Connected TV advertising: planning a local campaign

What to take away

How local buying differs from national planning

National campaigns are planned for reach across the whole UK. Local campaigns are planned around a trading area, often a 10 to 20 mile radius or a named TV region.

That changes which platforms are worth considering and what creative you run, because a single offer has to work for everyone who sees it.

The practical difference is waste. A bakery in Leeds has no use for impressions delivered in Cornwall. Addressable platforms filter delivery to postcode sectors, so budget concentrates on households that can physically visit.

The trade-off is volume. Narrow targeting means fewer available impressions each week, so frequency builds slowly and campaigns often need to run longer than a national booking.

The routes that reach a local audience

Broadcaster addressable platforms, regional airtime and self-serve tools all deliver to a defined area, but each asks something different of a local advertiser.

Sky AdSmart is a broadcaster addressable service; ITVX is ITV's streaming service, and ITV also offers addressable advertising on ITVX. The routes differ in targeting and inventory, so confirm which areas each can reach before comparing them; read the guide to Sky AdSmart and ITVX addressable advertising.

Regional ITV airtime remains the simplest route for businesses with a wide catchment, because it is bought by ITV region and priced on audience. ITV Media sells ITV advertising, including regional airtime. Greater Manchester falls within the ITV Granada region. ITV regions do not follow council boundaries, so check the map before you assume your town is covered.

What a local campaign costs

Platform rates vary by region, daypart and demand, so treat the figures below as an illustration rather than a quote. Ask each seller for a written quote showing the CPM (cost per thousand impressions), media spend and any platform or agency fees; there is no single rate that applies across these routes.

Rates also shift with the time of year, so a quote from one month may not hold for the next.

Worked example: a two-site gym chain in Greater Manchester, within the ITV Granada region, illustrative figures.

At that spend the campaign delivers a modest number of impressions in one metro area, so most local advertisers run it alongside search and social rather than as a standalone buy.

Amazon DSP is one named self-serve route for buying streaming TV inventory, subject to account access. Check whether the UK inventory available to you supports the postcode-sector targeting you need. This guide to self-serve connected TV platforms for small businesses covers where the fees sit.

Booking sequence for a local campaign

Rules that apply to local targeting

Targeting households by postcode usually involves personal data somewhere in the chain. The ICO's Guide to the UK GDPR sets out the lawful basis and retention duties that come with it.

For broadcast ads, the BCAP Code applies; the CAP Code covers non-broadcast ads. The ASA administers both codes, and Ofcom is the UK's statutory communications regulator; the ASA's codes and rulings are worth checking for precedent.

Budget lines move each year, and the ONS inflation figures are the simplest public reference point when you are setting the next campaign's spend.

Common questions

Do I need a minimum budget for CTV advertising in a single town?

Addressable platforms generally accept campaigns from a few hundred pounds, but low budgets buy few impressions per week. Expect a slower build in frequency.

Can I target one postcode or a single street?

Targeting is usually sold in postcode sectors covering thousands of households, not individual addresses. Ask what the smallest available unit is before you commit.

How do I measure whether local CTV ads worked?

Use a tracked landing page, a unique phone number or a code redeemed in store, then compare enquiries against the weeks before the campaign ran. Impressions alone will not tell you.

Is local CTV cheaper than regional ITV?

There is no like-for-like answer without comparable quotes: the illustrative budget above is not a route-by-route rate card. Ask ITV Media and each addressable or DSP seller for the CPM and fees, and compare those against the postcodes and inventory included. Addressable buying can reduce total spend by excluding out-of-area households, but that does not mean it has a lower CPM.