CTV is the Missing Channel in Your Cyber Marketing Mix
If I told you that one of the fastest-growing, highest-impact ad channels for B2B right now is TV, would you believe me?
Because it's true. But this isn't your grandma's cable commercial.
We're talking about Connected TV (CTV) advertising. And if you're a B2B cybersecurity vendor still thinking of CTV like a playground for B2C brands, you're leaving opportunity (and pipeline) on the table.
Cybersecurity Vendors: Don't Ignore the Shift
For some reason many cybersecurity companies are behind on this. We're still clinging to organic search, social posts, and Google Ads as if those channels haven’t been throttled by algorithm changes and overcrowded competition.
The truth is those traditional digital channels are delivering less reach and weaker results.
CTV (and yes, even YouTube ads) offer an underutilized path forward. They let you:
Escape the algorithm arms race
Own a new kind of attention real estate
Show up in places your competitors haven’t figured out yet
Forrester calls CTV a “sleeping giant” for B2B marketing, especially compelling for brands with long sales cycles and complex decision-maker networks.
So if you're skeptical about going full CTV, start with YouTube to get your video message right. But don’t stop there. CTV is where you scale real impact.
What is CTV?
CTV stands for Connected TV on smart TVs, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and even gaming consoles that stream content over the internet. Ads run on services like Hulu, Sling TV, YouTube TV, and Pluto TV. They look like traditional commercials but work more like digital ads: targeted, trackable, and performance-optimized.
In short: It's the fusion of TV's visual power with digital's precision.
Where Will the Audience See You?
Your ad could appear on:
Hulu
YouTube TV
Sling TV
Peacock
Paramount+
Roku Channel
Discovery+
Crackle, Tubi, Pluto TV (free, ad-supported platforms)
These services serve ads to viewers watching on smart TVs, connected devices, and gaming consoles.
What Does It Cost? (And How to Start Cheap)
Let’s set the record straight: CTV is not the Super Bowl. You don’t need a six-figure budget or a Hollywood production crew. In fact, many platforms let you get started for as little as $2,500 to $5,000.
Here are a few CTV ad platforms worth exploring:
Demandbase: The first B2B-specific CTV solution with ABM baked in.
StackAdapt: Popular with digital marketers for its intuitive platform and CTV inventory.
MNTN: Focused on performance, great for lean teams.
tvScientific: Claims to be the first true performance TV platform for marketers.
Vibe.co: Makes it easy to get up and running with streaming TV ads.
LinkedIn Matched Audiences for CTV: You can now use this feature to extend targeting beyond the platform, into streaming environments. This means you can retarget your first-party LinkedIn audience with CTV ads across premium channels.
Low-budget, high-impact formats that work:
Founder Talking-Head Video: A 30-second direct-to-camera message recorded on a webcam or iPhone with clean audio. Authenticity wins.
Slide-Based Explainers: Turn your pitch deck or product one-pager into a short, animated slideshow with voiceover.
Repurposed Webinar Clips: Trim down key segments of past webinars—customer quotes, product walkthroughs, or insights from leadership.
Screen Capture Demos: Record a simple walkthrough of your platform, then overlay it with music or a quick explanation.
Customer Testimonials: Short videos featuring real customers talking about their success story. Zoom-recorded is fine, just make sure the audio is clear.
Don't overthink production. Think about clarity, relevance, and message. Your goal isn’t to impress with cinematography. It’s to show up in a place your buyer isn’t expecting, and deliver a message that sticks.
Can You Choose the Shows or Genres?
In many cases, yes. Most CTV platforms offer contextual targeting, which lets you:
Choose by genre (e.g., tech, business, sci-fi, history, documentaries)
Select categories of content like news, lifestyle, or sports
Opt out of certain content types (e.g., kid content or reality TV)
You typically won’t get to pick specific show titles unless you’re buying direct from a network (which is expensive). But you can say: “Show me during sci-fi and history programming” or “Only run on business and technology channels.”
That level of control gives you a strategic edge—especially if you're aligning your ad with content your ICP actually watches after work.
How to Know What Your ICP is Watching
So how do you figure out what cybersecurity practitioners and leaders are watching?
1. Use Interest and Behavioral Targeting
Platforms like MNTN and StackAdapt offer interest-based targeting that includes tech, cybersecurity, and IT categories. You may not know the exact show—but you’ll know your ad is being placed with viewers consuming relevant content.
2. Match Your Own Audience
Upload a list of leads or accounts. Platforms like tvScientific, Hightouch, or Demandbase can match those to household devices and deliver ads on the CTV platforms they’re watching. This is basically ABM for television.
3. Contextual + Genre Targeting
Select programming types your audience is likely to watch—sci-fi, documentaries, history, or business content. These align well with tech-curious, knowledge-driven professionals.
4. Use YouTube Data as a Proxy
Run a few ads on YouTube to cybersecurity-focused channels. Look at which content drives traffic. Then use those topics (or similar genres) as context for CTV targeting.
5. Ask Your Platform Partner
CTV ad providers often have insight into what types of content perform best for tech audiences. Ask your platform rep for genre or category performance data before launching.
You don’t need to guess. Between behavioral data, CRM matching, and genre filters, you can get your message in front of cybersecurity leaders who are already tuned in.
What About YouTube Ads?
Quick clarification: YouTube ads and CTV ads are not the same thing, though there's some overlap.
YouTube (the website or app): This includes ads that run before, during, or after videos on mobile devices, desktops, and smart TVs. These are video ads, not technically CTV unless viewed on a television screen.
YouTube TV: This is YouTube's streaming cable alternative and is part of the CTV ad inventory. Ads shown here function like other CTV ads, delivered on smart TVs and streaming devices.
If you buy ads through a CTV platform (like MNTN, tvScientific, or StackAdapt), your ad may appear on YouTube TV, not regular YouTube. If you're using Google Ads, you'll be buying YouTube placements, which are great for performance but live in a different ecosystem.
That said, YouTube can still be a smart place to start if you're testing video ads for a cybersecurity audience. Google Ads allows for detailed targeting by keyword, channel, content category, and even specific videos. So yes, you can run pre-roll ads on content that's cybersecurity-related: Think channels focused on infosec, ethical hacking, or tech industry analysis.
(And yes, we get into how to crush it with YouTube ads in another blog.)
This Isn't Optional Anymore
If you're serious about breaking through the noise in B2B cybersecurity marketing, it's time to move beyond the same tired playbook. CTV isn't some future trend—it's a right-now advantage.
We're talking about premium attention, brand credibility, and message control in an era where everything else feels like a gamble.
The vendors who embrace this shift early? They'll look like geniuses in a year.
So test the waters. Repurpose a webinar. Launch a CTV pilot with a focused retargeting list. You don't need a Super Bowl budget. You just need to start.
And if you're ready to outsmart the algorithm and own your message in a bold new way, we’re here for it.
😁 Join the Bootstrap Cyber Community and let’s make CTV work for cyber business pros like us.
🩵 And don’t forget to follow the Bootstrap Cyber Community on LinkedIn
