Ghost Ads

A lift-measurement method that records when control-group users would have seen an ad without serving it, avoiding the cost and bias of PSA ads.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

Ghost ads are a lift-measurement method that records when users in a control group would have been shown an advertiser's ad, without actually serving it. Comparing those would-be-exposed users with truly exposed users isolates the ad's causal effect, avoiding the media cost and selection bias that come with serving placeholder public service announcements to the control group.