LinkedIn Brings B2B Targeting to CTV Through Google DV360

LinkedIn's professional audience data is now available on connected TV through Google DV360, letting advertisers target streaming ads programmatically by job title and company information as of Thursday.

The move extends LinkedIn's young CTV business. The platform first offered CTV to advertisers in 2024, then widened the release last year. The new integration puts LinkedIn's first-party professional data directly into Google's ad-buying platform.

What problem does the integration solve?

Jae Oh, senior director of product management for LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, said the deal answers two complaints advertisers have raised: it gives them more flexibility with their DSP partners, and it cuts wasted ad spend by tapping LinkedIn's first-party audience of professionals.

The waste question matters most in B2B, said Oh, where "not everyone can buy your product." He added: "When you're trying to reach professionals that all work at a certain company or at least fit a certain profile, it's hard to rely on third-party sources."

The numbers back the pitch. LinkedIn's own data claims its CTV ads deliver 2.6 times stronger awareness lift for B2B audiences than other providers, and 94% of its members watch some form of ad-supported CTV.

How is Vistaprint using it?

Vistaprint, which sells custom printed promotional products and marketing materials, is one of the advertisers testing the offering. The two companies were introduced by Vistaprint's Google DV360 representative, said Erica Haydock, who leads the brand's global programmatic and streaming media team.

Vistaprint's core customers are small business owners with fewer than 100 employees, even though it also serves individual consumers with products like wedding invitations, Haydock said. It has bought CTV inventory via LinkedIn for less than a year.

Job title proved the sharpest signal. Small business owners wear many hats, so function beats corporate rank. Vistaprint targeted roles in administration, marketing, operations, media and communication — anyone who might order business supplies day to day.

Vistaprint treats CTV mostly as an upper-funnel play, but LinkedIn lets it tailor creative. Its most recent campaign included ads for promotional products and signage aimed at narrower audiences than its broader brand messaging. The test campaign ended in September — too soon to measure results — but a concurrent brand lift study yielded positive results, Haydock said.

Why are social platforms chasing TV?

LinkedIn's expansion mirrors moves by other social platforms. Pinterest acquired TVScientific last year to expand its CTV reach, and Meta has reportedly held talks with SSPs about extending its audiences to streaming.

Oh framed it as audience-following, not budget-grabbing. The trend is "a natural artifact of how consumer behavior is changing, rather than each platform trying to do this specific motion around a single channel," he said.

Don't expect shoppable ads from LinkedIn soon, though. The B2B buying journey is long and specific, Oh noted, so engagement boosters aren't the priority. Instead, LinkedIn wants its channels to support one another — CTV campaigns launched through LinkedIn tend to perform better when paired with a complementary online video campaign.

That cross-channel approach fits Vistaprint's goal of building awareness among future small business owners. "Not everyone is a small business owner today," Haydock said. "But we hope that in six months to a year, when you might have an idea for a side hustle, that you're aware of Vistaprint, and what we can provide."