Connected TV’s evolution isn’t just about better targeting or new formats. It’s forcing agencies to rethink how they operate, how they partner, and how they prove performance.
In this episode of The Advertising Forum by Marketecture, AdTechGod sat down with Tim Glover, EVP of Media at USA Marketing Partners, to talk about building a modern agency, why transparency is non-negotiable, and how CTV fits into a performance-driven media strategy.
A conversation with Tim Glover, EVP of Media at USA Marketing Partners
Q: For those unfamiliar, what is USA Marketing Partners and who do you serve?
We built USA Marketing Partners around a simple idea: bring senior-level expertise to clients who don’t always get that level of attention from larger agencies.
We operate on a hub-and-spoke model. At the center is a small, experienced team, and around that are carefully selected partners who extend our capabilities.
Our clients are what you might think of as “Main Street” brands. Businesses that need strong performance and strategic guidance, but may not have the scale to command large agency resources.
Q: How did the agency come together, and what makes your model different?
After spending two decades at a large independent agency, I wanted to build something more flexible.
We focused on three pillars: people, process, and partnerships. The idea was to take the best parts of traditional agency models and rethink the rest.
Instead of building large in-house teams for every function, we rely on trusted partners. These aren’t vendors, they’re extensions of our team. That allows us to stay nimble while still delivering deep expertise.
Q: How do you think about building capabilities like CTV, in-house vs. through partners?
It really comes down to what clients expect: experience and performance.
We have strong in-house expertise, but partners play a critical role. The key is trust. Many of the partners we work with are relationships that go back decades.
At the end of the day, clients hire people. Not logos, not buildings. So we build around people we trust to deliver results.
Q: When evaluating partners, what matters most—and where do platforms fall short?
The single most important factor is transparency.
You need to understand what’s running, when it’s running, how much is running, and how it’s performing.
Too often, platforms fall short here. That’s why we keep our partner set intentionally small. We go deep, build real relationships, and operate as one team.
Q: As CTV has grown, how have client expectations evolved?
At the end of the day, it hasn’t changed as much as you might think.
When a client spends a dollar, they want that dollar to do something for their business.
What has changed is how we think about CTV. We encourage clients to stop separating “linear” and “digital” and instead think of it all as video.
From a consumer perspective, those lines are already blurred. The real question is: how is that video investment driving business outcomes?
Q: How do you connect CTV investment to real-world outcomes like store visits or revenue?
It starts with alignment.
Every campaign begins with a clear understanding of KPIs and business goals. From there, we look at performance from both a macro and micro level.
On the digital side, we analyze things like site visits, engagement, and behavior. On the retail side, it’s about store traffic and sales.
Then we optimize. CTV gives us the ability to get very precise, even down to ZIP code targeting, so we can adjust based on what’s actually driving results.
Q: What does transparency look like in practice?
It’s simple: sharing.
The more data clients share with us, especially first-party data, the more clearly we can connect media performance to business outcomes.
We bring everything together—client data and media data—into a unified view. That allows us to answer the only question that really matters: what is actually driving the business?
Ready to see what outcome-driven CTV looks like in practice?
CTV is no longer just about reach. It’s about accountability, transparency, and real performance.
And agencies that rethink their model, especially how they partner and measure success, are better positioned to deliver it.
If you’re exploring how to connect your media investments to real business outcomes, it’s time to take a closer look at what CTV can do. Request a demo to learn more.
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