Brand Lift measures the causal impact of a campaign creative on brand perception - before the campaign launches.
The keyword is before: this is a pre-launch tool. If your campaign is already live and you want to know whether consumers remember it, the right module is Campaign Recall. If you want to test how an ad creative lands with consumers without the A/B design described below, the right module is Concept Testing - What It Measures and How It Works. Brand Lift is for clients who want to know whether an ad will actually move the needle on brand metrics before committing media budget.
How the A/B methodology works
This is the part worth reading carefully. The methodology is what separates Brand Lift from a standard ad reaction test - and understanding it is what makes the results trustworthy.
The platform recruits your target audience and randomly splits them into two equal groups. Group A - the Exposed group - sees your campaign creative first, then answers a set of brand questions. Group B - the Control group - answers the exact same brand questions without ever seeing the ad. Everything else about the two groups is identical. The only difference is that Group A saw your ad.
Lift is the percentage point difference between the Exposed group and the Control group on a given metric. It is the causal effect of the ad - isolated from everything else.
Here's a concrete example. If 45% of the Exposed group say they would consider buying from your brand, and 38% of the Control group say the same, the consideration lift is +7 percentage points (pp). That +7 is caused by the ad - not by prior brand familiarity, not by category interest, by the ad.
What lift figures mean in practice:
- Positive lift - the ad moved the metric in the right direction.
- Zero lift - the ad had no measurable effect on that metric. This is not a neutral result. It means the ad did not change how people think about the brand on that dimension.
- Negative lift - the ad actively moved the metric in the wrong direction. This is flagged prominently in the report.
Most ad testing asks people whether they liked the ad. That measures entertainment value. Brand Lift measures whether the ad actually changed how people think about your brand - which is what determines whether the media spend is worth making.
What gets measured
The study measures two categories of data.
Creative reaction metrics - Group A only
These are diagnostic scores. They explain why lift is high or low, but they are not the commercially important numbers.
- Overall impression of the ad
- Engagement
- Personal relevance
Brand metrics - both groups (the lift metrics)
These are the metrics that matter commercially. Each one is reported as: Exposed % - Control % - Lift: +/- pp.
- Unaided brand awareness
- Aided brand awareness
- Brand fit with the product category
- Brand attribute associations (up to 5 attributes - for example: Innovative, Trustworthy, Premium)
- Consideration likelihood
- Purchase intent
What to provide
The order form asks for the following:
- Campaign name or title
- The creative asset - image file or video (MP4, or a YouTube or Vimeo link). The ad should be close to its final version - not a rough animatic or mood board. Testing a near-final asset gives results that are representative of what will actually run in market.
- Product category or industry
- Optional context note - for example: "pre-launch test for a summer campaign targeting Gen Z females in the US"
- Your brand name
- Up to 4-5 competitor brands for the awareness and attribute questions. If left blank, the platform generates a relevant list automatically.
- Up to 5 brand attributes to test. If left blank, the platform generates relevant attributes based on your category.
- Audience size - the default is 300 respondents (150 per group). This is the minimum for meaningful lift measurement. Going below 150 per group makes results unreliable.
What the report includes
Your report contains five tabs: Quick Bites, Introduction, Analysis, Personas, and Survey. The Survey tab shows results cross-tabbed by both demographic segment and by group (Exposed vs Control) - this cross-tabulation by group is unique to Brand Lift.
