Speed-of-light ads, the data ‘throuple’ & why CTV needs quality control

1. ‘Shit in, shit out’ still applies

Quality data in, quality results out, goes the old saying. And, for McLachlan, this golden rule of advertising hasn’t changed: it’s just become sharper in the CTV age. “Like all advertising, if you’ve got good quality data helping you make decisions on good quality ads, running adjacent to good quality content, all your advertising metrics rise. On the flip side, of course, ‘shit in, shit out’ very much applies.”

That’s why ITV invests in first-party signals and trusted partners like Experian, MasterCard, Tesco Dunnhumby, CarWow and Boots. The lesson? Inputs must be consented, accurate and rock solid. Otherwise, campaigns are “built on foundations of sand.”

2. Relevant ads at the speed of light

Pause moments can feel like wasted time, but ITV has turned them into purchase opportunities.

For British Airways, that meant transforming a pause on ITVX into a perfectly-timed, viewer-relevant ad, explains McLachlan: “When you press pause, the pause ad pops up. We ping the BA servers with postcode and signals associated with the viewer profile. It returns with tailored messages – a seven-day holiday, at this price, available right now. That information is surfaced into the ad template in microseconds, happening at the speed of light.”

No latency, no clunky buffers – just seamless addressable ads triggered in real time.

3. Introducing the ‘throuple’

Addressable TV isn’t just about matching ads to viewers. It can also combine multiple data sources to create hyper-targeted audiences.

And if there’s one term marketers won’t forget in this chat, it’s the “throuple.”

“We did what we called a throuple,” says McLachlan: “a three-way match between the ITV identity, Heineken’s database and Tesco Dunnhumby’s shopper data for people who buy beers in the beer aisle. We built a three-way audience and served ads specific to Heineken, obviously making sure we were completely compliant on all of the regulations around alcohol advertising.”

It’s a smart example of how addressable TV can combine consented data sources to hit the sweet spot between brand, retailer and broadcaster.

4. Democratizing TV advertising, one postcode at a time

Addressable TV isn’t just a playground for the mega brands of the world. The technology is lowering the barrier to entry, letting challenger brands and digital natives harness TV in ways that once seemed out of reach.

Take Who Gives A Crap. By tapping into hyperlocal store receipt data, the eco-friendly toilet paper brand could identify households in the right postcodes, even drilling down to differences within a single borough. That level of granularity, once the preserve of social platforms, is now available on the biggest screen in the house.

For McLachlan, it’s about making the medium accessible, accountable and sustainable for everyone: “We’re attracting a lot of new-to-TV advertisers, who can now use addressable television in a way they’re used to with Facebook or Google... It’s so important that we build propositions that have integrity… on proper data consent strings, that run against high-quality, fit-for-purpose inventory and are products which are sustainable and scalable.”

5. A sustainable ecosystem that respects the viewer

But not everyone is playing fair in the ecosystem, McLachlan warns: “There are genuinely bad actors operating at scale in the CTV ecosystem. They’re only here to strip-mine it and extract value for their P&L.

“We want to build an ecosystem that’s sustainable, respects the viewer, contributes to entertainment and reflects the culture of the nation while driving results for advertisers,” he says.

ITV insists every third-party data provider it works with must meet the same standards it applies to itself. No murky email lists. No opaque consent strings.

6. No data scattergunning – shooting for sustainability

Ultimately, the stakes are bigger than just campaign performance. The ITV view is that sustainable advertising equals sustainable entertainment, McLachlan says: “We’re a commercial public service broadcaster… ads fund our business. The ad revenue we raise goes into commissioning high-quality entertainment – the soaps, dramas, sport – that we put out. We can’t afford to fuck up data or scattergun it around and risk that viewers will opt out.”

That’s why ITV takes a long view: build advertising products with integrity or risk undermining the very content audiences love.

What this means for marketers

Addressable TV is so much more than reach or impressions. It’s about proving its place at the heart of modern marketing – delivering creative formats, measurable business results and a framework that protects both viewers and the ecosystem.

In other words, it’s where innovation meets accountability – and a reminder that, yes, “shit in, shit out” still applies.

For more on navigating the new TV landscape, check out the New TV for Drummies buyer’s guide here.