Lift & Incrementality in Digital Advertising: Why Smaller Brands Often See Bigger Gains

In programmatic advertising and digital marketing, understanding lift and incrementality is essential for measuring true campaign impact. These metrics help advertisers determine whether their ads are driving new demand or simply capturing existing intent.

Steven Ohrnstein, SVP of Platform and Analytics at Viant, recently shared insights on LinkedIn about why incrementality varies across brands and why smaller brands tend to see higher lift percentages from marketing campaigns.

Let’s break down why this happens, how to measure incrementality, and what advertisers should focus on when optimizing their programmatic ad strategies.

What Is Lift in Digital Advertising?

Lift measures the causal impact of an ad campaign by comparing the behavior of consumers who were exposed to an ad versus those who were not. It helps brands understand whether their marketing efforts generated new conversions, purchases, or website visits beyond what would have happened organically.

There are different types of lift, including:

• Brand Lift – Measures increases in awareness, favorability, or purchase intent through survey-based analytics.
• Sales Lift – Assesses how advertising increases purchase behavior compared to a control group.
• Engagement Lift – Tracks improvements in site visits, clicks, or app installs following ad exposure.

By running control vs. exposed studies, advertisers can determine how effective their programmatic campaigns are at influencing consumer behavior.

What Is Incrementality and Why Does It Matter?

Incrementality goes beyond lift by measuring the true additional value a campaign generates. It helps answer:

• Would a conversion have happened without the ad?
• Is paid media driving new customers or simply capturing those who would have converted anyway?

Ohrnstein explains this concept with a compelling example:

“If I launched ‘Steve’s T-Shirt’ company tomorrow, a well-optimized campaign would yield 99%+ incremental lift. Why? Because nobody would know my brand… Every new ad exposure has a higher chance of creating demand that wouldn’t have existed otherwise.”

Smaller, lesser-known brands tend to experience higher incremental lift because their marketing efforts create awareness and demand from scratch. In contrast, well-established brands like Coca-Cola see much lower lift percentages because their campaigns focus on brand reinforcement and share maintenance rather than demand generation.

“No single campaign is going to double Coca-Cola’s market share—because everyone is already aware of the Coke brand.”

This distinction is crucial for programmatic advertisers looking to optimize media spend and improve campaign effectiveness.

How to Measure Lift & Incrementality in Programmatic Advertising

Accurate incrementality measurement requires structured testing, such as:

• Holdout Groups – Comparing a group exposed to ads vs. a control group not shown ads to isolate impact.
• Geo-Lift Studies – Running campaigns in specific locations while keeping other markets as a control group.
• PSA or Ghost Ads – Showing a placebo ad (like a public service announcement) instead of a real ad to measure the actual incremental effect.

According to Nielsen:

“Testing channels or campaigns, then comparing the sales metrics based on actual response or purchase data for two groups—those who saw your ads and those who did not—will give you the most accurate view of the incremental sales lift.” (Nielsen)

By leveraging incrementality testing, marketers can ensure their programmatic ad spend is driving net-new demand instead of just retargeting existing customers.

Key Takeaways for Programmatic Advertisers

✅ Smaller brands see higher incremental lift because their advertising actively creates demand and awareness.
✅ Established brands have lower lift percentages, but small gains still drive significant revenue at scale.
✅ Instead of chasing generic lift benchmarks, brands should focus on:

• How much new demand their campaigns generate
• Whether their budget is creating net-new customers or just capturing existing intent
• How different ad channels contribute to overall brand growth

“Lift and incrementality aren’t just about measuring campaign success; they tell you how much marketing actually matters for your business.” – Steven Ohrnstein

By understanding a brand’s baseline lift, advertisers can refine their programmatic strategies, allocate media budgets more efficiently, and maximize return on investment (ROI).

Final Thoughts

In today’s competitive digital advertising landscape, incrementality measurement is a must-have for data-driven marketing. Whether you’re a niche startup or a household brand, knowing how lift varies by brand type helps optimize ad spend, audience targeting, and campaign effectiveness.

Want to improve your programmatic media strategy? Focus on incrementality, optimize for net-new demand, and leverage lift testing to ensure your marketing dollars are making a real impact.