Background
Smadex is a performance DSP based in Barcelona, Spain. Smadex’s expertise lies in user acquisition (UA), driving over 2.5 million downloads per month. While the Smadex platform is mobile-first, powering campaigns across both in-app and mobile web, they also offer connected TV (CTV) advertising solutions for mobile UA.
Opportunity
Smadex is a pioneer in CTV advertising with a long-standing focus on performance-driven campaigns. When run alongside mobile campaigns, Smadex had found CTV to be a complementary channel for optimizing return on ad spend (ROAS) and driving app downloads. The success of this cross-channel offering led Smadex to seek high-quality CTV supply that would open up new opportunities for their mobile clients.
Smadex was already integrated with the Brand+ Marketplace when Verve enabled CTV as another endpoint for them in Q4 2023. Smadex jumped on the opportunity to connect their global demand to Verve’s new CTV supply stream and became one of the first DSPs to implement performance CTV campaigns within the Brand+ Marketplace.
Solution
Once the Smadex CTV endpoint was established in Q4 2023, Brand+ Marketplace began supplying them with CTV inventory. Smadex then started offering this premium inventory to its advertisers. Verve recommended several optimizations, including the removal of QPS caps, enabling Smadex to access all available CTV ad spaces. It also applied traffic curation driven by machine learning to manage the surge in traffic and to enhance account performance.
Smadex also tested Verve’s pre-packaged CTV deals, which ran alongside their open auction campaigns. By purchasing through these curated inventory deals, which feature top global CTV channels, Smadex ensured its advertisers reached their target audiences in a premium, brand-safe environment.
Both the Verve and Smadex CTV product teams also held an open learning session in which they could share their challenges and hear live feedback. This set the stage for a collaborative relationship through which they could develop solutions for continuous improvement.
Results
The new year brought new CTV inventory, and Smadex’s advertisers quickly saw great campaign success. From Q4 2023 to Q1 2024, ad impressions on the Brand+ Marketplace rose by 5.6X — an especially impressive figure considering that the number of ad impressions in Q4 is usually significantly higher than any other quarter industry-wide. This boom in ad impressions built brand awareness for Smadex’s clients and drove conversions.
Using Verve’s pre-packaged CTV deals ensured that the ads from Smadex’s buyers on the Brand+ Marketplace were reaching highly-relevant users. Engaging these users meant that, even though ad spends and impressions grew in early 2024, the advertisers actually saw the cost per install (CPI) decrease. Lower CPI means better cost efficiency for advertisers, and looking at data from the Smadex platform, CPI decreased by 14-20% quarter-over-quarter from Q1 to Q3 2024.
Zooming out to look at the big picture shows a promising trend on the Brand+ Marketplace for Smadex advertisers. Comparing November 2023 versus September 2024, monthly ad spending rose 299% while average monthly CPI decreased 55%. This means that since Smadex began buying Verve’s CTV inventory, their clients’ ROAS has improved significantly. This downward trend also suggests better optimization of campaigns and more efficient targeting strategies in these periods.
Verve’s CTV inventory unlocked many doors for our clients, supplying not only high-quality ad impressions but also conversions from engaged users. Our advertisers found the converted users to be of high quality, driving not only short-term performance but also longterm value. The collaborative relationship between Verve and Smadex was key in the quick success of these CTV campaigns, and we believe it will help ensure this success continues long into the future.
