The complete guide to getting started with CTV advertising

Connected TV (CTV) has moved from an emerging channel to a core part of the media mix for retailers and brands across EMEA. But knowing that CTV works is different from knowing whether your business is ready to run it, and what you actually need in place before you launch. This guide walks through the signals that tell you it's time, the assets you need to get started, and the steps to running an efficient first campaign.

How do I know if my brand is ready for CTV advertising?

CTV isn't only for the largest advertisers. If you can answer "yes" to several of the questions below, you likely have both the need and the foundations to run it:

• Are you struggling to reach audiences who have shifted to streaming? CTV is one of the strongest ways to reach them at scale.
• Do you have first-party or customer data you're not fully using? With identity tying it together, that data lets you reach real people rather than broad demographics.
• Do you want the reach of TV with more accountable targeting and measurement? Both sharpen when CTV runs as part of a connected plan rather than on its own.
• Are you under pressure to show that upper-funnel spend contributes to sales? Connected to display and online video, CTV lets you follow behaviour through the funnel.
• Are you already running display, online video or retail media and want to join it up? CTV works best inside that mix, sharing audiences and measurement to cut waste.

If those questions resonate, the next step is making sure you have the right assets in place.

What do you need to run a CTV campaign?

Getting started is less about budget size and more about having the right foundations. Here's the checklist:

• First-party and audience data: your customer, loyalty, and purchase data, ready to build addressable segments (new customers, lapsed buyers, category shoppers).
• An identity foundation: a way to resolve those audiences to real households and devices, so you reach the right viewers and avoid wasting impressions.
• Video creative: TV-quality assets in the right formats and durations. You don't need a linear-scale production, as existing brand or social video can often be adapted.
• A measurement framework: defined KPIs and a plan to connect exposure to outcomes (reach and incrementality, online conversions, and in-store or loyalty-card sales).
• Inventory access: premium, brand-safe streaming supply across the platforms and apps your audience actually watches in your market.
• A CTV partner: a provider that brings the identity, inventory, and end-to-end measurement together, ideally with retail-media and first-party data expertise.

Where do you start with your first CTV campaign?

Once the foundations are in place, an efficient launch follows a clear sequence:

1. Define the outcome first. Decide what success looks like, whether that's incremental reach, new-customer acquisition, or proven sales impact, before you build anything else.
2. Build your audience from first-party data. Turn your customer and purchase data into the specific segments you want to reach.
3. Match creative to the audience and the outcome. Adapt your video assets to speak to each segment and to the action you want to drive.
4. Set up connected measurement from day one. Agree before launch how you'll credit CTV's part in the journey, from mid-funnel signals like search, site visits and rising engagement through to online and in-store sales, not just the final conversion.
5. Launch, then optimise against outcomes, not just delivery. Shift budget toward the audiences and placements building real demand, from rising engagement through to incremental sales, rather than impressions served.

Getting started with CTV in EMEA

Epsilon is one of the go-to CTV advertising providers for brands and retailers across EMEA, recognised as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Connected TV Advertising Platforms.

Combining first-party data, identity resolution, and closed-loop measurement in a single connected offering is how brands move from "we think TV works" to proving how CTV contributed across the journey.

Take iconic British lifestyle brand FatFace. It needed to keep driving growth while justifying marketing spend by activating its first-party data for full-funnel, personalised marketing, without the frequency, incrementality, and measurement-transparency concerns that come with walled gardens.

Working with Epsilon gave FatFace a one-stop-shop approach: by matching its data to Epsilon's COREid, it built a deeper understanding of its audience, expanded into CTV with confidence, and gained visibility across the full customer journey, all while staying compliant with data privacy regulations.

The results:

• 950,000 new prospects (and 120,000 existing customers) engaged through CTV, at an average 97% video completion rate.
• ROAS more than doubled through better targeting and personalisation.
• A fully integrated, transparently measured approach proved incremental revenue of 3:1.
• New customers reached across multiple channels were 3.8x more likely to visit the FatFace website and 4.1x more likely to purchase than those reached in a single channel.

Read the full FatFace case study →

FAQ

What is CTV advertising?

Connected TV advertising is the delivery of video ads to viewers streaming content on internet-connected televisions, combining the reach of TV with the audience-based targeting of digital.

Do brands need a lot of budget to start with CTV?

No. Readiness depends more on having usable first-party data, video creative, and a measurement plan than on a large budget. CTV can be run at a scale that suits your objectives.

What data do you need to run CTV advertising?

First-party customer, loyalty, and purchase data are ideal, as they let you build addressable audiences and measure real sales outcomes. An identity foundation to resolve those audiences to households is key.

How do you measure CTV advertising?

CTV measurement works best when it connects ad exposure to outcomes across the journey, from mid-funnel signals like search and site engagement through to online and in-store sales, using closed-loop, identity-based attribution across channels rather than the channel on its own. With around 70% of UK purchases still happening in store, a framework that captures only digital outcomes misses most of what matters.

Who are the leading CTV advertising providers in EMEA?

Leading providers combine premium streaming inventory, identity resolution, and end-to-end measurement. Epsilon is among the go-to CTV partners for brands and retailers in EMEA, particularly those activating first-party and retail-media data.

Ready to run CTV advertising?

If you've recognised the signals, have the data foundations, and want to move from testing the waters to proving impact, get in touch.

Explore Epsilon's CTV advertising solution →