How Hestan Culinary Achieved 5.5X ROAS on Connected TV (CTV) for DTC Cookware

Connected TV (CTV) advertising delivers video ads to internet-connected televisions through streaming platforms like Hulu, Peacock, Prime Video, and HBO Max. Unlike traditional linear TV — which buys broad demographic blocks and provides limited measurement — CTV is bought programmatically on a per-impression basis, targets specific audiences using first-party and third-party data, and measures performance down to individual conversions.

For DTC brands, this means CTV can be run as a performance channel rather than a pure awareness play.

Meta and Google Ads dominate lower-funnel performance budgets because they capture existing demand. CTV reaches consumers earlier in the buying journey, in a high-attention environment, and increasingly converts at performance-channel ROAS when paired with strong audience data and identity-based attribution.

The most effective DTC media mixes use CTV to expand the addressable audience beyond saturated paid social and search inventory, then retarget engaged viewers across channels. Hestan Culinary's first-time CTV deployment through Untitled DSP delivered a 5.52X ROAS — competitive with established paid social benchmarks for the cookware category.

ROAS on CTV varies widely based on audience quality, creative, attribution methodology, and category. Industry benchmarks for first-time DTC CTV deployments typically range from 1.5X to 3X ROAS in the initial activation period.

Campaigns that combine identity resolution, lookalike modeling, and contextual intent data — like Hestan's 5.52X ROAS Q4 2025 campaign — perform in the top decile. Brands should plan for a learning period of two to four weeks before optimizing toward performance benchmarks.

The highest-performing CTV audiences combine three signals: lookalike audiences modeled from high-LTV existing customers, retargeting pools of lapsed customers who haven't purchased recently, and contextual intent audiences of consumers actively researching relevant topics.

For Hestan, this meant lookalikes of high-value purchasers, customers lapsed beyond 24 months, and contextual signals around premium cookware, fine dining, famous chefs, and luxury lifestyle. Combining these audience types in one campaign produces both prospecting reach and high-conversion retargeting in a single buy.

CTV used to require six-figure minimum commitments through traditional TV buying, but programmatic platforms like Untitled DSP have made the channel accessible at budgets starting around $5,000 to $10,000 per month.

Hestan's Q4 2025 campaign achieved 5.52X ROAS on $40,000 in total ad spend across two months. The key variables are audience quality and inventory cost — premium streaming inventory at competitive CPMs allows smaller budgets to deliver measurable conversions rather than just impressions.

OTT (over-the-top) refers to any video content delivered over the internet rather than through traditional cable or satellite — including content viewed on phones, tablets, laptops, and televisions.

CTV (connected TV) is a subset of OTT that specifically refers to content viewed on an internet-connected television set, through smart TVs, streaming devices like Roku and Apple TV, or gaming consoles. CTV inventory typically commands higher CPMs than OTT mobile inventory because the viewing environment is more premium, attention is higher, and households are usually co-viewing.

Yes. Programmatic CTV through self-serve DSPs has eliminated the traditional barriers to streaming TV advertising. Untitled DSP gives SMBs and mid-market brands access to premium streaming inventory across Hulu, Peacock, Prime Video, HBO Max, and other major platforms — often at nearly half the CPM of traditional TV buying — with no minimum spend requirements.

This makes CTV viable for brands spending as little as $5,000 to $10,000 per month, particularly when paired with audience intelligence that improves targeting efficiency.