Imagine this—you see an ad once, and instantly, you remember everything about the brand, the offer, and where to buy.
…Yeah. Us neither.
Yet, we see countless CTV advertisers running campaigns as if that’s exactly how advertising works. They spread their budget too thin, hitting households once or twice a month and expecting results.
That’s not just ineffective—it’s a complete waste of spend.
Let’s break down one of the biggest mistakes CTV advertisers make (and how to fix it).
The Frequency Problem (And Why Your CTV Campaign Might Be Failing)
If you’ve ever driven past a highway billboard, you know advertisers don’t swap out ads every hour. They leave the same ad up for months so that daily commuters see it over and over again.
Why? Because that’s how advertising works. Repetition drives recall.
Marketing has long followed the Rule of 7—the idea that a consumer needs to see an ad seven times before taking action.
At Adduro, we take that rule a step further, optimizing our CTV campaigns to ensure a consistent, precise frequency per household. Based on hundreds of CTV campaign audits, here’s what we’ve found:
- Anything below a 2x weekly frequency leads to poor results (if any at all).
- The best-performing campaigns typically land in the 3x-5x weekly range.
- Many advertisers make the mistake of reaching households only 1-2 times a month.
Think about your own streaming habits. Viewers often:
- Miss ads while checking their phones, grabbing food, or leaving the room.
- Get served multiple ads from the same big brands (insurance, pharma, etc.) within the same program.
If those brands are hitting viewers multiple times per show, do you think one ad per month is going to do anything? Exactly.
How to Fix Your CTV Frequency (And Stop Wasting Budget)
If your CTV campaign isn’t driving results, frequency should be one of the first things you check. Here’s how to diagnose and fix it:
Step 1: Audit Your Frequency Data
- Check how frequency is reported → Is it by device ID or IP address? (IP is more household-accurate.)
- Look at the time frame → Some providers inflate frequency numbers by reporting a rolling average. Ask for a weekly or monthly breakdown.
If your provider can’t break it out for you, they don’t know what they’re doing.
Step 2: Adjust Your Campaign to Increase Frequency
Remember: Frequency = Impressions ÷ Reach
To increase your frequency, you can:
✅ Increase impressions by upping your budget.
OR
✅ Reduce reach by narrowing your targeting.
If increasing budget isn’t an option, here’s how to shrink your reach strategically:
- Narrow Your Geo-Targeting → If you’re targeting an entire state, switch to DMA. If you’re already in a DMA, target your top ZIP codes.
- Refine Your Audience → Add another layer of targeting or use more specific audience segments with a smaller user pool.
- Restrict Your Inventory → Remove certain apps/publishers but make sure they have the most incremental reach—otherwise, you’re just eliminating delivery channels, not reducing audience size.
- Increase Retargeting → Every impression captures a device ID or IP. Allocate more budget to retargeting those users instead of constantly chasing new ones.
If your provider can’t execute these adjustments, it’s time to find one that can (like us at Adduro).
Stop Letting Your CTV Spend Go to Waste
If your campaign isn’t performing, low frequency could be the culprit.
The fix? Increase frequency, narrow your reach, and ensure your ads hit the same households multiple times per week.
And if your current provider can’t show you frequency data in a way that makes sense?
They don’t know what they’re doing.
Find one that does (like Adduro).
Want to learn more? Stay tuned for Part 2, where we dive into the data behind why so many CTV campaigns suffer from poor frequency—and how to make sure yours doesn’t.
Until next time, keep streaming with clarity.
