Unlike the fragmented digital web, TV advertising is dominated by about 10 publishers. Tatari argues that direct, one-to-one tech integrations with these giants are superior to programmatic exchanges, as they eliminate intermediary fees, reduce fraud, and ensure brand safety in premium content.

When brands hit a point of diminishing returns on search and social media, TV becomes a critical next step. It provides incremental reach to new audiences, builds brand legitimacy, and can accelerate the path to purchase for customers discovered on other channels.

A major barrier to TV advertising for DTC brands is the cost of producing a commercial. AI tools are solving this by modifying existing search and social media creative for CTV formats, allowing brands to enter the TV space without a dedicated, high-budget production shoot.

Historically, TV advertising required massive budgets and long commitments. Self-serve connected TV (CTV) platforms now offer low minimums, allowing DTC brands to test and iterate creative with the same agility and small budgets used for search and social channels.

Start TV advertising by proving performance with metrics like CPA. As budget grows, shift to optimizing creative and channel mix. At the enterprise level (e.g., $1M/month), focus on maximizing broader business impact with brand-centric metrics like incremental reach and awareness.

When costs on paid social and search platforms rise, instead of bidding higher for the same saturated audience, use TV to generate new demand. This top-of-funnel lift improves the efficiency of lower-funnel channels by increasing branded search, direct traffic, and conversion rates.

Tatari pioneered shifting TV ad measurement from traditional Nielsen reach metrics to performance-based outcomes like website visits, app installs, or sales. This allows brands to measure TV's impact with the same rigor they apply to digital channels, justifying spend and enabling optimization for the first time.

Brands over-invest in TV, mistaking ad placement for consumer attention. Viewers are distracted during commercials. Social media ads, integrated into feeds, capture actual attention more effectively and provide better ROI, even for older demographics who are heavily on platforms like Facebook.

The perception that TV requires expensive, Super Bowl-level creative is a myth. For initial tests, brands can effectively repurpose existing video content or leverage quick, cost-effective AI creative production companies to get campaigns live and begin learning without a massive upfront investment.