What is brand lift and why is important now?

Brand lift isn’t just a marketing buzz word, it should be core to every marketing campaign. But what exactly is it? Why is it so important now? And what does it mean for brands?

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Let’s take a look at all of the above and I’ll explain why you should explore brand lift.

What is brand lift? 

Brand lift is a survey-based measurement methodology to determine the increase in full-funnel brand-related metrics  - ‘the brand lift’ - resulting from a specific advertising campaign, marketing initiative or influencer endorsement. Brand lift measurement initially focused on brand or top-of-funnel (TOF) metrics, has undergone significant evolution, now serving as a tool for global advertisers and brands to assess a wide array of outcomes spanning from brand perception to purchase intent and beyond. 

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For example, a rise in the lift in consumer perception following a campaign is evidenced by these metrics, demonstrating heightened consumer engagement and enhanced brand recognition, which can influence sales and revenue outcomes. 

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Ultimately brand lift metrics enable marketers to better understand the impact of their campaigns on consumer behaviour, allowing them to optimise their strategies and allocate resources more effectively. 

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How is brand lift measured?

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Brand lift is typically measured through surveys, focus groups, panellists and tracking studies comparing the behaviour or attitudes of consumers who were exposed to the advertising or marketing campaign versus those who were not. It goes beyond simple engagement figures and measures metrics such as buying intent, message recall and recommendation intent to name just a few.

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Advertising has evolved immensely and rapidly, whilst measurement hasn’t. So we launched ThisThat to challenge current standards and evolve measurement to set a new standard for brand lift. 

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We want to empower brands to answer three simple questions; what happened, why did it happen, and what to do next to grow ROI. At ThisThat we can  deliver results faster and more cost effective than our competitors, while providing deeper insights through extensive questioning.

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Why is it important now? 

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In todays era of increasing data privacy concerns and the obsolescence of cookie-based tracking, brands are confronted with a paradigm shift in their decision-making processes. Traditional reliance on analytics, including impressions, engagements, clicks, and tracking mechanisms such as UTMs or Pixel data, is waning in effectiveness. While these metrics offer insights into exposure, they fall short in providing a comprehensive understanding of the campaign's impact on consumer perception and behaviour.

Consequently, there arises a pressing need for alternative methods of measurement, with brand lift metrics emerging as a crucial alternative.

Brand lift metrics offer tangible evidence of marketing effectiveness, empowering marketers to make well-informed decisions regarding resource allocation and campaign optimisation, especially when marketing budgets are under intense scrutiny. Whether a brand commands a marketing budget of £100,000 or £10,000, the measurement of brand lift ensures that marketing expenditure is allocated in the most efficient and impactful way.

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We give our clients the opportunity to compare data across channels, to compare the brand lift from influencer marketing compared to all other advertising channels. We believe in a comprehensive approach to campaign measurement that considers effectiveness across content, targeting, and distribution on multiple platforms. We are the only provider that can measure both organic and paid performance.

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In January, ThisThat introduced its inaugural benchmark report, the first benchmarks of its kind to offer the industry a blueprint for campaign optimisation.  

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Why isn’t everyone using brand lift?

Traditionally measuring brand lift has been a slow and expensive process, meaning these metrics have been accessible primarily to large-budget advertising agencies and brands, leaving smaller brands without the financial means or access to reliable, accurate data unable to benefit from such insights. To address this inequality and make its top-tier solutions available to all brands, ThisThat is launching its 2D Platform later this year, a self-serve platform allowing brands to easily access brand lift data and quantifiable benchmarks in a cost effective way. 

Our new self-serve and API solution will enable brands to access same day brand lift results for a tenth of the cost of a typical brand lift study.

By revolutionising brand lift, ThisThat is changing the way advertisers and consumers interact, empowering brands to thrive through the elevation of consumer voices.

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