How SMEs Can Leverage CTV Advertising in 2025: A Practical Guide to Affordable TV Campaigns (Part 2)

Now that we’ve covered the theory, let’s move into practice. Whether you’re a retail brand, a local service provider, or a content platform, these five steps will help you kickstart your first Connected TV (CTV) campaign—and begin building your brand presence on the big screen.

Step 1: Define Your Advertising Goal

Before setting your budget, clarify what you want to achieve. Most CTV campaigns fall into two categories:

• Brand Awareness:
  Ideal for product launches or brand repositioning. Key metrics include Reach and Video Completion Rate (VCR).
• Conversion & Traffic:
  Designed to drive actions such as website visits, sign-ups, or purchases. Common KPIs include Click-Through Rate (CTR), Cost Per Acquisition (CPA), and Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).

Pro Tip: While CTV ads aren’t clickable like traditional digital ads, you can still drive action through QR codes or cross-device retargeting strategies.

Step 2: Identify Your Audience

One of the biggest advantages of CTV advertising is its ability to target viewers with the same precision as digital ads. While every business may define its audience differently, here are four common targeting methods SMEs can leverage:

• Geo-Targeting
  Ideal for SMEs with physical locations—such as restaurants, salons, or fitness centres. You can set your ads to appear only to households within a 5km radius of your store or even narrow it down to specific neighbourhoods or residential complexes.
• Demographics
  Filter audiences based on age, income level, household composition, and more. For example, you might target “families with children” or “high-spending consumers.”
• Interest & Behaviour
  Match your ads to the type of content viewers are watching—such as travel, food, or sports. A sportswear brand, for instance, could run ads for shock-absorbing running shoes during halftime of a football match.
• First-Party Data Integration
  For more advanced targeting, you can upload your own CRM data (e.g., email or phone lists) securely to a DSP. This allows you to match with platform UUIDs for precise retargeting or lookalike audience expansion.

Step 3: Choose the Right CTV Advertising Platform

In the past, running a TV ad meant negotiating with media companies, booking time slots, and signing contracts—a process that was often complex, time-consuming, and expensive. Today, programmatic CTV platforms have changed the game.

SMEs can now manage CTV campaigns with the same flexibility and ease as running ads on Facebook or Google. Through a single interface, you can set your budget, define your audience, apply frequency caps, and bid in real time (RTB)—all without the need for manual media buying.

Here are some commonly used and SME-friendly CTV advertising platforms across three key markets:

Hong Kong: Local OTT Integration + Global Tech Support

• myTV SUPER (TVB)
  One of Hong Kong’s largest OTT platforms, supporting addressable TV ads and precise audience targeting.
• The Trade Desk + HOY (i-CABLE)
  HOY has formed a strategic partnership with The Trade Desk, enabling UID2 identity recognition and OpenPath technology—offering high-quality local CTV inventory.
• ViuTV (PCCW)
  Known for multilingual content and a younger audience base, ideal for brand awareness and culturally driven campaigns.

Taiwan: Local Tech Platforms + Global DSPs

• TenMax
  A Taiwan-based AdTech company supporting CTV, DOOH, RMN and more—perfect for SMEs looking to run cross-platform campaigns.
• LINE TV, KKTV
  Accessible via global DSPs such as SmartyAds and Google DV360.
• SmartyAds DSP
  Supports multiple OTT platforms (e.g. YouTube TV, Amazon Prime) and offers advanced audience analytics and creative optimisation tools.

Singapore: High Smart TV Penetration + Rise of FAST

• Samsung Ads SEA
  Actively expanding CTV advertising in Singapore, supporting Smart TV ads and the FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) model.
• meWATCH (Mediacorp)
  A local OTT platform with multilingual content and strong market penetration.
• The Trade Desk, Google DV360
  Provide access to major OTT inventory in Singapore—ideal for brands with cross-border ambitions.

Step 4: Create High-Impact Creatives

CTV ads are typically 15 or 30 seconds long—and most are non-skippable. That means your creative is the make-or-break factor.

• The Golden 5 Seconds: You must capture the viewer’s attention and deliver your core message within the first 5 seconds. This is your window to make an impression before they mentally tune out.
• Made for the Big Screen: Ensure your video meets high-definition standards in both visuals and audio. TV screens magnify every detail. But “high quality” doesn’t have to mean “high cost.” Today, there are many tools and freelancers that can help you produce professional-grade videos at a reasonable price.
  For example: Creatify.ai offers AI-powered video creation tailored for ads, while platforms like TopView combined with ElevenLabs can help you generate voiceovers and visuals efficiently.
• Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): End your ad with a strong and specific CTA. Tell viewers exactly what you want them to do. A visually striking QR code paired with phrases like “Scan now to get 20% off” or “Scan to view our latest menu” can effectively drive action and engagement.

Step 5: Set Budget & Measure Success

CTV advertising is no longer out of reach. With programmatic CTV, you can start small—testing with just a few thousand HKD—and gradually optimise your audience targeting and creatives to find the most effective combination.

Here are the key metrics to track:

• VCR (Video Completion Rate)
  Measures how many viewers watched your ad from start to finish.
  VCR=Completed Views / Total Impressions×100
  Example: If 1,000 people saw your ad and 800 watched it to the end, your VCR is 80%
• CPM (Cost Per Mille)
  Indicates how much you’re paying for every 1,000 ad impressions.
  CPM=Total Spend / Impressions×1000
  Example: If you spent $500 for 20,000 impressions, your CPM is $25.
• Reach & Frequency
  Reach: The number  of unique households or devices that saw your ad.
  Frequency: The average number of times each household saw your ad.
  Frequency=Total Impressions / Unique Reach.
  Example: 10,000 impressions across 2,000 households means a frequency of 5.

• CTR (Click-Through Rate / Scan Rate)
  Measures how many viewers took action by scanning a QR code or clicking a link.
  CTR=Clicks or Scans / Impressions×100%
  Example: 150 scans from 5,000 impressions gives a CTR of 3%.
• ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
  Tells you how much revenue you earned for every dollar spent on ads.
  ROAS=Revenue from Ads / Ad Spend ​
  Example: Spending $1,000 and generating $5,000 in sales gives a ROAS of 5 (i.e. $1 spent earns $5).