I’m Kayla, and I buy media for a small coffee brand that’s louder than our budget. I’ve used Google, Meta, and the usual streaming stuff. If you’re curious how a comparable buy performed on Peacock, I documented the play-by-play in this recap. This fall, I took a real swing with Paramount Advertising. Think Paramount+, Pluto TV, CBS live events, and a big mix of shows my mom knows by heart.
Was it worth it? Mostly, yes. But not always simple.
Why I picked them (and what I bought)
I wanted big screens and safe shows. Also, families. Sports fans. Night owls. The works.
Paramount gave me:
- EyeQ (their streaming bundle across Paramount+ and Pluto TV)
- Access to CBS live sports inventory via Paramount+
- A few fancy units like Pause Ads and Binge Ads
- Data targeting (we used their coffee buyer segment and our own list with LiveRamp)
We ran three waves:
- A fall launch on Paramount+ around Survivor and NFL on CBS
- An always-on stream on Pluto TV for cheap reach
- A short burst during the holidays with shoppable QR
I’ll tell you what hit and what didn’t.
Campaign 1: Fall push on Paramount+ (Survivor + NFL weeks)
I booked 15s and 30s spots. We added a clean QR in the corner. The rep, Alex, was strict on creative. Small text? Hard no. I grumbled, then thanked him later. It did help.
- Budget: $150K over 5 weeks
- Target: Adults 25–54 + “coffee buyers” segment
- CPM: $30–$36
- Video completion rate: 95–97%
- Frequency: Capped at 3 per week
Survivor nights felt strong. You could feel the chatter on our socials. NFL Sunday on CBS streaming was pricey, but our search lift popped. We saw a 22% jump in branded search on those Sundays and a clear bump in store locator taps on Monday mornings. Funny thing: the QR scan rate was tiny (0.06%). But people still came through search and type-in. That’s normal for TV.
I did think, “too costly.” Then I checked the brand lift. We saw a 5.8 point lift in ad recall and 3.2 points in purchase intent (Kantar study). Pricey felt less pricey. Anyone looking for a broader view of how Paramount+ drives brand metrics can skim this Paramount+ brand case study.
Campaign 2: Always-on on Pluto TV
Pluto is not fancy. It’s a free, ad-supported stream with a lot of channels. But it works when you need reach and you’re counting pennies.
- Budget: $40K per month for three months
- CPM: $10–$14
- Video completion rate: 91–93%
- CTR: 0.22% (CTV CTR is always meh, so this was fine)
We used Pause Ads and one Binge Ad. Pause Ads are those little frames when someone pauses a show. People actually see them. We pushed “Holiday Roast” with a bold can shot, and that ad pulled a 2.3x higher site visit rate than our basic mid-roll. Simple wins.
The downside? Frequency can spike in odd corners, like classic TV channels at night. One week, we hit the same user 11 times. We dialed it back with tighter caps and cut a few channels. Problem solved, but it took a call and a cup of cold brew at 5 a.m. my time. West Coast reps. I get it.
For brands whose late-night spots need to resonate with single, adult viewers rather than households, it can help to study the motivations and mindset of that audience. A candid, research-backed primer on the topic is the straightforward guide, Fool-Proof Steps to Getting a Fuck Buddy. Beyond personal advice, it unpacks communication cues and psychological triggers that marketers can borrow to craft more authentic, results-driven creative for mature, after-hours viewers.
To get even closer to the language real adults use when they’re making quick, personal decisions at night, I sometimes browse review forums that cater to that exact mindset—one solid example is Erotic Monkey Novi, where candid user commentary on expectations, discretion, and satisfaction can inspire more authentic copy angles and geo-targeted offers for any late-night CTV placement.
Campaign 3: Quick holiday burst with shoppable QR
Two weeks in December. Short, sharp, peppermint vibe.
- Budget: $60K
- CPM: $28–$34
- Video completion rate: 96%
- QR scan rate: 0.09%
- Cost per completed view: about $0.03–$0.05
We ran against Christmas movies and Nickelodeon blocks. Parents scanned, but late-night shoppers typed our URL. We tracked lift with a holdout. Sales in our test region rose 11% vs control. Not bad for two weeks.
The good stuff
- Big shows, real trust: Survivor, Nickelodeon, CBS sports. My dad’s TV and my TikTok feed agreed for once.
- Strong VCR on CTV: 95% completion made my spreadsheet smile.
- Safety: Our brand stayed far from weird clips. Brand suitability checks with IAS worked fine.
- QR and Pause Ads: Small features, real impact.
- People who answer: Alex and Jess (our team) felt like actual partners. They called back. They warned me when my 30s cut was too cluttered.
The not-so-good stuff
- Reporting feels slow: The EyeQ dashboard works, but it loads like it’s stuck in molasses some days. Weekly CSVs saved me.
- Frequency control on Pluto: You need to watch it. Ask them for a per-day cap, not just per-week.
- Live event cost: NFL slots are premium. Worth it if you plan it. Painful if you don’t.
- Creative rules are strict: They flagged small legal lines and tiny QR placements. Annoying in the moment, better for outcomes.
Real numbers that made me stay
- Average CPM across all buys: $18–$31
- Average VCR: 94–96%
- Incremental reach vs YouTube in our region (comScore study): +9%
- Branded search lift during Survivor weeks: +18–22%
- Holiday holdout sales lift: +11% in test region
Small note: invoices came clean but a bit late in one cycle. We got it fixed with finance. Not sexy, but real.
Tips if you’re thinking about it
- Start with 15s and keep copy tight. Big font. Big can. No tiny disclaimers.
- Use Pause or Binge ads on Pluto. They punch above their weight.
- Ask for daypart controls and a strict frequency cap. Write it into the IO.
- Tie your buys to cultural moments: Survivor premiere, Nickelodeon holiday, NFL Sundays. People remember where they were.
- Track more than clicks. Watch search, store locator taps, and holdout lift.
There’s also a detailed Paramount+ campaign breakdown that walks through creative iterations, targeting setups, and real-world results—handy if you’re mapping out your own test.
If you want a deeper dive into dialing in creative, targeting, and measurement for CTV, take a look at this practical walkthrough from Hunt Mads. You can also download the raw dashboards and creative mock-ups in the complete case study.
And if you’re weighing CTV against search, social, and display, my experiment across every major channel is summarized in this guide to the best internet advertising.
Final take
Paramount Advertising gave me reach, safe shows, and steady results. Some bits felt clunky. Some weeks felt heavy. But the sales lift and the brand lift were real, and the team acted like partners, not a portal.
Would I book again? Yes—especially for launches, family moments, and sports-heavy weeks. I’ll still keep Pluto always-on at a modest spend. It’s my reliable, scrappy friend.
You know what? Coffee tastes better when the media plan hums. This one did. Not perfect. But it paid for itself—and then some.