Think outside the bullseye

Voss took up the conversation to discuss how digital impacts the way marketers think about TV today. “Reach has become kind of a dirty word,” she shared. Traditionally, linear TV was the broad reach channel used for brand-building, but with the growth of tech and CTV, some marketers are stuck in a digital mindset that could be leaving potential customers on the sidelines.

“A lot of times, digital marketers are coming into television with a very niche or hyper-targeted approach, but often secondary growth targets, non or light buyers are essential to driving growth for brands, and so we want to think beyond that bullseye target,” explained Voss. For example, Voss pointed out that although six to 10 people are involved in making B2B buying decisions, such brands often don’t use a broad reach strategy.

Then, she shared an eye-opening statistic from Coca-Cola. Half of all Coke buyers buy just one or two cans or bottles per year. “It’s pretty wild when you think about the breadth and the scope that provides for them in terms of scale,” said Voss.

Reach vs. frequency— a budget battle

Voss acknowledged that marketers, especially those with tighter budgets, often have to weigh their spend carefully. This could mean choosing between more frequency with a smaller set of consumers, vs. a broader target that you hit just once or twice.

“Your response rate is going to drop with every additional frequency you have. And so ideally, we would reach everyone once,” said Voss. However, she noted, what you see from brands on CTV is a lot of over-frequency. “That’s just evidence of marketers not following empirical data and practices that will ultimately drive growth,” she added.

As for cost, TV gets a bad rap; the average $8 million price tag for a 30-second Super Bowl ad in 2025 doesn’t help. But what many don’t realize is that CTV can actually be a higher-priced channel when you consider the CPM of the audience, thanks to a slew of fees and premium-targeting costs, Voss explained.

Smart measurement tells a better story

TV is a full-funnel channel, making it more complex to measure, said Voss. “It is a king of brand building awareness, and yet it also drives sales today from consumers who are in market for your product or service,” she explained.

As such, you need multiple models to measure performance across every single campaign. “There is a lot of opportunity in the channel,” said Voss. “We just have to harness the right strategies and tactics to get us there.”