How Measurement Is Powering CTV Adoption Among B2B Marketers

This is the second Innovator Spotlight excerpt from our new Special Report, The CTV Playbook For B2B Marketers, featuring iSpot’s Stuart Schwartzapfel.


A headshot of iSpot's Stuart Schwartzapfel

iSpot is bridging the gap between passive and first-party data to help marketers measure campaign effectiveness across platforms, including CTV. We sat down with iSpot’s Stuart Schwartzapfel to discuss how LinkedIn is using its rich professional data to drive precision-targeted CTV campaigns—and how iSpot’s independent measurement confirms these ads are not only reaching the right audience, but doing so more efficiently than many traditional media buys.


JON LAFAYETTE (JL): What kind of information does iSpot gather for marketing clients, and how does that help improve their campaign performance?

STUART SCHWARTZAPFEL (SS): iSpot measures campaign performance in two main ways: through passive collection and direct data contributions.

Passively, we observe every ad that airs on linear TV using our proprietary, MRC-accredited detection system. We don’t need outside input—that’s the power of our technology. This generates a syndicated dataset showing, for example, what Coke or Pepsi is running and where. Everyone gets the same, verified data.

We also collect first-party data, which is becoming more prevalent. This type of data isn’t passively observed—you have to give it to us in order for us to measure it. It's a growing need in the market, and being able to handle both passively observed and directly contributed data is essential for representing brands and publishers accurately.

JL:  How does this ability to work with both types of data translate into client success?

SS: It sets clients up to succeed in today’s media environment. Ideally, everything would be passively observed—but that’s not realistic given how first-party data is treated. There are privacy rules and data ownership concerns, so direct contribution is a must.

A measurement firm that can operate proficiently across both types of data is better equipped to help clients understand and optimize their media investments.

JL: Why is iSpot’s measurement important to LinkedIn CTV campaigns?

SS:  LinkedIn took a bold step into CTV by leveraging its first-party professional data for targeting. While most people think of LinkedIn as a display or social ad platform, they’ve started buying CTV inventory from publishers like NBCUniversal and Roku, then layering on their proprietary targeting to resell it.

So if you’re looking to reach C-suite decision-makers—a small but high-value group—you need precision. LinkedIn uses its rich audience data to help advertisers reach those targets across CTV. iSpot provides the third-party validation to ensure those ads are reaching the intended audience.

JL: How effective have these LinkedIn CTV campaigns been?

SS: Very effective. iSpot’s Unified Measurement product is widely used and trusted across the industry by publishers and advertisers alike. It provides a complete picture of cross-platform audience reach and campaign efficacy.

Because platforms like Roku, Peacock, and now LinkedIn are all discoverable within our product, advertisers can compare how LinkedIn’s targeting performs relative to other publishers. And LinkedIn actually subsidizes this measurement, so the data goes directly to the advertiser—LinkedIn doesn’t even see it.

JL: What does the data show about the effectiveness of buying CTV through LI?

SS: Exactly. We help advertisers determine who did the best job—at the most efficient rate—of reaching a specific audience. LinkedIn is betting that its advanced targeting will outperform broader, less precise inventory from other publishers. And the results so far suggest they’re right.

JL: What metrics are most important in these campaigns?

SS: Unique in-target reach is the metric everyone cares about. Advertisers want to know: “Am I reaching new people or just duplicating what I already have?” LinkedIn’s campaigns have shown high in-target reach and high unique reach, which is critical.

We compare those results against linear and other CTV publishers. To be clear, LinkedIn never sees how other platforms perform—that data only goes to the advertiser. We serve as the independent liaison to maintain fairness and privacy.

JL: So how does iSpot actually measure on-target reach and campaign effectiveness?

SS: It starts with LinkedIn sending us advanced audience cohorts, which enter a clean room for matching and anonymization. For example, an IP address is converted into a hashed ID.

Our system is designed to work with these hashed IDs. We match them against our ACR data from 40 million smart TVs. That gives us a baseline of how that audience appears within our footprint.

From there, we assess how well LinkedIn's campaign reached that specific audience within our panel. That’s how we calculate in-target reach.


TVREV

TVREV captures the voices and insights of executives in the TV, digital and advertising industries. Our insights, reports, newsletters, videos and events are guideposts for everyone in the greater television ecosystem, from programmers and distributors to advertisers and adtech companies.

Previous
Previous

NFL TV Draft: Which Games Will Draw The Biggest Audience In 2025?

Next
Next

Streaming Makes TV History, Topping Combined Broadcast, Cable Usage Combined in May