In today’s crowded TV landscape, standing out means doing more than showing up. For brands investing in Connected TV (CTV), relevance isn’t just a metric. It’s a powerful driver of performance, helping ads reach the right people in the right moment with the right message.
But what does relevance actually look like in the context of a TV campaign, and how can advertisers ensure their creative is truly resonating with viewers?
MiQ’s Global Advanced TV report reveals that relevance plays a defining role in campaign success. Brands that prioritize relevant creative and audience alignment consistently see higher completion rates, stronger engagement, and greater lifts in brand awareness. This article explores the role of relevance across creative formatting, targeting strategies, and the growing role of AI-driven personas. It’s time to reframe relevance not as a bonus, but as the baseline for effective Connected TV advertising.
Why relevant ads perform better
When viewers feel like an ad speaks to them, they’re more likely to watch, remember, and act. That’s the power of relevance.
Our UK Advanced TV report found that 67% of viewers are more likely to engage with ads that feel personalized to their interests or situation. In the US, that figure rises to 71%. This points to a growing expectation: viewers want ads that align with their preferences, habits, and content choices.
The benefits are clear. When relevance increases, so does brand recall, brand preference, and ultimately purchase intent. This isn’t about bombarding users with volume. It’s about matching message to moment, and making sure your ads feel like a natural part of the viewing experience.
That’s especially important in the CTV environment, where users are in control. The remote is never far away, and tolerance for generic messaging is low. The more relevant your ad, the better your chance of holding attention and delivering impact.
Why creative format is just as important as message
Even the most relevant message can fall flat if the format doesn’t fit the platform. CTV is not traditional TV, and expecting standard 30-second spots to perform equally well across devices and contexts is a missed opportunity.
Different content environments call for different types of creative. An interactive ad during a mobile viewing session may perform better than a long-form spot on a smart TV. Responsive placements, tailored overlays, and sequential creative strategies allow brands to adapt to both the screen and the mindset of the viewer.
With programmatic TV, these adjustments can be made dynamically, enabling advertisers to fine-tune formats based on real-time performance. This ensures your creative is not only relevant to the user, but also appropriate for the device, time of day, and type of content being consumed.
By thinking beyond one-size-fits-all ads, marketers can unlock stronger engagement and a smoother viewer experience. Explore: MiQ Advanced TV solutions
From audience to individual: customization and AI-powered personas
If creative formatting ensures your ad looks right, customization ensures it feels right. This is where data, AI, and real audience insight come together.
Traditional audience segments like age, gender, or location only scratch the surface. To really improve ad relevance, brands need to go deeper, using behavioral insights and dynamic data to build user personas that reflect real motivations, needs, and interests.
Tools like MiQ Sigma allow marketers to move from broad targeting to true personalization. By combining media, purchase, and contextual data, Sigma can generate AI-powered personas that reflect actual viewing behaviors. These personas inform not only who sees the ad, but how it should be presented to maximize resonance.
For example, if Sigma identifies that a specific user persona watches a lot of sports content late at night, your campaign can automatically serve creative that matches that tone and moment, perhaps highlighting high-energy messaging or late-night offers.
This kind of custom ad delivery is no longer out of reach. It’s a growing expectation from both viewers and marketers who want to improve effectiveness without increasing spend.
Want to see how this works in action? Book an MiQ Sigma demo to explore our persona-driven customization in live environments.
Final thoughts: why relevance will shape the future of Advanced TV
Let’s be clear: relevance is not just a performance booster, it’s a baseline requirement for modern advertising success.
As the Global Advanced TV Report shows, audiences are spending more time with streaming platforms and expect personalized, meaningful content. On average, viewers now watch 3.48 hours of video per day, and 73% still prefer the big screen for their viewing. But the way they interact with ads is changing fast.
- Over one-third (37%) of consumers discover new brands through TV ads.
- 85% of advertisers are familiar with Retail Media Networks and 88% plan to use them in their CTV strategies.
- A striking 82% of advertisers plan to maintain or increase their streaming spend over the next 12 to 18 months.
- Eye-catching creatives are considered the top driver of advertising performance, cited by 43% of advertisers.
- Over 64% of viewers use a second screen while watching TV content and 26% say they research products they’ve seen on screen.
- Consumers say that personalized and targeted ads based on their interests are the #1 factor influencing purchase decisions.
In short, the more relevant your ad, the more likely it is to be noticed, remembered, and acted on. Programmatic tools like MiQ Sigma make it easier to deliver persona-led creative at scale, turning insights into meaningful action and static formats into dynamic moments of brand impact.
Want to go deeper? Download the full Global Advanced TV report to explore how ad relevance, data-driven targeting, and creative optimization can help you win the next era of TV.
Next steps:
- Learn more about Advanced TV
- Read the full Global Advanced TV report
- Explore the MiQ Sigma product page
- Book a demo to see persona-led customization in action
Glossary: Connected TV and programmatic advertising
What is brand relevance?
Brand relevance refers to how well a brand aligns with the needs, values, and expectations of its target audience. In advertising, high brand relevance means the brand’s message feels timely, meaningful, and personalized, boosting engagement and long-term loyalty.
What is brand awareness?
Brand awareness is the extent to which consumers recognize or recall a brand. It’s a key step in the customer journey and a foundational metric for measuring the success of marketing and TV campaigns.
What is Connected TV (CTV)?
Connected TV refers to televisions that connect to the internet and stream digital video content via apps or platforms. CTV includes smart TVs, streaming devices (like Roku or Fire Stick), and gaming consoles used for streaming. It allows advertisers to deliver targeted video ads in a premium, non-skippable format. Explore: MiQ’s Advanced TV solutions
What is programmatic TV?
Programmatic TV is the automated buying, placement, and optimization of TV ads using data-driven software. It enables advertisers to target specific audiences on Connected TV platforms, making TV campaigns more efficient and measurable. Explore: Programmatic media solutions with MiQ
What is a user persona generator?
A user persona generator is a tool that creates detailed audience profiles based on data, such as demographics, behaviors, and media consumption habits. In CTV advertising, it helps brands tailor their messaging to different viewer types for greater relevance and engagement.
What is an AI persona generator?
An AI persona generator uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to build predictive user personas from vast datasets. These personas help advertisers customize ad delivery and creative strategy in real time, especially within platforms like MiQ Sigma.
What is ad relevance?
Ad relevance describes how closely an advertisement matches the interests, behaviors, or context of the viewer. High ad relevance improves attention, recall, and conversion, especially when paired with customized creative formats.
What is market relevance?
Market relevance refers to how well a brand or product meets the current needs and trends within its market. In advertising, maintaining market relevance means ensuring your campaigns reflect cultural moments, audience expectations, and evolving media behaviors.
What are custom ads?
Custom ads are personalized creatives that adapt to audience segments, viewing contexts, or campaign goals. These ads may change format, messaging, or visual elements depending on who is watching and what content they are watching.
How to improve ad relevance
Improving ad relevance involves aligning creative with audience data, using AI-powered segmentation, adjusting formats for different screens, and ensuring that your message fits the viewing context. Tools like MiQ Sigma help automate and optimize this process at scale.
