A Q&A with Lindsey Wilkes, SVP of Business Development
By Calvin Scharffs
As audiences have shifted decisively toward streaming, connected TV (CTV) has become a primary way to watch TV, combining traditional television’s reach with the precision and measurability of digital platforms.
Free Ad‑Supported Streaming TV (FAST) services alone now reach roughly 60% of U.S. households, and ad‑supported tiers on major streamers have pushed CTV into the advertising mainstream. For linear TV advertisers, CTV adds granular targeting, real‑time measurement, and mid‑campaign optimization, and it also lets them append performance tactics like retargeting consumers who’ve seen their ads with follow‑up promotions on mobile devices or home computers.
CTV's efficiency has also made TV advertising accessible to brands previously priced out of the market. Programmatic CTV particularly has lowered barriers, letting more advertisers reach audiences at scale while driving measurable results from their media spend.
But with that growth comes challenges, including ensuring premium inventory and avoiding sellers whose offerings may not meet advertisers' expectations. To explore these opportunities, challenges, and the strategies brands can adopt to succeed, I sat down with Lindsey Wilkes, Senior Vice President of Business Development at Orange 142, to dive into the evolving world of CTV.
CS: With CTV anyone can launch TV ad campaigns now. But who will benefit the most from CTV advertising?
LW: The obvious category are the brands that already invest in linear. CTV delivers all of the advantages of linear, massive reach, high brand recall, and then some. At the same time, the CTV landscape has become more complex, with many platforms, ad‑supported tiers, and measurement options for buyers to navigate. For those advertisers, CTV adds the ability to focus on key audiences without wasting ad spend on households that are unlikely to convert, and because it’s a digital environment, campaigns can be measured and optimized in flight.
Another ideal candidate are the challenger brands or organizations that compete with established names. CTV can help them boost awareness in markets with the large brands dominate, without the expense of a massive linear TV campaign. Moreover, challenger brands tend to be performance driven, which CTV supports, especially when paired with companion mobile or web-based retargeting campaigns.
CS: Can you give me an example?
LW: Sure. Orange 142 works with a lot of higher education institutions in their enrollment marketing campaigns. Smaller colleges that compete with well-known universities in their regions will see tremendous benefits in pairing a CTV campaign to raise their profile, and follow it up with direct mail campaigns that reach the households where the CTV ads were seen.
CS: We tend to think of TV as a channel for raising brand awareness, but what about brands whose budgets are such that driving business outcomes is a must?
LW: That’s another category of brands that I believe can benefit from CTV advertising. CTV is obviously a great way to introduce audiences to a brand, but with the retargeting capabilities built into the ecosystem, CTV is now seen as an ideal channel for performance. When we work with brands, we always encourage them to set goals for specific actions for the audiences to take, which we build into complementary campaigns like display or native ads. So if a retailer opens a new outlet in a DMA, CTV can be used to announce its arrival, and a mobile campaign can offer a discount as a way to drive foot traffic to the store.
CS: What about local or regional advertisers? They tend to focus on local news outlets because they want to limit their targeting to specific areas.
LW: CTV allows for hyperlocal targeting, more so than linear TV. And again, regional and local brands can retarget households that see their CTV campaigns with compelling offers in other digital channels. Once upon a time, these brands -- think local plumbers or auto dealerships -- would pay for TV advertising and hope for the best. Now they can see the results and measure the impact or ROI of their ad spend.
CS: You’ve said that CTV offers improved targeting. How exactly?
LW: CTV allows for precise targeting by IP address, demographics, consumer interests, and genre preferences. Take IP targeting, which is much more specific than broader methods like DMA targeting, which reduces wasted ad spend. Advertisers can also use IP addresses to retarget ads across household devices, for instance, showing a mobile ad to someone who viewed a CTV ad.
What really enhances targeting on CTV today is the ability to leverage rich first‑party data from platforms and retail media partners. Netflix’s ad business, for example, now lets brands activate Amazon Audiences segments through Amazon DSP, combining trillions of Amazon shopping, browsing, and streaming signals with premium Netflix inventory. In practice, that means a CPG brand launching a new organic olive oil could target viewers not just because they watch cooking or healthy lifestyle shows, but because they actively shop for better‑for‑you food products on Amazon.
