• by Andrew Humphrey , Op-Ed Contributor, Yesterday

Among business-to-business (B2B) marketers, connected TV (CTV) is rapidly gaining traction and is poised to be one of the fastest-growing media channels this year. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) projects CTV to grow by nearly double the rate (13.8%) of all other digital channels combined (7%) in the US.

Despite this expected surge, many B2B advertisers remain hesitant to invest in it. The three most common concerns we hear are that it’s too expensive, it’s too broad to effectively reach niche audiences, and it isn’t measurable.

While it’s always wise to weigh the trade-offs of any marketing channel, CTV doesn’t fall short in the ways some marketers might assume. Let’s tackle these common misconceptions.

Misconception #1: “It’s too expensive.”

That depends entirely on your objective.

If you’re focused solely on clicks or immediate conversions, then yes, CTV may appear more costly than performance-driven platforms like Google or LinkedIn. It’s a passive format. People watch it on their couches, not while hunting for solutions or filling out lead forms.

But if your goal is long-term brand growth, CTV delivers reach and memorability at surprisingly competitive costs. A 30-second Hulu ad, for example, typically costs between a $10 and $30 CPM. Compare that to high conversion-driving campaigns like in Google Search Ads — which can easily soar above a $150 CPM.

That’s more than five times the cost, for a much narrower slice of attention.

It’s important to remember that B2B marketing isn’t just about closing deals today; it’s about building recognition and trust with tomorrow’s buyers. Research from LinkedIn’s B2B Institute shows that only 5% of your target market is actively in-market at any given time. The other 95%? They’re not ready to buy. But they will be eventually.

CTV may not convert the 5% today, but it helps you warm up the 95% who’ll matter tomorrow. A well-rounded marketing strategy includes both immediate-response channels and brand-building layers. CTV plays a powerful role in the latter.

Misconception #2: “It’s too broad.”

CTV offers scale, but that doesn’t mean it lacks precision.

In fact, today’s platforms provide highly sophisticated targeting options that rival even traditional social and search campaigns. Whether your campaign reaches the right audience has less to do with the ad format itself and more to do with how and where you run it.

Consider LinkedIn’s growing role in the CTV space. Through partnerships with streaming networks like Hulu, NBC, and Bravo, LinkedIn enables advertisers to extend their B2B targeting by company name, job title, function, and more across premium content inventories.

Similarly, demand-side platforms (DSPs) such as The Trade Desk, Demandbase, and RollWorks allow marketers to plug CTV into account-based marketing (ABM) strategies. You can target high-value accounts with video ads, track engagement across devices, and influence decision-makers long before a sales conversation begins.

YouTube also offers a uniquely streamlined entry point. When activated via Google Ads, YouTube’s CTV inventory enables unified targeting, performance tracking, and budgetary optimization, all within one ecosystem. Marketers can tap into Google’s first-party audience data and real-time insights without the data fragmentation typical of third-party DSPs.

The key is understanding what CTV is and what it’s not. It’s not built for direct response; no one is watching a 30-second spot and immediately filling out a form afterward. But that doesn’t mean it’s ineffective. Quite the opposite: it’s a valuable channel for driving mental availability and increasing brand salience with the audiences who matter the most.

Misconception #3: “CTV isn’t measurable.”

This is one of the most persistent myths — and one of the easiest to debunk.

Today’s CTV platforms offer real-time reporting, performance tracking, and optimization tools just like any other digital media campaign. Metrics like impressions, completion rates, frequency, cost per completed view, and even brand lift can be tracked and analyzed.

More importantly, CTV can now be integrated into multichannel attribution models. Using pixel tracking, customer relationship management (CRM) integrations, and even cross-device measurement, marketers can see how CTV influences downstream actions.

In other words: if you can measure it in display, you can probably measure it in CTV. In that way, CTV is just a very specific kind of display ad.

Getting Started With CTV

It’s important to view CTV as a tactic within a broader marketing strategy. It’s a high-impact format, but just one piece of the full puzzle. When you keep B2B marketing fundamentals in mind, CTV finds its natural fit.

• Adopt a full-funnel mindset. CTV shines as an upper-funnel channel. Use it to drive both awareness and early-stage consideration.

• Leverage real-time optimization. Most DSPs offer in-flight reporting, allowing for agile adjustments throughout the campaign.

• Prioritize emotional storytelling. If you’ve invested in high-quality video creative, CTV is an ideal vehicle to maximize its reach and resonance.

CTV isn’t “too expensive,” “too broad,” or “immeasurable.” It’s simply misunderstood.

As targeting technologies evolve and media habits shift, CTV has emerged as a scalable, brand-safe, and measurable option for modern B2B marketers. When used strategically, it can become not just another channel, but a critical lever for long-term success.