they were “at work?” That strategy is not just outdated, it’s counterproductive.

As I noted above, the lines between work and home have blurred permanently. Decision-makers are checking emails at night, taking calls during weekends, and making business decisions throughout their entire day. If you’re still thinking about reaching B2B buyers only during traditional business hours, you’re operating with a fundamentally flawed understanding of how modern professionals actually work.

The Technology Advantage

The final challenge is finding advertising platforms that can activate your first-party data for targeting while providing the measurement capabilities you need. The most sophisticated B2B marketers are creating feedback loops where CTV campaign data integrates back into their sales systems, helping account executives understand which prospects are engaging with their brand.

This integration transforms CTV from a “brand awareness” campaign into a revenue-generating activity that directly supports sales efforts.

The Time to Act Is Now

B2B marketers who continue to ignore CTV aren’t just missing an opportunity — they’re allowing their competitors to dominate the one channel where they can reach decision-makers with undivided attention.

The technology is ready. The measurement capabilities exist. The only question remaining is whether you’ll adapt your strategy to match how your prospects actually consume media, or continue to rely on increasingly ineffective tactics from a bygone era.

Your prospects are already watching. The question is: will they see your message… or your competitors’?

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