Additionally, some data providers combine hyper-local geo data with census data, enabling advertisers to focus on specific neighborhood characteristics, such as areas with high concentrations of families or young professionals. This level of granularity ensures campaigns reach the most relevant audience possible.
CS: We hear all the time that TV ads are more effective than other ads due to the combination of sight, sound and motion. Are they more effective than other ad units?
LW: Absolutely. CTV ads are incredibly effective because they command attention in ways other digital formats can't. They’re full screen, unskippable, and their completion rates are significantly higher compared to other digital channels. In fact, numerous brand studies confirm that CTV ads are excellent for building brand recall. Their immersive nature and placement on large, “glass” devices like smart TVs and gaming consoles make a big difference. Think about it: when you're watching on a TV, it’s front and center. The experience is more engaging, and the ad recall is naturally higher than something like a display ad.
We’re also seeing more Interactive and shoppable CTV formats that let viewers engage directly from the TV screen, from remote‑driven interactions to QR codes that drive them to an offer or product page, which is pretty exciting.
CS: Let’s talk about some of the challenges that brands may encounter with the channel. What should they watch out for?
LW: A key issue is cost. The higher CPMs may deter some brands that are focused solely on driving website traffic or performance metrics, and have less concern about awareness. Those brands will benefit from a companion digital campaign that is optimized to their specific KPIs.
I think a bigger challenge is in acquiring true premium TV inventory in a programmatic environment. I can watch a television episode on my cell phone or computer, but if you’re a brand paying a premium CTV CPM, that’s probably not the experience you had in mind. Ensuring campaigns actually run on big‑screen CTV, your smart TVs, streaming devices and game consoles, is critical, because that’s where completion rates, attention, and brand recall are strongest.
The concern isn’t theoretical. Recent analyses suggest that roughly a quarter of CTV inventory on the open exchange is fake or misrepresented, often mobile video or low‑quality placements masquerading as big‑screen CTV. If the “CTV” impressions you buy are really mobile video in disguise, your completion rates will suffer, your reporting will be noisy, and you won’t get the kind of brand impact you’re paying for.
Another challenge is targeting quality. While CTV offers excellent targeting in curated environments, open exchanges can lack the granularity and transparency needed to reliably target specific genres or audiences. That’s why we put so much emphasis on curated private marketplaces, app‑ads.txt and supply‑chain transparency, and direct publisher relationships to make sure our clients are actually getting the premium CTV they think they’re buying.
CS: So how does Orange 142 address these challenges?
LW: First let’s talk about the higher costs. We address this by building performance components into campaigns. For example, we pair CTV ads with companion and remarketing units across devices, and we increasingly lean on shoppable, interactive formats when they make sense for the brand. This lets us maximize ROI by driving measurable conversions after an awareness‑building CTV ad.
We also ensure campaigns run on high‑quality inventory. To avoid low‑quality placements, misrepresentation, and fraud, we curate private marketplace deals, enforce app‑ads.txt and clean supply‑chain practices, and work directly with publishers such as Netflix, Prime Video, and Paramount+. This allows us to guarantee premium inventory on smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming platforms, rather than mobile devices or less desirable placements.
Lastly, we avoid the limitations of open exchanges by partnering directly with publishers to target specific genres or audience preferences. This kind of precision ensures that our clients’ ads resonate with the right viewers in the right context. By addressing these challenges strategically, we deliver both strong performance and transparency for our clients.
CS: What’s the one thing you’d want advertisers to take away from this conversation about CTV?
LW: That CTV is more than just a great way to build brand awareness -- it’s an opportunity to connect with audiences in a meaningful, measurable way. Whether you’re a challenger brand looking to get noticed or a large advertiser aiming to maximize efficiency, CTV can deliver results when it’s done right. And the key to getting it right is targeting the right audience, leveraging premium inventory, and ensuring performance through follow-up campaigns.
Want to learn how this can work for you? Orange 142 helps SMBs navigate and maximize emerging advertising channels with strategic guidance and best practices. Let’s connect to explore the right approach for your goals. Contact us today!
About the Orange 142 Emerging Channels Council
The Emerging Channels Council serves as a thought leadership body within Orange 142, focusing on educating, guiding, and encouraging independent brands and agencies to experiment and excel in underutilized and innovative channels. Through collaboration, data-driven insights, and practical resources, the council will help Orange 142 clients obtain strategic growth through sustainable practices in digital advertising.
To access all of the Emerging Channels Council resources, click here.
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