5 Success Stories: SMBs Winning with CTV Advertising
Real case studies showing how local restaurants, retail stores, fitness centers, and service businesses achieve remarkable growth through strategic streaming TV advertising.
The best way to understand CTV advertising's potential is through real-world examples. These five success stories showcase how small and medium businesses across different industries leveraged streaming TV advertising to achieve measurable growth—from increased foot traffic to record-breaking sales.
All examples are composites based on actual campaign data from industry reports and anonymized client results, representing typical performance for well-executed CTV campaigns.
Success Story #1: Local Restaurant Chain
Fast-Casual Dining | Phoenix, AZ | 4 Locations
The Challenge
A growing fast-casual restaurant chain wanted to drive weekend traffic during typically slower months (January-February). Traditional local TV was too expensive at $15,000+ minimum, and social media ads weren't generating enough foot traffic.
The Strategy
- • Budget: $4,500/month for 8-week campaign
- • Targeting: 3-mile radius around each location, households age 25-54, families with children, foodies interest segment
- • Creative: 30-second ad featuring menu highlights, family dining scenes, special "Winter Warmup" 20% off offer
- • Measurement: Foot traffic attribution via PlaceWise Media
The Results
ROI Calculation: Avg. check $42 × 391 visits = $16,422 revenue from $4,500 spend = 264% ROI
"We saw a noticeable uptick in new faces during January, which is normally our slowest month. The CTV campaign paid for itself in the first three weeks and gave us momentum heading into spring."
— Marketing Director (composite)
Success Story #2: Boutique Fitness Studio
Pilates/Yoga Studio | Austin, TX | Single Location
The Challenge
A boutique fitness studio opening its second location needed to build awareness and drive memberships. Previous digital-only campaigns generated low-quality leads with poor show-up rates for trial classes.
The Strategy
- • Budget: $2,000/month for 12-week pre-launch + grand opening campaign
- • Targeting: 5-mile radius, women age 28-45, household income $75K+, health & fitness interest segment
- • Creative: 30-second ad featuring real members, studio tour, grand opening special: first month $49 (reg. $189)
- • Measurement: Website visits, online booking conversions, foot traffic for trial classes
The Results
ROI Calculation: 89 memberships × $189/month × 6-month avg. retention = $100,926 lifetime value from $6,000 spend = 1,582% ROI
"CTV brought us a completely different caliber of lead compared to social media. People who saw our TV ad came in ready to commit, not just browse. We hit our membership goal in 8 weeks instead of 6 months."
— Studio Owner (composite)
Success Story #3: Home Security Company
Smart Home Security | Denver Metro | Regional Coverage
The Challenge
A regional home security provider needed to compete against national brands (ADT, Ring) in a crowded market. Traditional TV ads were dominated by big competitors with 10x budgets. Digital ads had high CPCs ($25-40) with declining returns.
The Strategy
- • Budget: $8,000/month ongoing campaign
- • Targeting: Denver Metro ZIP codes, homeowners age 35-65, household income $100K+, in-market for home improvement
- • Creative: 30-second ad emphasizing local ownership, 24/7 local monitoring, no contracts (key differentiator)
- • Measurement: Website visits, online quote requests, phone calls via tracking numbers
The Results (First 90 Days)
ROI Calculation: 87 installations × $1,850 avg. system + monitoring = $160,950 revenue from $24,000 spend = 571% ROI
"CTV leveled the playing field. We finally had TV presence alongside the national brands but could target our exact service areas. Leads went up 340% and cost per acquisition dropped by half."
— VP of Marketing (composite)
Success Story #4: Automotive Repair Shop
Full-Service Auto Repair | Tampa, FL | 2 Locations
The Challenge
An independent auto repair shop struggled with seasonality (slow summer months) and competition from dealership service centers. Word-of-mouth and Yelp brought steady business but no growth.
The Strategy
- • Budget: $3,500/month for 16-week summer campaign
- • Targeting: 7-mile radius, automotive enthusiasts + in-market for auto services, exclude luxury car owners (not target demo)
- • Creative: 30-second testimonial-style ad featuring real customers, ASE certifications, summer A/C check special $49
- • Measurement: Phone call tracking, online appointment bookings, foot traffic attribution
The Results (16 Weeks)
ROI Calculation: 284 new customers × $385 avg. first visit + repeat business = $145,000+ attributed revenue from $14,000 spend = 936% ROI
"We turned our slowest season into our best summer ever. The CTV campaign brought credibility—people said they felt comfortable choosing us because they'd seen us on TV. It's been a game-changer."
— Shop Owner (composite)
Success Story #5: E-Commerce Furniture Brand
Direct-to-Consumer Furniture | National (US) | Online Only
The Challenge
An online-only furniture brand relied heavily on Facebook and Google ads but faced rising CPCs (up 60% year-over-year) and iOS privacy changes hurting attribution. Needed new customer acquisition channel that was measurable and scalable.
The Strategy
- • Budget: $12,000/month for Q4 holiday campaign
- • Targeting: Nationwide, homeowners age 28-50, household income $75K+, home decor interest, recent movers segment
- • Creative: 30-second lifestyle ad showcasing furniture in real homes, QR code for 20% off holiday sale
- • Measurement: Pixel-based website attribution, conversion tracking, promo code redemptions
The Results (Q4: Oct-Dec)
ROI Calculation: 404 orders × $1,285 AOV = $519,140 revenue from $36,000 spend = 1,342% ROI
"CTV became our second-best performing channel after Google Shopping. The quality of traffic was exceptional—higher AOV, lower return rates. We've made it a permanent part of our marketing mix."
— Head of Growth (composite)
Common Success Factors
Across all five success stories, certain patterns emerge that contribute to strong CTV performance:
1. Precise Targeting
Every campaign layered geographic + demographic + behavioral targeting to reach highly qualified audiences, not broad demographics alone.
2. Compelling Offers
Clear value propositions (20% off, $49 special, no contracts) gave viewers immediate reason to act, tracked via promo codes or unique URLs.
3. Strong Measurement
All campaigns implemented proper attribution—foot traffic tracking, call tracking, pixel-based conversions—to prove ROI and optimize.
4. Local Differentiation
Businesses emphasized what made them different from competitors: local ownership, no contracts, authentic testimonials, unique service.
5. Sustained Investment
Best results came from 8-16 week campaigns with consistent spend, allowing frequency to build and brand awareness to compound.
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Success Story Highlights
- •Local restaurant: 6.2% visit rate, 264% ROI with $4,500/month budget
- •Boutique fitness studio: 89 new memberships, 1,582% ROI from $2,000/month campaign
- •Home security company: $58 cost per lead (vs. $125 Google Ads), 571% ROI
- •Auto repair shop: 42% revenue increase, 936% ROI during slowest season
- •E-commerce furniture brand: 1,342% ROI, $89 CPA vs. $147 on Facebook
Methodology Note
All success stories are composites based on actual industry campaign data, anonymized client results, and performance benchmarks from PlaceWise Media, MNTN, Vibe.co, and IAB research reports 2024-2025. ROI calculations assume conservative industry-standard lifetime values and conversion rates. Individual results vary based on industry, targeting, creative quality, and market conditions.