Someone on your team just came back from a conference buzzing about connected TV. "Our buyers watch streaming TV. We should be on the big screen."
Maybe they're right. But before you spend a dollar, ask a harder question: if this campaign works, how will you know?
That's the question that kept my guest up at night. When I sat down with Vin Turk of Madison Logic on the Marketing Smarts podcast, he said what worries him most isn't whether marketers are curious about new channels. It's whether they're thinking it through the right way, measuring it the right way, and getting their company bought in before they start.
I've seen the same thing inside HubSpot portals for years. Shiny new channel, no baseline, no plan to measure it. So let's fix that before it starts.
The Short Answer: CTV Can Work for B2B, But Only on Top of a Real ABM Foundation
Connected TV can help B2B teams get in front of the right accounts. But it's not a shortcut. It works best as one piece of a focused, account-based strategy, measured against numbers your leadership already trusts.
If you don't have a target account list, clean CRM data, and a baseline for pipeline and revenue, start there first. The TV screen can wait. Your foundation can't.
Let's Level Set: ABM, CTV, and OTT in Plain English
ABM (account-based marketing). Vin said the most important letter is the A: account. Instead of casting a wide net, you focus on the specific companies that can have a meaningful impact on your business. That might mean new logos with big revenue potential or current customers you can grow.
CTV (connected TV). This is video delivered over the internet to a big screen: a smart TV, a Roku, a Fire Stick, or a Chromecast. Think streaming apps on the living room television.
OTT (over the top). Also internet-delivered video, but it covers every device. Phones, laptops, tablets, and TVs. CTV is the big-screen slice of OTT.
I love how this lines up. ABM is focused. CTV is focused. As I told Vin, you need to be focused on your focus.
Why This Conversation Matters More in 2026
When Vin and I talked, he said only a few players could combine ABM and CTV. That's changed fast.
The money is moving to streaming. The IAB's 2026 forecast projects U.S. CTV ad spend will grow 13.8%, second only to social media. That's according to a survey of 205 U.S. buy-side executives.
B2B targeting on TV is now mainstream. LinkedIn made its CTV ads generally available across the U.S. and Canada in 2025, letting marketers target by industry, role, and even company. ABM platforms have expanded too. Madison Logic took its ABM CTV channel global in December 2025.
But most teams still aren't doing ABM well. The Content Marketing Institute's 2026 research found 51% of B2B marketers use neither ABM nor its more targeted cousin, ABX. Among those who do, most personalization stays basic: industry, company size, and location.
Here's the thing. The channel got easier to buy. The strategy didn't get any easier to build.
Myth: ABM Just Means Adding an Account List
This was Vin's favorite myth to bust. Too many teams think ABM means doing everything the same way, just pointed at a list of companies.
His take? If you treat these accounts the same way you always have, they'll respond the same way they always have.
ABM gives you the chance to get closer. Personalize the message based on:
- What you know about that account
- Where the account sits in the buying journey
- Which roles on the buying committee you're talking to
A broad message spread across a broad list gets diluted. A focused message aimed at the right people lands harder. Vin said that's when you see higher engagement and faster sales cycles.
Myth: CTV Is Just TV Ads on a Different Screen
Vin applied the same thinking to connected TV. If you simply run the same video you'd run anywhere else, you're leaving opportunity on the table.
CTV brings data that old-school TV never had. So use it. Match your message to the account and the stage of the journey, and think about how CTV works alongside your other channels.
And plan for the fact that nobody can click a TV. Vin mentioned QR codes and vanity URLs as creative ways to capture a response. If you use them, point them to a trackable landing page so you can see the activity inside your CRM.
Reflective question: If a decision maker at your top account saw your ad on TV tonight, what would you want them to do next? And would you know if they did?
Measure What Matters: Revenue, Not Vanity Metrics
This is the heart of the whole conversation. Vin was clear: the biggest impact a marketer can have is proving out revenue growth, customer retention, and customer expansion.
That means tracking:
- Pipeline created and influenced
- Conversion rates
- Pipeline velocity
- Average contract value
- Customer lifetime value
Open rates and click rates aren't enough. Vin warned that measuring new channels with an old-school mindset is one of the biggest hurdles he sees.
I loved the three words that came out of his answer: impacting, retaining, and loving. Keep the back door closed on revenue, and you don't have to keep running just to replace what's leaking out.
Set Your Baseline Before You Experiment
Here's the most practical advice from the whole episode. Before you launch ABM or add CTV, write down what your success metrics look like today.
That's your baseline. Leadership already agrees on how the business runs, so these numbers are hard to argue with. Then, as you test new approaches, ask one simple question: are we beating the baseline?
Vin even suggested putting your predictions in writing before you start. What lift do you expect? How will conversion rates change? Share those estimates with your leadership.
