Leverage Precision Targeting During Football’s Biggest Moments

The NFL season represents a massive opportunity for advertisers. Millions of dedicated fans are glued to their screens, not just on traditional cable, but increasingly through streaming services on Connected TV (CTV) devices. This shift to streaming opens up powerful new avenues for advertisers. By leveraging addressable OTT (Over-the-Top) advertising, brands can move beyond broad, traditional TV spots and deliver highly targeted, relevant messages directly to specific households during the most exciting moments of the game.

Understanding Addressable OTT: More Than Just a Commercial Break

Addressable advertising is the ability to show different ads to different households while they are watching the same program. When applied to OTT and CTV, it means you can deliver unique video ads through streaming platforms—like Hulu, Sling TV, or ESPN+—directly to viewers on their smart TVs, gaming consoles, and other streaming devices. Unlike traditional television advertising, which broadcasts the same ad to every viewer, addressable digital advertising ensures your message reaches only the households that fit your specific audience criteria.

This technology combines the high-impact, full-screen experience of television with the precision of digital marketing. For the NFL season, this means you can target your ads based on a variety of factors, from geography and demographics to online behaviors and purchase history, ensuring your budget is spent reaching the most relevant fans.

Key Tactics for Winning with NFL Season Ads on CTV

1. Master Your Audience Targeting

The power of addressable OTT lies in its targeting capabilities. During the NFL season, go beyond simply targeting “football fans.” Use data to refine your audience segments:

  • Geographic Precision: Target fans in specific cities or states loyal to their home teams. A Denver-based business can focus its ad spend on Broncos fans, while a national brand can tailor messaging for different fan bases across the country. This is where location-based advertising becomes a powerful tool.
  • First- and Third-Party Data: Layer in valuable data. Use your own customer lists (first-party data) to retarget existing customers or find lookalike audiences. Leverage third-party data to target based on income, family size, purchasing habits (like season ticket holders or merchandise buyers), or even lifestyle interests that correlate with NFL viewership.
  • Behavioral and Contextual Signals: Target users who have recently searched for NFL gear, visited sports news websites, or engaged with team-related content on social media.

2. Align Your Creative with the Game Day Experience

Your ad creative needs to capture the energy of the NFL season. Ads shown on the big screen in a living room have a different impact than a small mobile banner. Your OTT and CTV creative should be high-quality, engaging, and ideally, contextually relevant to the football theme. Consider messaging around teamwork, competition, or game day gatherings. Since CTV ads are non-skippable, you have a captive audience—make the most of it with compelling storytelling that resonates with fans.

3. Strategic Timing and Scheduling

Timing is everything. Programmatic platforms allow you to control when your ads are shown. Focus your budget on the most impactful moments:

  • Pre-Game Hype: Reach fans as they tune in early for pre-game analysis and commentary.
  • Live Game Breaks: Capture attention during natural breaks in play and halftime shows.
  • Post-Game Highlights: Connect with viewers watching post-game summaries and analysis.

By scheduling your campaigns around key matchups and primetime games, you maximize visibility with the most engaged audiences.

Measuring Success Beyond the Final Whistle

Unlike traditional TV, targeted CTV campaigns offer robust measurement and analytics. With a platform like ConsulTV, you gain real-time insights into campaign performance. Key metrics to track include:

Video Completion Rate (VCR)

Since most CTV ads are non-skippable, VCRs are typically very high (often over 95%). This metric confirms your ad was viewed in its entirety.

Conversion Tracking

Measure how ad exposure drives action. Track website visits, form submissions, or online purchases from households that viewed your ad. This is where conversion data is crucial.

Foot Traffic Attribution

For brick-and-mortar businesses, you can even measure if a user who saw your ad on their CTV later visited your physical store location.

Your Local Advantage in the National Spotlight

You don’t have to be a national mega-brand with a nine-figure budget to advertise during the NFL season. Addressable OTT levels the playing field. Local and regional businesses across the United States can now participate in one of the biggest advertising events of the year. Whether you’re a restaurant in Green Bay, a car dealership in Kansas City, or a home services provider in Dallas, you can run hyper-local campaigns that reach football fans right in your service area. This focused approach minimizes wasted ad spend and delivers your message to the customers who matter most.

By partnering with a programmatic services expert, businesses of any size can build a professional, data-driven campaign that rivals those of much larger competitors.

Ready to Get Your Brand in the Game?

Don’t let the NFL season pass you by. Connect with highly engaged audiences through the power of addressable OTT and targeted CTV advertising. Let ConsulTV help you build a winning campaign strategy.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the difference between OTT and CTV?

OTT (Over-the-Top) refers to the delivery of TV content over the internet, bypassing traditional cable or satellite providers. CTV (Connected TV) is the device used to watch that content, such as a smart TV, Roku, Apple TV, or gaming console. Essentially, you run OTT ads on CTV devices.

Can I really afford to advertise during the NFL season?

Yes. Unlike the massive cost of a national broadcast commercial, addressable OTT advertising is highly scalable. You can set budgets that work for your business and use precise targeting to ensure your ad spend is efficient and focused only on your ideal customers, eliminating waste.

What kind of data can I use for targeting?

You can use a wide range of data, including geographic location, demographics (age, income, gender), online browsing behavior, past purchase history, and even your own CRM data. This allows for the creation of highly specific and effective addressable audiences.

How long should my video ad be?

The most common lengths for CTV video ads are 15 and 30 seconds. This provides enough time to tell a compelling story without losing the viewer’s attention. Since the ads are generally non-skippable, the creative quality is more important than the length.

Glossary of Terms

Addressable Advertising: The technology that allows advertisers to show different ads to different households while they are watching the same program on streaming or satellite TV services.

Connected TV (CTV): A television set that is connected to the internet and used to stream video content. Examples include smart TVs and TVs connected to devices like Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, Apple TV, or gaming consoles.

Over-the-Top (OTT): The method of delivering video content directly to viewers over the internet, bypassing traditional cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms.

Programmatic Advertising: The automated buying and selling of digital advertising space. Algorithms and software are used to purchase ad inventory, making the process more efficient and targeted.

Video Completion Rate (VCR): The percentage of all video ads that play to their scheduled end. A high VCR on CTV is common because ads are often non-skippable.