Service
YouTube and connected TV ads management
We manage YouTube and connected TV ads for agencies and brands that want video bought for a clear purpose. Senior buyers decide whether each buy is for reach or response, then measure it on that basis.
The work behind the service.
The screen and format change what a video buy can do. Nobody clicks a television, so a connected TV buy judged on clicks will look like a failure even when it's doing its job. We decide what the buy is for before choosing the format and the screen.
Reach needs reach measurement. That means unique users, frequency, completion and, where the budget allows, brand lift. Response budget belongs where people can actually respond, and that often means a different placement and a different creative.
Format is a budget decision too. Skippable ads let weak creative fail cheaply, while non-skippable ads charge full price for it. We keep non-skippable as a deliberate choice with a frequency cap when the main goal is leads.
What's included.
- reach or response plan by campaign
- format and screen decisions
- YouTube campaign setup and management
- connected TV delivery checks
- frequency and completion reporting
- brand lift where the budget allows
- weekly human review
What a YouTube ads agency does.
A YouTube ads agency plans, launches and manages video campaigns through Google Ads. That covers audience strategy, format choices, placements and screens, creative requirements, budget pacing and reporting. On a good account, the agency can also explain how video is affecting search, site visits and sales.
YouTube ad formats.
Skippable in-stream ads play before or during videos, and viewers can skip after a few seconds. They're flexible and let weak creative fail cheaply.
Non-skippable ads make people watch the full spot. They suit reach and message delivery, and they need a strong reason to cost that much attention.
Bumper ads are very short, and they work well for repeating a simple message.
Shorts and in-feed placements reach people scrolling or browsing, and they often need vertical or differently edited creative.
Google's campaign types and format names change over time, so we check what's available for your objective and account when we plan.
Planning a connected TV buy.
Connected TV reaches people on a television through an internet connection. It behaves differently from a phone or desktop: the screen is bigger, several people may be watching and almost nobody clicks. That can make it a strong reach channel, as long as you measure it as one.
We decide how much of the budget belongs on TV screens, rather than letting the platform decide by default. We then look at frequency, completion rate and the downstream signals we agreed on, such as branded search. If you want to buy streaming TV beyond YouTube, tell us and we'll scope that separately.
Audiences and creative for video.
Video audiences on YouTube can include people searching for related topics, in-market groups, customer lists and your own site visitors. We pick audiences to match the job: broader groups for reach, and people closer to acting for response.
Creative has to fit the format too. A skippable ad needs to earn attention quickly, while a TV-screen ad needs to make sense from across the room. In regulated categories, your reviewer approves the video before launch, and we plan that time into the schedule.
How it works.
- 01
Decide what the buy is for
We agree whether each campaign is meant to build reach, drive a response or support another channel. Each job gets its own measure.
- 02
Choose format and screen
We choose skippable or non-skippable formats and check which screens the campaign should reach. These are decisions we make on purpose, so delivery doesn't end up on TV by default.
- 03
Set up measurement
We set up reporting for reach, frequency and completion, and check any conversion tracking the campaign relies on. We also decide how downstream signals, such as branded search and site visits, will be read.
- 04
Launch and review
We review delivery by format and screen. A senior buyer checks the results against the measure agreed at the start.
- 05
Keep what works
We keep the creative and placements that do the job they were bought for. Each decision is documented for the next flight.
Proof from the work.
We managed YouTube alongside Meta and Google Ads for Age of Union over two years, keeping its book and video goals separate. For AQPER, a province-wide film ran on Facebook and YouTube to build a warm audience that five local promoters then retargeted in their own municipalities.
- View the Age of Union project
- AQPER: a province-wide film on Facebook and YouTube building a warm audience
- Midwest tourism board: 99% of impressions on TV screens, 95.1% watched to the end
How we price it.
We bill hourly and set the scope in hours. Strategy and advisory are CAD $175/h. Media management and execution are CAD $110/h. We separate those kinds of work in the estimate so you can see what is being bought, rather than hiding them inside a percentage of spend.
We agree on the deliverables, dependencies and review points before starting. If new work appears, we discuss the hours before expanding the scope. Engineering builds, hosting, software subscriptions, creative production and advertising budgets are identified separately where relevant. We confirm the applicable engineering rate in the scope rather than assigning a media rate to a technical build.
You can engage one discipline without buying the others. A tracking correction does not require ongoing media work, and a media engagement does not require a website rebuild. We recommend a sequence only when the evidence shows a dependency. The estimate makes that relationship visible, so your team can decide what to do now and what can wait.
We also agree on how progress will be reviewed and how hours will be reported. Your team should be able to connect the time used to the work delivered. When an access issue or an approval blocks delivery, we explain the dependency rather than letting it disappear inside an open-ended engagement.
Questions before we start.
Is YouTube good for lead generation?
It can support leads, but the format and screen matter. We usually put response budget where people can act, and we judge connected TV on reach instead of clicks.
What is the difference between YouTube ads and connected TV ads?
YouTube ads can run on phones, computers and TV screens, while connected TV refers to ads watched on a TV through an internet connection. We plan each screen for what people can do on it.
How do you measure connected TV?
We look at unique reach, frequency and completion, then read downstream signals such as branded search and site visits. Brand lift can be added where the budget allows.
How much do YouTube ads cost?
Costs depend on the format, audience, market and how much competition there is. We plan the budget around the reach or response you need. Our own work is billed by the hour, separately from ad spend.
Do you make the video ads?
Creative production is scoped separately. We can define the formats and lengths you need, and review how the creative fits each one.
Who owns the account?
The ad account stays with you or your agency. We work through delegated access, and removing our access doesn't remove your campaign history.
Related services.
Notes from the work.
Non-skippable YouTube is not a lead channel
Two video buys on the same platform. One was judged on clicks it could never produce. The other was built as a reach buy and measured like one.
How much YouTube ads cost by format, screen and goal
What a YouTube ad costs depends on which format you buy, how you're billed for it and whether you want people to see it or act on it.
What CTV advertising is and how to buy and measure it
Connected TV puts your ad on the biggest screen in the house, and it pays off when you plan and judge it as reach.
Start a conversation.
Tell us what you are trying to move. We will tell you which disciplines are worth engaging, and which are not.