Why CTV and Social Are Marketing’s New Power Couple

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As traditional TV fades and digital habits fragment, marketers are increasingly turning to Connected TV (CTV) and social media to build smarter, integrated campaigns. At ADWEEK’s 2025 Social Media Week, MNTN’s director of customer success Kristen Navarro and Maison MRKT’s SVP Annie Waskover unpacked why this pairing is fast becoming central to modern media strategies.

CTV’s rise has been accelerated by streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon embracing ad-supported models. For brands, that opens new frontiers — particularly when platforms like MNTN make these channels feel less like traditional broadcast and more like performance media.

“It’s targetable. It’s measurable. And from a consumer standpoint, it’s flexible and on-demand,” said Navarro. What sets MNTN apart, she added, is its ability to remove creative bottlenecks by partnering with production firms like QuickFrame and ensuring campaign management is intuitive and accessible.

But where CTV truly shines is when paired with social. With consumers often scrolling on phones while watching TV, coordinated messaging across both screens boosts brand visibility and recall. “We want to reach consumers in every part of their lifestyle,” Waskover explained — be it on a subway ad or via a geo-targeted CTV placement at home.

MNTN’s AI-driven tool, MNTN Matched, further enhances this precision by mining lifestyle data from birthdays to buying behaviors, to help brands reach niche yet valuable demographics. “Especially for smaller brands with limited budgets, being specific isn’t optional — it’s essential,” Waskover noted.

This dual-channel strategy is not just about reach, but relevance. As Navarro summarized, “Are you targeting the right household, at the right time, with measurable outcomes?”

For marketers looking to meet audiences where they are on the couch, in transit, or online —  the pairing of CTV and social offers a flexible, scalable, and increasingly indispensable formula.