At Smadex, we know that CTV is transforming the US advertising landscape, turning the biggest screen in the house into a precise, performance-driven channel. That’s why we sat down with Andrew Whiteside, our VP & GM Americas, to discuss how CTV is reshaping mobile user acquisition, which trends are driving the greatest impact, and the strategies brands can use to maximize results.
1. How is Connected TV changing the way advertisers approach the US market?
“CTV is fundamentally reshaping the US landscape by turning the biggest screen in the house into a measurable, performance-driven channel. It’s no longer just about upper-funnel awareness; it is now a precision tool that integrates seamlessly with mobile user acquisition. By leveraging programmatic targeting and advanced attribution, advertisers can now achieve scalable, direct-response results that complement their mobile strategies, effectively treating CTV as ‘UA on a different device.”
2. Which trends in US CTV are you most excited about right now?
“I am most excited about the convergence of brand power and performance rigor. We are seeing a mature ecosystem emerge where data-driven targeting, cross-device measurement, and creative innovation allow us to optimize CTV campaigns with the same granularity as mobile UA. It’s the shift from simply buying “inventory” to buying specific, high-value audiences that drives real incrementality.“
3. What strategies help brands see real performance and measurable results in CTV?
“The most successful brands treat CTV as an extension of their User Acquisition strategy, not a siloed branding experiment. Real performance comes from three things: First, ensuring a “fair start” in attribution by using view-based measurement to capture the true impact on mobile installs. Second, creating a “halo effect” by running CTV alongside mobile campaigns to supercharge overall performance. And finally, using programmatic buying to optimize dynamically toward downstream events like purchases or registrations rather than just reach or completion rates.”
4. What’s one opportunity in US CTV that brands often overlook?
“Brands often overlook the “Halo Effect,” the incremental lift CTV drives for other channels. Too often, advertisers evaluate CTV in a vacuum, missing how exposure on the big screen drives users to search or install on their mobile devices moments later. The opportunity lies in measuring this cross-device interplay. When you connect CTV exposure to mobile action, you realize it’s often the silent engine driving efficiency across your entire media mix.”
5. Where do you see US CTV heading in the next 12–18 months, especially in terms of measurement and creative?
“We are heading toward a democratized creative landscape powered by AI. Historically, the high cost of TV-quality assets has been a barrier to entry; AI will dismantle that barrier, allowing advertisers to produce and iterate high-performance video assets at scale. On the measurement side, we will move past simple attribution toward holistic incrementality models. Advertisers will demand to see exactly how Connected TV investment lifts their overall portfolio, forcing platforms to provide deeper, transparent insights into non-attributed and cross-device user journeys.”