Key Takeaways

1. Consumers Are Multiscreening—So Marketers Should Be Multichannel- People are watching content on big screens while scrolling on their phones. To stay relevant, marketers need to show up everywhere their audience is, seamlessly blending social and connected TV (CTV).

2. Social and CTV Work Better Together- 78% of marketers are using both social and CTV ads—and not as separate strategies. Repurposing social content for CTV (with minor tweaks) helps scale campaigns efficiently while maintaining a cohesive brand voice.

3. High-Quality Doesn’t Mean High-Budget- Storytelling and authenticity matter more than polish. Even phone-shot videos or influencer content can perform well across platforms when the message resonates.

4. CTV Is Now a Full-Funnel Channel- CTV has evolved from a brand awareness tool to a measurable, interactive, and shoppable platform. With better targeting and analytics, it’s a smart way to drive both brand lift and performance.

In today’s fast-evolving digital world, video is king—and it’s wearing two crowns: one for social media, and another for connected TV (CTV). According to a new report by eMarketer and Smartly, the best brands aren’t choosing between social and CTV. They’re building unified video strategies that blend both into one powerful storytelling engine.

So, how can marketers scale high-quality video content across platforms without breaking the bank or their creative teams?

Social and CTV: Better Together

Marketers are no longer treating CTV and social video as separate worlds. With 78% of marketers running both types of ads and nearly 70% planning to increase their CTV budgets in the next year, the goal is clear: create content that can move seamlessly between platforms because consumers are doing the same. As more people watch social content on their TVs and expect consistent brand messaging everywhere, the lines between social and CTV are officially blurred. This is a great opportunity to utilize Social Mirror CTV ads; one video, two placements.

High-Quality Creative is Still the MVP

Even as marketers expand into more channels, don’t sacrifice quality. When it comes to content, storytelling, narrative-driven content, and consistency win. High quality doesn’t have to mean “highly produced.” Today, unpolished videos shot from a phone perform just as well on a CTV screen as they do on TikTok.

CTV Offers the Best of Both Worlds

CTV isn’t just about reach anymore. It's becoming a full-funnel, data-rich, interactive

marketing channel. More than 67% of marketers said they shifted budgets from linear TV to CTV due to better targeting and personalization. This shift is helping brands pair immersive storytelling with measurable ROI, something every marketer wants in today’s performance-driven climate.

Repurposing Social Content Saves Time and Money

Instead of reinventing the wheel for every channel, most marketers are making slight tweaks to social content—like adjusting length or format, or changing the verbiage of the ad—for use on CTV. This approach helps maintain brand voice, accelerates production timelines, and cuts costs. Plus, social media’s real-time feedback gives marketers a testing ground. Winning social ads can be elevated to CTV campaigns with confidence—backed by actual audience data.

What Success Looks Like Now

While direct conversions still matter, the #1 metric marketers use to judge success is brand lift—specifically awareness and recall. That means the focus is still on creative storytelling, not just quick clicks. With short-form video and CTV ads rated most “effective” across the board, it’s clear where the smart money’s going.

‍Video is everywhere and your brand needs to be, too, but the key isn’t just more video. It’s smarter, more consistent, cross-channel video that resonates across formats and devices.