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The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryMeasurement & AttributionLift Study

Measurement & Attribution

Lift Study

A test comparing exposed and unexposed groups to measure an ad's causal effect.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Appears in Lesson 8 of Programmatic 101

Short answer

A lift study is a controlled test that measures an ad's causal effect by comparing outcomes between a group exposed to the campaign and a similar group that was not. The difference represents the lift. Lift studies can measure brand metrics like awareness and recall or business outcomes like conversions, and they underpin incrementality measurement.