Pro-Form Fitness: 2026 CTV & Audio ROAS Wins

The marketing world of 2026 demands more than just traditional digital channels; mastering and emerging channels like connected TV (CTV) and digital audio is now non-negotiable for brands seeking real engagement. But how do you actually translate this potential into measurable success? I’m here to tell you it’s not just about throwing budget at new platforms; it’s about strategic integration and precise measurement. The brands that win today understand the nuanced interplay between these evolving touchpoints. Is your brand ready to move beyond basic display ads?

Campaign Teardown: “Sound & Screen Synergy” for Pro-Form Fitness

Let’s get straight to a concrete example. We recently ran a campaign for Pro-Form Fitness, a mid-sized direct-to-consumer (DTC) fitness equipment brand based out of Sandy Springs, Georgia. Their goal was ambitious: increase brand awareness and drive direct sales for their new smart treadmill line, the “Velocity Pro,” specifically targeting health-conscious suburban families in the Atlanta metropolitan area. They had a decent existing customer base but wanted to expand their reach beyond traditional social media and search. This was a perfect opportunity to really lean into CTV and digital audio.

The Challenge & Our Strategic Hypothesis

Pro-Form faced stiff competition from larger players with deeper pockets. Their previous campaigns, while steady, lacked the punch needed to break through the noise. We hypothesized that by leveraging the immersive nature of CTV and the intimacy of digital audio, we could build a more compelling narrative around the Velocity Pro, driving both upper-funnel awareness and lower-funnel conversions. Our core belief was that repeated, complementary messaging across visual (CTV) and auditory (audio) channels would create a stronger mental imprint and a more persuasive call to action than either channel alone. I’ve seen this play out time and again; isolated channels rarely perform as well as a thoughtfully integrated stack.

Budget & Duration

• Total Campaign Budget: $180,000
• Campaign Duration: 8 weeks (March 1st – April 26th, 2026)
• Budget Allocation:
  • CTV (Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Hulu Ad Manager): 45% ($81,000)
  • Digital Audio (Spotify Ad Studio, Pandora, Podcast networks via The Trade Desk): 35% ($63,000)
  • Paid Social (Meta, Pinterest for retargeting): 10% ($18,000)
  • Paid Search (Google Ads, Bing Ads): 10% ($18,000)

Targeting Strategy: Precision over Broad Strokes

This is where we got granular. For CTV, we focused on household income ($100k+), presence of children, and interests like “health & wellness,” “home gym,” and “active lifestyle.” We used Nielsen’s CTV measurement solutions to refine audience segments based on viewing habits, targeting specific shows and channels popular with our demographic. Geographically, we concentrated on zip codes within a 25-mile radius of Pro-Form’s showroom near Perimeter Mall, allowing for a potential in-store experience post-online engagement.

For digital audio, we layered in behavioral data – listeners of fitness podcasts, parenting podcasts, and specific music genres often associated with workouts or healthy living. We also implemented sequential messaging: users exposed to a CTV ad would later hear a complementary audio ad reinforcing the same message but with a slightly different call to action. This “echo effect” is incredibly powerful. I had a client last year, a luxury car brand, that saw a 15% increase in dealership visits when we implemented a similar cross-channel sequencing strategy. It’s about building a story, not just showing an ad.

Creative Approach: Telling a Story, Not Just Selling a Product

CTV Ads: We produced two 30-second video spots. The first showcased a busy parent seamlessly integrating a Velocity Pro workout into their morning routine, emphasizing convenience and health benefits. The second focused on the family aspect, with different family members using the treadmill, highlighting its interactive features and durability. We used aspirational but relatable imagery – real people, not overly polished models, in well-lit, modern suburban homes (many filmed in actual homes in Buckhead and Marietta). The call to action was a clear, concise URL for a dedicated landing page offering a “14-Day Risk-Free Trial.”

Digital Audio Ads: The audio spots were 15-30 seconds. Instead of just repurposing the video script, we created audio-first narratives. One featured a testimonial from a “satisfied parent” describing how the Velocity Pro changed their fitness journey. Another used upbeat, motivational music with a voiceover highlighting key features like “interactive training” and “space-saving design.” The audio ads always ended with “Visit ProFormFitness.com/Velocity for your free trial” – repeating the URL twice for recall. We ensured the tone and messaging were consistent with the CTV visuals, but distinct enough to stand alone.

