Classes
CTV and Ad Tech Glossary
📺 CTV Essentials - Summer 2025
This five-session course is designed to build fluency in the Connected TV (CTV) landscape and enhance cross-functional collaboration. Participants will gain the knowledge and confidence to better understand, package, and position CTV opportunities in support of broader business and marketing objectives.
  • Format & Schedule: Five weekly sessions held over consecutive weeks, each lasting 75 minutes.
  • Instructor Access: Participants will have full access to my schedule throughout the course. I’m available for 1:1 or small group follow-ups to reinforce concepts, answer questions, or apply lessons to real client scenarios.
  • Interactive & Engaging: Sessions use whiteboarding, role-playing, and Socratic questioning to promote active learning and critical thinking.
  • Post-Session Summaries: Each session is accompanied by a written recap with frameworks, terminology, and key takeaways for easy internal sharing.
  • Weekly Knowledge Checks: Short quizzes after each session ensure retention and keep learning on track.
Schedule
  • Tuesday, July 8th – 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM EST
  • Tuesday, July 15th – 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM EST
  • Tuesday, July 22st – 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM EST
  • Tuesday, July 29th – 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM EST
  • Tuesday, August 5th – 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM EST
Fee
$1,099 per student
📘 Session 1: The CTV Ecosystem
Objective: Provide a strategic overview of how Connected TV works—from platforms to viewer behavior—and what it means for media brands and advertisers operating in the streaming landscape.
Topics Covered:
  • What is CTV? Understanding how linear TV evolved into app-based, digital video experiences.
  • Key Players in the Ecosystem: Smart TVs, streaming devices (e.g., Roku, Fire TV, Samsung), operating systems, and app stores.
  • Business Models (AVOD, SVOD, FAST, TVOD): How monetization models impact advertising opportunities and client alignment.
  • CTV vs. Traditional TV: Differences in measurement, targeting, and campaign flexibility.
  • How Media Brands Fit In: The role of content owners, distributors, and publishers in the CTV environment.
📊 Session 2: Tracking, Data, and Measurement in CTV
Objective: Demystify how data flows in the CTV environment and how it supports client KPIs—from brand awareness to performance marketing outcomes.
Topics Covered:
  • Tracking Viewership: ACR technology, device-level data, and login-based environments.
  • Identity & Targeting: How advertisers reach households, demo segments, or behavioral audiences.
  • Data Partnerships: Clean rooms, ID graphs, and collaboration with third-party data providers to enable audience-based buying.
  • Measurement Tactics: Impression tracking, brand lift studies, attribution models, and outcome reporting.
  • Application in Media Planning: How data capabilities inform smarter audience targeting and campaign recommendations.
🎯 Session 3: Ad Serving in CTV
Objective: Explain how ads are delivered within CTV content and what marketers need to understand to build effective campaigns.
Topics Covered:
  • Ad Delivery Mechanisms: Server-side ad insertion (SSAI), client-side insertion, and dynamic decisioning.
  • Ad Break Structure: Pre-rolls, mid-rolls, post-rolls, and binge-friendly formats.
  • Platform Nuances: Differences across Roku, Samsung, Apple TV, and other CTV platforms.
  • Latency & UX: How technical delivery affects ad visibility and viewer experience.
  • Creative Specifications: File types, creative formats, and compatibility across endpoints.
🤖 Session 4: Programmatic Media in CTV
Objective: Build fluency in how CTV inventory is transacted—both through direct and programmatic means—and what buyers prioritize in each model.
Topics Covered:
  • How Programmatic Works in CTV: Core definitions (DSPs, SSPs, PMPs, PG) and transaction workflows.
  • Buying Methods: Direct IOs, programmatic guaranteed, and private marketplace deals.
  • Buyer Expectations: Transparency, efficiency, audience scale, contextual alignment, and brand safety.
  • Preparing for Client Conversations: Anticipating questions about measurement, targeting layers, and competitive separation.
🛍️ Session 5: Retail and Commerce Media in CTV
Objective: Explore how creative innovation and commerce goals intersect in CTV—and how media companies can develop high-value, performance-driven offerings.
Topics Covered:
  • Innovative Creative Formats: Pause ads, QR codes, overlays, binge ads, interactive and shoppable units.
  • Integrated Storytelling: Using sequential messaging and contextual placement to build brand love and engagement.
  • Commerce & Shopper Media Integration: When clients bring retail or commerce goals to CTV, and how media sellers can respond.
  • Closed-Loop Attribution: Connecting CTV exposure to measurable outcomes and ROI.
  • Creative Best Practices: What formats perform best in CTV and how to advise clients during campaign development.