The Analysis tab covers nine sections in order:
- Overall lift summary - a three-sentence headline verdict on what the study found
- Study design confirmation - Group A and Group B sample sizes and demographic balance, so you can verify the methodology holds
- Creative reaction - Group A only - impression, engagement, and relevance as diagnostic scores
- Awareness lift - unaided and aided awareness delta between groups
- Brand fit lift - whether the ad reinforced or damaged brand equity
- Brand attribute lift - a colour-coded table showing which attributes moved, and in which direction
- Consideration and purchase intent lift - the two most commercially important metrics
- Segment lift analysis - which audience segments responded best and worst, with media targeting implications
- Go/no-go recommendation - one clear verdict: Ready to Deploy / Refine Before Launch / Do Not Run
Pricing
| Nat. Rep. | 75-100% IR | 50-74% IR | 30-49% IR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base price | $2,750 | $2,950 | $3,250 | $3,550 |
Add-ons
| Add-on | Cost |
|---|---|
| Open-ended ad reaction (Group A only) | +$390 |
| Additional respondents above 300 - Nat. Rep. / 75-100% IR | $5.00 per respondent |
| Additional respondents above 300 - 50-74% IR | $6.00 per respondent |
| Additional respondents above 300 - 30-49% IR | $8.00 per respondent |
A note on incidence rate (IR)
IR - incidence rate - is the proportion of the general population who qualify for your target audience. The narrower your audience criteria, the lower the IR, and the more each qualifying respondent costs to reach. This affects both price and lead time.
Constraints
- Minimum 300 respondents (150 per group) - this floor cannot be lowered
- One creative per study. To compare two creatives, run two separate studies, or use Concept Testing - What It Measures and How It Works - Advertisement sub-type with the comparative add-on
- The ad must be a finished or near-finished asset - not a concept description or mood board
- IR below 30% is not supported via standard order - contact Standard Insights for a custom quote
Lead times
| IR band | Lead time |
|---|---|
| Nat. Rep. / 75-100% | 24 hours |
| 50-74% | Up to 5 days |
| 30-49% | 5 days or more |
For a walkthrough of the checkout process, see How to Place an Order.
FAQ
What's the difference between Brand Lift and Concept Testing (Advertisement)?
Both modules test an ad creative before it launches, but they answer different questions. Concept Testing - Advertisement measures how consumers react to the ad itself - whether it's clear, engaging, and on-brand. Brand Lift goes further: it uses an A/B design to measure whether the ad actually changes brand metrics such as awareness, consideration, and purchase intent. If you want diagnostic creative feedback, use Concept Testing. If you want to know whether the ad will move the needle on brand perception, use Brand Lift.
What's the difference between Brand Lift and Campaign Recall?
Brand Lift is a pre-launch tool - it tells you what an ad will do to brand metrics before it runs. Campaign Recall is a post-launch tool - it measures whether consumers remember and recognise a campaign that has already aired. The timing is the defining distinction: Brand Lift informs the decision to deploy; Campaign Recall evaluates what happened after you did.
Does the ad need to be finished?
It should be close to finished. A near-final version gives results that are representative of what will actually run in market. Rough animatics, mood boards, or concept descriptions do not perform the same way as a finished creative, and results from an unfinished asset may not predict real-world impact accurately. If your asset is still in production, it's worth waiting until it's closer to final before running the study.
Why do I need a control group? Can't I just ask people what they think of the ad?
Asking people what they think of the ad tells you whether they liked it - not whether it changed anything. Without a control group, you have no way of knowing whether the brand metrics you're seeing are caused by the ad or by pre-existing brand familiarity. The control group provides the baseline. The lift figure is the difference between what the Exposed group said and what the Control group said. Remove the control group and the lift figure disappears - you're left with reactions, not measurement.
What if my lift figures are all zero or negative?
Zero lift means the ad had no measurable effect on that metric. Negative lift means it moved the metric in the wrong direction. Neither outcome is treated as neutral in the report - both are flagged clearly, and the go/no-go recommendation will reflect them. A result like this is useful: it tells you not to run the ad as-is, before you've spent the media budget. The creative reaction scores in the same report will typically indicate where the problem lies - low relevance or low engagement scores often explain why lift didn't materialise.
How many respondents do I need?
The minimum is 300 respondents - 150 per group. This is the floor for reliable lift measurement; going below 150 per group produces results that cannot be trusted. If your target audience is broad (75–100% IR), 300 respondents is usually sufficient. For narrower audiences or studies where segment-level analysis is important, additional respondents can be added above the 300 baseline at the per-respondent rates listed in the pricing section.
Can I test in multiple markets?
Yes. Each market is configured as a separate study. Pricing applies per study - use the table above to calculate the cost for each market you want to include.