What Worked, What Didn’t, and Optimization

Initial Performance (Weeks 1-4)

Initial Observations: CTV delivered decent impressions and a respectable CTR for video, but the Cost Per Conversion was high. Digital audio, despite strong listen-through rates, struggled with conversions, making its CPL prohibitively expensive. Paid social and search, expectedly, performed well on conversion metrics as they were lower-funnel tactics. This is often the case – emerging channels need time to build momentum and contribute to the overall customer journey, not just direct conversions.

Optimization Steps (Weeks 5-8)

1. CTV Frequency Capping & Creative Refresh: We noticed some users were seeing the same CTV ad too frequently, leading to ad fatigue. We reduced the frequency cap from 5 per week to 3 per week per household. More importantly, we introduced a third CTV creative – a shorter, 15-second spot highlighting a specific feature (e.g., “AI-Powered Coaching”) with a more direct call to action. We used Google Ads’ custom segments (applied to CTV platforms with similar capabilities) to identify households that had viewed at least one full 30-second ad but hadn’t converted, and served them the new, shorter ad.
2. Digital Audio Retargeting & Offer Integration: The biggest issue with digital audio was its disconnect from immediate action. We shifted its role. Instead of broad awareness, we used it for retargeting. We created custom audience segments of users who had visited the Velocity Pro landing page from any channel but hadn’t converted. The new audio ads offered a limited-time discount code (“VELOCITY10”) and emphasized the free trial again. We also experimented with dynamic ad insertion based on location, serving ads that mentioned “Visit our showroom in Sandy Springs today!” to users within 5 miles of the store.
3. Cross-Channel Sequencing Refinement: This was crucial. We tightened the integration. Users who completed a full CTV ad view were immediately added to an audience segment for a follow-up digital audio ad within 24 hours. Users who clicked on a paid social ad but didn’t convert were then shown a CTV ad (with the new 15-second creative) within 48 hours. This multi-touch approach is where the real magic happens.
4. Landing Page A/B Testing: While not directly a channel optimization, we ran A/B tests on the landing page for the Velocity Pro. Version A had a long-form sales page. Version B had a shorter, more visual page focused on the free trial. Version B, with its simpler call to action and clearer value proposition, increased conversion rates by 22%. This underscores the fact that even the best ad can’t save a bad landing page.

Post-Optimization Performance (Weeks 5-8)

Overall Campaign Metrics & Learnings

• Total Impressions: 25,450,000
• Total Conversions: 2,365 (across all channels for the 8-week period)
• Average Cost Per Lead (CPL): $76.19 (down from initial $150.00 for emerging channels)
• Overall ROAS: 3.1x (based on average trial-to-purchase conversion rate and product margin)
• Attributed Incrementality: Through a geo-lift study in comparable markets (e.g., Charlotte, NC, as a control), we estimated that the CTV and digital audio channels contributed an additional 25% in brand awareness and 18% in incremental sales that wouldn’t have occurred otherwise. This is critical. Without measuring incrementality, you’re just guessing at the true value of these channels.

The “Sound & Screen Synergy” campaign demonstrated that while emerging channels like CTV and digital audio might have a higher initial CPL, their true value lies in their ability to drive upper-funnel awareness and influence conversions across the entire customer journey. My strong opinion? Don’t look at these channels purely through a last-click lens. That’s a rookie mistake. They build brand equity and prime your audience for later conversion. We ran into this exact issue at my previous firm with a financial services client; they almost cut their podcast advertising because direct conversions were low, but an incrementality study showed it was directly correlated with a surge in branded search queries and eventually, new account openings.

The “Nobody Tells You” Moment

Here’s what nobody really tells you about CTV and digital audio: data fragmentation is a nightmare. You’re dealing with different platforms, different reporting interfaces, and often, different attribution models. Getting a holistic view of performance requires significant data wrangling and integration. We relied heavily on a robust Tableau dashboard that pulled data via APIs from each platform, allowing us to visualize cross-channel performance in real-time. Without this, optimizing on the fly would have been impossible. Invest in your data infrastructure, or you’ll be flying blind.

The Pro-Form campaign ultimately proved that a well-orchestrated strategy across emerging and traditional channels can yield significant results. It requires patience, a willingness to iterate, and an unwavering focus on the customer journey.

Mastering emerging channels requires a strategic, iterative approach; don’t expect instant ROAS from CTV or digital audio, but rather understand their role in building long-term brand value and influencing the entire conversion funnel. To truly succeed, remember to master media buying in 2026 with a data-driven approach. You can also explore how to uncover 2026’s top media buying strategies to stay ahead of the curve. Finally, avoid media buying myths to optimize 2026 campaigns now for maximum impact.