For performance agencies, the most anxiety-inducing feature of Connected TV (CTV) is the lack of a mouse.
You can serve the most compelling 30-second ad in history, but the user cannot click the TV screen. They cannot "Swipe Up." There is no immediate feedback loop.
If you run CTV in a silo, it looks like a waste of money. You see high impressions, high completion rates, and zero direct conversions.
But if you treat CTV as the "feeder" for your other performance channels, it becomes your most powerful acquisition tool.
Here is how to build the Conversion Loop—the technical architecture that allows you to retarget a household on their phone immediately after they've seen your ad on their TV.
1. The Technology: The "Household Graph"
To sell this strategy, you must first explain the underlying tech to your client.
When a user watches a stream (on Roku, Hulu, Samsung TV+, etc.), they are doing so via an IP address—the digital address of their home wifi.
Most DSPs (Demand Side Platforms) use a Device Graph to identify all other devices connected to that same IP address.
The Trigger: The TV plays the ad.
The Tag: The DSP tags that IP address as "Exposed."
The Match: The DSP identifies the mobile IDs and desktop cookies associated with that same IP.
This allows you to serve a specific sequence of ads only to the people who have already watched your TV commercial.
2. The Strategy: The "One-Two Punch"
A standalone TV ad is "Awareness."
A TV ad followed by a mobile ad is "Performance."
Successful agencies bundle these two together. You should rarely sell CTV without selling a retargeting layer. Here is the standard playbook:
Step 1: The Primer (CTV)
Format: 30-second high-impact video.
Goal: Emotional connection, problem/solution setup.
Call to Action: "Search [Brand Name]" or "Visit [URL]."
Step 2: The Hook (Display/Social)
Timing: 1 hour to 24 hours after the TV exposure.
Targeting: The "Exposed Audience" segment from Step 1.
Format: Static banner or Carousel ad on their phone/laptop.
Goal: The Click.
Creative: "Did you see us on TV? Click here for [Offer]."
By the time the user sees the banner ad, they are no longer a "cold" prospect. They have been primed by the TV spot. This typically increases the Click-Through Rate (CTR) of your retargeting layer by 2x to 4x compared to cold traffic.
3. The Capture: Winning the Search Bar
If the user doesn't wait for the retargeting ad, they will likely pick up their phone and Google the brand immediately.
This creates a vulnerability. If your client's competitor is bidding on their brand name, the TV ad you paid for might drive a sale for the competition.
The Agency Fix:
Whenever you launch a CTV flight, you must simultaneously launch a Branded Search Defense campaign.
Increase bids on the client's own brand name.
Ensure the landing page message matches the TV creative exactly.
If the TV ad promotes a "Fall Bundle," the Google Ad and the Landing Page must say "Fall Bundle." If there is a disconnect, the conversion rate plummets.
4. How to Package This for Clients
Don't sell "CTV Ads." Sell "The Surround Sound Package."
Agencies that win high-ticket retainers frame the service like this:
"We don't just buy TV spots. We build a Conversion Loop. We use the TV screen to qualify the household, and then we use mobile and search to harvest the demand. You aren't paying for a commercial; you're paying for a synchronized takeover of the living room."
The result:
The client gets the prestige of being on TV.
The agency gets the attribution data they need to prove ROI.
The "Performance" is protected because you have built the net to catch the fish.