Making Premium Video Measurable
How Awaze pioneered a measurable CTV strategy
12%
incremental user growth across Hoseasons and Cottages.com
6%
lift in brand consideration among exposed users
12%
lift in brand consideration among parents
About Company
Awaze is one of Europe's largest holiday rental platforms, bringing together brands including Hoseasons and Cottages.com under one roof and connecting millions of travellers with self-catering properties across the UK and beyond.
Company size
Enterprise
Industry
Travel & Hospitality
Brainlabs featured services
CTV
Programmatic
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Speak to a BrainlabberBVOD was working. Proving it was the problem.
Broadcaster Video on Demand (BVOD) had long been a core pillar of Awaze's media strategy, consistently reaching their high-value ABC1 audience at scale. But despite its prominence in the plan, the channel lacked a clear measurement framework. Frequency was hard to control. On-site engagement from video-exposed users was difficult to track. And without the ability to connect exposure to action, it was almost impossible to demonstrate that premium video investment was driving real business outcomes rather than just impressions.
The ambition was clear: evolve BVOD from a reach channel into a fully accountable, performance-driven one. The question was how.
Key friction points:
- No clear measurement framework to connect video exposure to on-site engagement or conversion
- Frequency control across BVOD placements was limited
- Premium video investment could not be tied to business outcomes without third-party attribution
Turning BVOD into a measurable performance channel
1. Introduced CTV as the measurement layer BVOD was missing
The team identified Connected TV as the vehicle that could make BVOD accountable. Running CTV placements alongside existing BVOD activity via DV360 created a framework for tracking exposed versus non-exposed users for the first time, giving Awaze a clear line of sight between video investment and on-site behaviour.
2. Integrated Samba TV data to unlock audience intelligence
The integration of Samba TV's third-party data with DV360 audience profiling was the technical step that made measurement possible at scale. It allowed the team to track incremental reach, identify users who had been exposed to competitor TV ads, and build retargeting pools from video-engaged audiences. This transformed what had been a brand awareness channel into a data-first, conversion-oriented one.
3. Ran a YouTube for Action campaign to maximise video inventory
During Awaze's winter sale, the team launched a YouTube for Action campaign running simultaneously alongside the CTV placements. This ensured video inventory was being maximised across formats while the CTV layer handled tracking and frequency control across the open web.
4. Validated the model and expanded into premium CTV environments
With the trial proving incremental impact across both Hoseasons and Cottages.com, the approach was formalised into an always-on CTV strategy. Awaze expanded into premium CTV environments including Disney+, Channel 4, and TripAdvisor, applying the same measurement framework at greater scale and reach.
The team identified Connected TV as the vehicle that could make BVOD accountable. Running CTV placements alongside existing BVOD activity via DV360 created a framework for tracking exposed versus non-exposed users for the first time, giving Awaze a clear line of sight between video investment and on-site behaviour.
2. Integrated Samba TV data to unlock audience intelligence
The integration of Samba TV's third-party data with DV360 audience profiling was the technical step that made measurement possible at scale. It allowed the team to track incremental reach, identify users who had been exposed to competitor TV ads, and build retargeting pools from video-engaged audiences. This transformed what had been a brand awareness channel into a data-first, conversion-oriented one.
3. Ran a YouTube for Action campaign to maximise video inventory
During Awaze's winter sale, the team launched a YouTube for Action campaign running simultaneously alongside the CTV placements. This ensured video inventory was being maximised across formats while the CTV layer handled tracking and frequency control across the open web.
4. Validated the model and expanded into premium CTV environments
With the trial proving incremental impact across both Hoseasons and Cottages.com, the approach was formalised into an always-on CTV strategy. Awaze expanded into premium CTV environments including Disney+, Channel 4, and TripAdvisor, applying the same measurement framework at greater scale and reach.
BVOD that could finally prove its worth
For a channel that had previously operated without a clear measurement framework, the results made the case clearly. The Samba TV brand study gave Awaze something they had never had before: proof that premium video exposure was changing behaviour, not just generating impressions.
- 12% incremental user growth across Hoseasons and Cottages.com
- 6% lift in brand consideration among video-exposed users
- 12% lift in brand consideration among parents
- 9% overlap between video-exposed users and always-on activity for Hoseasons, confirming cross-channel reinforcement
- 12% overlap between CTV-exposed and BAU channel users for Cottages.com
12%
incremental user growth across Hoseasons and Cottages.com
6%
lift in brand consideration among exposed users
12%
lift in brand consideration among parents
