Connected TV Advertising Decoded with Ben Bankoff of Adduro: Strategy, Fraud Prevention, and Future Trends
CTV industry insider Ben Bankoff reveals the truth about Connected TV fraud, strategy, and the future of television advertising
The connected TV (CTV) advertising landscape is experiencing explosive growth, but with it comes misconceptions, fraud, and missed opportunities.
In our recent podcast episode with Ben Bankoff, Head of Operations at Adduro, we pulled back the curtain on an industry that's simultaneously revolutionary and riddled with pitfalls.
The Fundamental Misunderstanding About Connected TV
Most marketers approach Connected TV with a digital-first mindset, but Bankoff argues this is their biggest mistake.
"Connected TV is TV," he states emphatically. "It's a really effective way for a brand to tell their story on the largest screen in the household that families and people tend to gather around."
This isn't just semantic positioning—it's a strategic imperative. While CTV offers digital targeting capabilities, treating it as a performance marketing channel sets advertisers up for disappointment and wasted spend.
"I very much caution people from trying to treat connected TV as a performance channel," Bankoff explains. "At the end of the day, this is still TV, regardless of how much more efficient we can get with it or how much more targeted it may be. It is still very much an awareness play."
The Attribution Trap That's Costing Advertisers Millions
One of the most dangerous trends in CTV advertising is the attribution arms race. Every vendor claims credit for conversions, creating a house of mirrors that obscures real performance.
Bankoff describes the scenario every brand faces: "All of sudden you're getting reporting back from each of your various vendors and everybody's saying, you know, we drove a thousand conversions this month. And when you add it all up, you've got 15,000 conversions that took place apparently, yet I only sold a thousand units."
The solution? A more holistic view of marketing attribution that positions CTV as a supporting player in the overall marketing mix. Rather than claiming direct credit for sales, smart CTV strategies focus on improving the efficiency of lower-funnel tactics like paid search and social media.
The Hidden Fraud Crisis Plaguing Connected TV
Perhaps the most eye-opening revelation from Bankoff's interview concerns the rampant fraud in CTV advertising. The scale is staggering and often invisible to advertisers buying through open exchanges.
Bankoff shared a recent example that illustrates the sophistication of modern ad fraud: "We had an incident that we saw probably three weeks ago now of a single device ID that was hopping between, I think it was close to 1500 IP addresses across all four time zones in the United States and emitting something like a quarter million ad requests, CTV ad requests, I think every hour."
This level of fraud isn't just stealing advertiser dollars—it's destroying trust in the entire CTV ecosystem. The solution, according to Bankoff, lies in going directly to the source.
The Power of Direct Publisher Relationships
While many CTV vendors rely on open exchanges and programmatic buying, Adduro takes a different approach: building direct relationships with major publishers like NBC, Fox, and Paramount.
"We go to NBC, we go to Fox, we go to Paramount and we say, this is what our full fiscal outlooks look like. And we wanna have dedicated inventory set aside for us and our customers," Bankoff explains.
This approach offers multiple benefits:
Fraud mitigation: Direct inventory eliminates many fraud vectors
Quality assurance: Publishers have skin in the game for their own content
Better rates: Cutting out intermediaries can improve cost efficiency
Transparency: Clear visibility into where ads are actually running
The Streaming Tipping Point Has Arrived
The numbers don't lie: streaming has officially won the television wars. According to Nielsen data referenced by Bankoff, streaming viewership eclipsed both broadcast and cable combined as of May 2024, and the trend continues to accelerate.
This shift represents more than just changing viewing habits—it's a fundamental transformation of how brands can reach consumers. The fragmented landscape of streaming services means advertisers must be more strategic about where they invest their dollars.
Red Flags Every CTV Advertiser Must Know
With great opportunity comes great risk. Bankoff shared several warning signs that should immediately raise red flags for potential CTV advertisers:
The "Too Good to Be True" Pricing
"If somebody is telling you that you can run a national campaign for $2,500 a month at a $10 CPM, that's a problem," Bankoff warns. When one vendor's pricing is dramatically different from others, there's usually a reason—and it's not good.
Lack of Transparency
If a vendor only shows you the top 10 apps or publishers where your ads ran, ask about the rest. The delta between reported impressions and total delivery often reveals where the real problems lie.
Missing Human Support
While self-service platforms have their place, CTV advertising still requires human expertise and ongoing optimization. Vendors who push you toward a login-and-forget approach are setting you up for failure.
Vague Inventory Sources
Always ask: Where are they getting their inventory? How are they getting it? Vendors who can't provide clear, specific answers are often hiding something.
The Consolidation Wave Is Coming
Looking ahead, Bankoff predicts significant consolidation in both the streaming and advertising technology spaces. Disney's decision to sunset the Hulu app and integrate it into Disney+ is just the beginning.
"I think there's going to be more than likely some continued consolidation," he explains. "And whether that's companies consolidating or even portfolio companies consolidating their offering, I think we're gonna continue to see that happen."
This consolidation could impact pricing, inventory availability, and the number of relationships advertisers need to maintain. Smart advertisers should prepare for a landscape where fewer, larger players control more of the available inventory.
Building a Future-Proof CTV Strategy
Despite the challenges, Bankoff remains bullish on the future of CTV advertising. The key is approaching it with the right expectations and safeguards:
Set realistic expectations: CTV is an awareness and reach channel, not a direct response vehicle
Invest in transparency: Work with vendors who provide detailed reporting and clear inventory sources
Prioritize partnerships: Choose vendors who offer dedicated support and ongoing optimization
Budget appropriately: Legitimate national CTV campaigns require substantial investment
Think holistically: Measure CTV's impact on your entire marketing funnel, not just direct attribution
The B2B Opportunity in Connected TV
For B2B advertisers wondering if their audience is accessible through CTV, Bankoff's answer is encouraging: "Just given the sheer size of the viewership numbers these days, it's a pretty safe bet to assume that virtually every audience cohort is streaming at this point."
The challenge isn't whether B2B audiences are watching—they are. The challenge is finding them on ad-supported content and creating messaging that resonates in a television environment.
Conclusion: Navigating the CTV Revolution
The Connected TV advertising revolution is real, but it's not without its perils. Success requires understanding that CTV is television first, digital second. It demands direct relationships, transparency, and realistic expectations about attribution and performance.
As streaming continues to dominate television consumption and advertising budgets follow eyeballs, the brands that master Connected TV advertising will have a significant competitive advantage. The key is avoiding the common pitfalls while building strategies that leverage CTV's unique strengths as a reach and awareness channel.
The future of television advertising is streaming, but success belongs to those who understand the difference between evolution and revolution—and plan accordingly.
Watch the FULL EPISODE for additional insights on how often to update the creative in your digital advertising campaigns.
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This article is based on insights from the Click and Mortar podcast hosted by Mike Patterson and Dustin Trout, digital marketing experts focused on helping businesses maximize their advertising ROI.
