A CTV Geo-Holdout Test Drove 7.5x Revenue and +28% Foot Traffic for Peak Design

Peak Design is a globally recognized brand that designs innovative, high-quality travel and photography gear. Renowned for its commitment to sustainability and superior craftsmanship, Peak Design serves travelers, adventurers, and photographers looking for functional and stylish products. The company consistently explores advanced marketing strategies to amplify its brand reach and optimize campaign performance.

Challenge

Peak Design had been investing in Connected TV as part of its upper-funnel media mix, but lacked a clean test to prove whether CTV was actually driving incremental business outcomes, not just impressions. The brand needed to move beyond proxy metrics and answer a harder question: Does CTV cause people to visit the website, walk into the store, and buy?

To find out, Peak Design and QRY designed a controlled geo-holdout test comparing two CTV platforms head-to-head during a low-season window, when organic demand was minimal, and any lift would be easier to isolate.

Solution

QRY executed a structured geo-holdout test across two CTV platforms, MNTN and a competitive CTV partner, with identical budgets, shared creative assets, and designated test-and-control markets:

• Both platforms received equal spend and ran the same creative over a six-week flight window, followed by a two-week washout period.
• A third-party measurement partner was layered in for independent revenue and conversion attribution across both platforms.
• The test was designed to measure three things: CPM efficiency, web traffic lift, and in-store foot traffic impact, giving Peak Design a complete picture of each platform's ability to drive real-world outcomes, not just video completions.

QRY brings a rare mix of creativity and precision to the way they approach CTV. They didn't just want to run ads; they wanted to prove incrementality with a clean, controlled framework and third-party validation. That level of thoughtfulness made it easy to collaborate, because every decision had a purpose and a measurable outcome. - Cheryl Brilla, MNTN

Results

MNTN outperformed across every dimension that mattered.

From an efficiency standpoint, MNTN delivered 38% more impressions at a 27% lower CPM than the competitive partner on equal spend. More importantly, MNTN drove 7.5x the attributed revenue through the measurement partner, proving the platform wasn't just reaching more people, but reaching better ones.

The offline results were even more compelling. MNTN's test market saw a +28% increase in foot traffic to Peak Design's retail location. The competitive partner's test market saw a -3% decline. For a brand with a flagship retail presence, this is a meaningful signal: CTV on MNTN didn't just drive awareness, it drove people into the store.

While web traffic patterns were mixed across markets during the test period, MNTN still drove substantial online revenue, suggesting the platform was reaching and converting a higher-intent audience rather than simply driving volume.

• +38% more impressions on MNTN at equal spend vs. the competitive CTV partner.
• 27% lower CPM on MNTN, demonstrating dramatically better media efficiency.
• 7.5x higher attributed revenue on MNTN through third-party measurement.
• +28% increase in in-store foot traffic in MNTN's test market, compared to a -3% decline in the competitive partner's market.

Top of funnel is always a challenge when it comes to proving revenue results. By running tests on two platforms at once with geo-holdouts and 3rd party multi-touch attribution in place we were able to not only prove a positive ROI but also identify a meaningful difference in results between CTV platforms. - Andrew Stoner, Director of Web Experience, Peak Design

Key Takeaways

The test confirmed three things Peak Design and QRY had hypothesized:

CTV can drive measurable offline outcomes. A +28% increase in foot traffic during a low-demand period in one of the most competitive retail markets in the country is a strong signal that CTV works as a demand-creation channel, not just a brand-awareness play.

Not all CTV platforms are equal. On identical spend and creative, MNTN delivered dramatically better results across CPM efficiency, attributed revenue, and foot traffic. Platform selection matters as much as creative and targeting.

Measurement design matters. Without a controlled geo-holdout structure and independent third-party attribution, the full story would have been invisible, which is exactly why controlled test design is non-negotiable for upper-funnel channels.

Based on these results, QRY recommended continuing CTV investment on MNTN with expanded budgets and refined targeting to maximize both online and offline outcomes.