#8 | Beyond the Click... Throw Away CTR

CTR is the Most Misleading & Overused Metric in Marketing 🚨 Just because someone clicked doesn't mean they were interested, and just because someone didn't click, it doesn't mean they weren't interested… for example: ✅ Mobile ads almost always have a higher CTR than desktop/laptop. Looking at the last ~5B ad impressions across the Viant DSP, Mobile smartphones yield 27% higher CTR than desktop/laptops—not because they necessarily perform better, but because the ad takes up a larger percentage of the screen, and people are far more likely to have a "fat finger" moment. ✅ Brand-building channels like CTV & Audio have 0% CTR but drive far more impact in awareness, consideration, and long-term growth. ✅ Think about your own shopping habits: out of all the transactions you make each month, how many happen because you paused, clicked an ad, and then bought something? The reality is (in a DSP), it's less than 2%. Yet, I see marketers all to often basing a significant portion of their spend decisions solely on CTR 🤔 🔍 Let's break it down: Imagine you're running two campaigns: 1️⃣ A mobile display ad with a 2% CTR—but half the clicks are accidental due to ad size and screen placement. 2️⃣ A Connected TV ad with a 0% CTR (it's kinda hard to click on an ad on your TV)—but it influenced thousands of future searches, site visits, and purchases. Which one actually drove new demand? 💡 What Should Marketers Focus On Instead? ✅ Incrementality: Did the ad actually influence behavior, or was the conversion happening anyway? (Use a Universal Pixel with multiple Events like page view, add to cart, and purchase to measure true outcomes.) ✅ Revenue & LTV Impact: Are you acquiring high-value customers, or just paying for low-intent clicks? ✅ Media Mix Effectiveness: Are you investing in channels that create demand—not just capturing it? If you're optimizing for clicks instead of business outcomes, you're leaving money on the table. Use your marketing dollars to build a BRAND, not to generate CLICKS, and watch your ROI 🚀 #Marketing hashtag#DigitalMarketing #CTR #AdTech #GrowthMarketing #Advertising #PerformanceMarketing #MediaBuying #MarketingStrategy #CTV