YouTube + CTV Lift Lab

3–6 months.
Turn video spend into organic branded traffic lift and incremental conversions.

Cadence: 60-min monthly readout • 90-day lift cycles

What this is

A strategy + governance engagement for YouTube and CTV that answers the hard questions (platform, mix, creative, data, buying route, measurement) and sets finance-defensible rules for how you invest, while your team or agency runs the campaigns.
I don’t traffic ads. I design the plan, the tests, and the decision system so you can scale what works across YouTube, Roku, Netflix Ads, Amazon/Prime Video, broadcaster CTV, and more.

The questions this lab answers

Platform fit

Should we prioritize YouTube on TV screens or add a CTV network (e.g., Roku/Netflix Ads/Prime Video/broadcaster CTV)? What’s the objective-aligned mix by market?

Buying route

Google Ads vs. DV360 for YouTube? Managed-service vs. self-serve for CTV? When does programmatic make sense?

Data & audiences

First-party data, Google audiences, contextual, retargeting guardrails on CTV: what’s in/out country by country?

Frequency & reach

Cross-platform frequency caps, sequence rules, and overlap mitigation between YouTube TV screens and other CTV.

Creative system

What formats (skippable, non-skippable, shorts, bumpers, 15/30/60s), device-aware edits, hooks, and brand assets do we need per platform?

Brand safety & quality

Suitability settings, IVT/viewability standards, and verification approach.

Measurement

Brand Lift vs. geo tests vs. MMM: how do we design them, reconcile them, and decide next quarter’s budget reallocation?

Cost & pacing

Realistic reach/CPM/CPIV bands and flight calendar to hit plan without waste.

Geography

How do we adapt to market-level inventory (e.g., broadcaster CTV in UK/DE/IT/FR) and privacy rules?

Outcomes you should expect

  • A Platform Selection Brief with a recommended YouTube/CTV mix by market and objective.
  • A Media Architecture & Channel Plan (buying routes, audiences, frequency rules, verification).
  • A Creative Playbook for YouTube + CTV (formats, cuts, sequences, test matrix).
  • A Lift & Incrementality Plan (Brand Lift + geo tests) and MMM calibration approach.
  • Quarterly Budget Reallocation Memo (stop / start / scale with expected impact).
  • Organic branded traffic lift tracked alongside paid video, to evidence halo effects.

What I deliver (scope)

Platform & Mix Strategy

Evaluate YouTube (incl. TV screens) vs. CTV options (Roku/Netflix Ads/Prime Video/broadcaster CTV).

Recommend mix, markets, buying routes (Google Ads/DV360, CTV direct, programmatic).

Media Architecture

Audiences & data use, frequency management, sequencing, brand safety, verification.

Supply-path principles to minimize waste and duplication.

Creative & Testing System

Creative playbook by platform and device, with versioning cadence.

Brand Lift + geo test design (cells, thresholds, contamination guardrails).

Measurement & MMM Alignment

Map experiments to MMM (or your preferred model) and calibrate to stop model-vs-test disputes.

Define marginal ROAS/elasticity guardrails and reporting cadence.

Executive Readouts

Monthly 60-min readout (learning → decision).

Quarterly reallocation memo co-signed with Finance.

Execution stays with your in-house team or agency. I align everyone on where and how to invest, and when to move budget.

How it runs (90-day lift cycle)

Weeks 1–2

Strategy & baselines

  • Platform audit, geography mapping, creative sampling, brand KPIs, MMM status.
  • Deliver Platform Selection Brief and draft Media Architecture.

Weeks 3–6

Flight 1

  • Creative + audience matrix live; Brand Lift and/or geo constructs running.
  • Weekly hygiene on delivery, overlap, sample sizes.

Weeks 7–12

Readout & reallocation

  • Compute lift, calibrate MMM, consolidate platform learnings.
  • Present Budget Reallocation Memo; lock Cycle 2 plan (formats, mix, markets).

(Months 4–6 repeat with refined platforms/creatives.)

Artifacts you keep

  • Platform Selection Brief (per market)
  • Media Architecture & Channel Plan (audiences, caps, verification, SPO)
  • Creative Playbook (formats, sequences, edits, test matrix)
  • Measurement Plan (Brand/geo lift, MMM alignment)
  • Monthly Readout Deck
  • Quarterly Budget Reallocation Memo
  • Scorecard (brand lift, incremental reach, halo to branded search, CAC/LTV trend)

KPIs I track

  • Brand / Geo Lift (with CIs)
  • Incremental reach & cost per incremental reach
  • Incremental conversions (or best proxy) & marginal ROAS
  • Organic branded traffic lift and assisted conversions
  • MMM fit & stability after calibration
  • € reallocated per quarter and realized deltas

Collaboration model

I own:

platform & mix strategy, creative/test system, measurement governance, exec readouts.

You/agency own:

campaign builds, trafficking, and day-to-day optimization.

Time ask:

~60–90 minutes/week across Media, Analytics, and Finance.

Typical stack

  • YouTube / DV360 (Brand Lift, Video Reach/Action, TV screens); CTV platforms (direct or programmatic)
  • Verification (viewability/IVT/suitability)
  • MMM vendor or open-source (business-side governance)
  • Analytics/BI (GA4/BigQuery, Looker/Power BI/Tableau)

Pricing & timeline

Length

3-6 months (one or two lift cycles).

Cadence

60-min monthly readout + working sessions.

Typical investment

€4-6k/month (3-6 months).

Optional Launch Sprint: €12-25k if measurement and creative systems need standing up.

Cost drivers

Number of markets, CTV platform mix, test complexity, MMM orchestration, creative throughput.

Floor for new retainers: €3.5k/month. If you need day-to-day execution, I’ll coordinate your agency and stay on strategy + governance.

What I need from you

  • An executive sponsor (Marketing or Finance).
  • Read access to platforms/analytics and MMM (if any).
  • A single media point person (in-house or agency).

FAQs

Yes. The Platform Selection Brief compares YouTube TV screens with CTV options (e.g., Roku/Netflix Ads/Prime Video/broadcaster CTV) and recommends the mix and route (Google Ads/DV360, direct, programmatic) by objective and market.

No. I provide strategy and governance; your team or agency executes.

Yes. Many clients start with YouTube and add CTV once we’ve proven lift and sorted frequency/overlap.

With frequency caps, sequence rules, overlap checks, and verification standards applied across YouTube and CTV.

We calibrate MMM with experimental evidence, document assumptions, and set guardrails for reallocation until signals align.

Yes. The plan accounts for local broadcaster CTV availability and privacy rules per country.

We track branded search/direct alongside paid video to quantify halo and show how brand work lowers blended CAC.

Ready to choose the right platforms and prove lift?

Start with an Executive Growth Audit (2 weeks) or book a 15-minute triage call to scope your first 90-day cycle.

Executive Growth Audit 15-min triage call