CTV advertising examples
Twelve real video ads from national TV advertisers, each with the one thing it does. Tap any card to watch it.
VideoProgressive“See if you could save”The savings number does the selling. "Drivers who save by switching save over $900."
VideoState Farm“State Farm Automobile Insurance”One message on repeat: the agent. Brand recall over novelty.
VideoLexus“THE LEXUS RX”The car, the name, a line. Product-as-hero, shot like a TV spot.
VideoMiller Lite“It's Miller Time, Mariners Fans!”Localized to the team and the city. One campaign, many markets.
VideoDirecTV“Tired of jumping through hoops to find the game? DIRECTV brings all your football to one place.”Opens on a frustration every sports fan has had, then the fix.
VideoCoca-Cola“There’s a Coke for everyone.”Pure brand: "There’s a Coke for everyone." No offer, no urgency.
VideoMichelob Ultra“Michelob ULTRA Zero”A product launch in one frame: zero alcohol, 29 calories.
VideoTesla“Discover Full Self-Driving”The feature is the story. Full Self-Driving, shown from the driver’s seat.
VideoVerizon“Get 100% fiber internet”A single claim in plain words: 100% fiber, or nothing.
VideoMcDonald's“SPICY McNUGGETS ARE BACK”Limited time, on screen. Spicy McNuggets are back.
VideoTaco Bell“free beefy 5-layer burrito”The offer is the creative: a free burrito, and "you read that right".
VideoThe General Insurance“The General Auto Insurance”Satisfying visuals as the hook, the brand line as the payoff.
What makes a CTV ad work
It plays on the biggest screen in the house, with the sound on, and nobody can click it.
Brand in the first five seconds
Most CTV ads cannot be skipped, but attention still drifts. Name the brand early and again at the end.
Sound carries it
Unlike social, CTV plays with the sound on. Voice and music do work that captions do in a feed.
One message
Progressive sells the savings number. State Farm sells the agent. One idea a spot.
A next step without a click
A short URL, a QR code, a search term. The viewer is on the couch with a phone in reach.
Made for 16:9
Shot wide, safe margins for TV overscan, nothing important at the edges. Cut vertical versions from the same footage for social.
What are CTV ads?
Ads that stream to a connected TV through apps like Roku, Hulu, Prime Video and YouTube, bought by impression with digital targeting.
CTV means connected TV: a smart TV, a streaming stick or a console. OTT is the content delivered over the internet to it. The ad slot is a TV ad slot; the buying works like digital, by household and impression instead of by market and daypart.
Most of the search volume for "ctv ads" is people buying media: platforms, CPMs, minimums. Vibe puts streaming CPMs at $15 to $30 on the open exchange and $25 to $65 direct, with self-serve buys from $50 a day. That made TV reachable for brands that never could afford a broadcast flight.
The creative is the part that has not gotten cheaper on its own. What a spot costs to make, with sources, is on TV commercial cost, and how it gets made is on TV commercial production.
The social video around your CTV spot
One CTV spot per flight. The social campaign around it needs a new batch every week.
Director by Sprites is a full creative team for your startup, in private beta. Every Monday you get finished, on-brand video ads, reviewed by a human.
Strategy, hooks, scripts, shooting and editing, end to end. You never write a prompt. You pick the winners. Sprites ships the campaigns.
Every video is checked by a person before it reaches your inbox. No endless revisions.
Questions
What is an example of a CTV ad?
Any 15 or 30-second spot you see in a streaming app: Progressive’s savings ads, State Farm’s agent spots, McDonald’s limited-time menu ads. The cards above are real video ads from these brands.
How do small brands make CTV ad spots affordably?
Recut proven social ads to 16:9, shoot once for a 15 and a 30, and buy through a self-serve streaming platform from about $50 a day, per Vibe. Costs to produce are on TV commercial cost.
What is the difference between CTV and OTT?
CTV is the device, a TV connected to the internet. OTT is the streamed content, on any device. A CTV ad is an OTT ad watched on a TV.
Are CTV ads clickable?
Mostly not. Some platforms support QR codes and interactive or shoppable formats, but most CTV ads drive a search, a visit or a scan later.
How long should a CTV ad be?
15 or 30 seconds, the standard TV lengths, in 16:9.
Keep going
Keep the campaign fed between flights
Every Monday you get finished, on-brand video ads, reviewed by a human. You never write a prompt. You pick the winners. Sprites ships the campaigns.