Why? Because nobody likes surprises. And even if you miss your guess, you planted a flag. Now you can dig into the data and ask why. Was it the channel mix? The message? The roles you targeted?
Some results may surprise you. Vin noted you might see a longer sales cycle with a much larger contract value. That's still a win, but only if you had a baseline to compare it to.
Start Small With an Experiment Mindset
Vin's approach to testing is refreshingly human. Get buy-in for an experimental mindset across marketing, then sales, then customer success, operations, and the C-suite.
Then run small pilots in isolated environments, so a failed test doesn't hurt the business. For example, does a mix of content syndication, CTV, LinkedIn, and programmatic display beat just one or two of those channels? You won't know until you test it.
Start small. Prove it out. Then use the data to earn more budget.
And when a test flops? Vin shared something his dad told him after a rough day in the second grade orchestra: let it roll off you like water off a duck's back. If failure bogs you down, it kills your curiosity. Keep the long-term goal in front of you.
Where HubSpot Fits in Your ABM and CTV Plan
Vin reminded us that most teams already have a CRM, whether it's Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, or HubSpot. The key is making sure your systems are set up right and your data flows accurately.
This is where we live at Sidekick. Before you buy a new channel, make sure your foundation is solid.
If you're on Marketing Hub or Sales Hub Professional or Enterprise, HubSpot includes built-in ABM tools. A few that matter most:
- Target account. A company property that flags who you're going after.
- Ideal customer profile tier. Rank accounts from Tier 1 (great fit) to Tier 3 (lower priority).
- Buying role. Mark each contact's role, like Decision Maker, Budget Holder, or Blocker.
Clean these up first. Then your ad platforms, including any CTV partner, are working from a list the humans on your sales team actually trust, and your reporting ties back to real accounts.
One more thing. The martech world keeps growing. Scott Brinker's landscape counted 15,384 marketing technology solutions in 2025. You don't need more tools. You need the ones you have to talk to each other.
How AI Makes Personalization Realistic
Personalization sounds great until you realize it means more content, more messaging, and more creative for every account. Vin sees AI as the answer to that workload. He compared it to the calculator, only far more powerful.
AI tools can help you draft account-specific messaging, create variations, and make sense of data from a lot of channels at once. They don't replace your judgment. They give you back time to use it.
Just keep a person in the loop. Your buyers are humans, and they can tell the difference between personal and generic.
Is CTV Right for You? A Quick Readiness Check
Checklist: Before You Add Connected TV to Your ABM Mix
- We have a target account list sales and marketing agree on.
- Our CRM data on those accounts is clean and complete.
- We know our baseline for pipeline, conversion rate, velocity, and contract value.
- Leadership agrees on what success looks like and has seen our predictions.
- We have video creative, or budget to make it, that speaks to our buyers.
- We have a way to track response, like a QR code or vanity URL to a tracked landing page.
- We've carved out a small, isolated test budget.
If you checked every box, you're ready to experiment. If you didn't, that's okay. Now you know exactly what to build first.
Who this probably isn't for yet: teams without a defined target account list, teams with messy CRM data, or teams that need fast, direct-response leads next month. CTV tends to shine at building awareness inside the right accounts, and that takes time to show up in pipeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between CTV and OTT?
OTT is any video streamed over the internet, on any device. CTV is the slice of OTT viewed on a big screen, like a smart TV or a streaming device plugged into one.
Can B2B companies really target specific accounts on connected TV?
Yes. Platforms like LinkedIn and ABM-focused vendors now let you target by company, industry, and role on CTV. Talk to a few vendors, compare their strengths, and ask how they measure results.
How do you measure connected TV ads when people can't click?
Tie results back to business metrics like pipeline, conversion rate, and deal size in your target accounts. QR codes and vanity URLs that lead to tracked landing pages can help capture direct response.
Do I need a big budget to test CTV?
Not necessarily. Vin recommends starting with small, isolated pilots so you can learn without risking the business. Budget depends on your goals and your vendors, so get quotes before you commit.
Does HubSpot support account-based marketing?
Yes. HubSpot's ABM tools are available in Marketing Hub and Sales Hub Professional and Enterprise. They include target account, ideal customer profile tier, and buying role properties.
Here's the Bottom Line
Connected TV isn't magic. ABM isn't a list. And no new channel will save a strategy that can't prove its impact.
But if you focus on the right accounts, set your baseline, run small experiments, and measure what actually drives revenue, you can test the big screen with confidence. Stay curious. Let the failed tests roll off your back. And keep your eyes on the long-term goal.
Ready to Build an ABM Foundation You Can Measure?
If you want to try new channels but your target accounts, buying roles, and reporting in HubSpot aren't ready yet, we'd love to help. We'll look at your setup and map out one clear next step toward ABM your sales team trusts.
