What a brand lift study measures
Awareness campaigns rarely produce instant sales. Their job is to put your name in someone's head so that, weeks later, it comes up when they need a dentist, a delivery service or a sofa. A brand lift study compares people exposed to your ads with similar people who weren't, and treats the difference in their answers as the campaign's effect.
Ordinary reporting can't do this. Sales depend on season, prices, competitor promotions and word of mouth, so a rise or fall in orders tells you little about the ads alone.
Test group, control group and why both matter
The test group is made up of people who saw the ads. The control group is similar in age, city and interests but wasn't reached. Both get the same short questionnaire.
Without a control group the result is shaky. If your category was in the news or the season started, awareness would have grown anyway. The control group shows how much growth to expect without the campaign.
The groups must really be alike. If the test group is mostly young people from Tashkent and the control group is older respondents from the regions, you're measuring the people, not the ads.
Metrics worth tracking
Pick one or two main metrics that match the campaign goal. A new brand usually cares most about awareness; a well-known one about perception and intent. The usual options:
- Unaided awareness: does the person name your brand unprompted when asked about the category
- Aided awareness: do they recognise it in a list
- Ad recall: do they remember seeing your advertising
- Associations: do they link you with traits like reliable, affordable or modern
- Consideration: would they include you when they next buy
- Preference and purchase intent
How to run a brand lift study in Uzbekistan
The simplest route is the built-in survey tools some ad platforms offer: the system splits the audience and shows a short poll. Availability, minimum budgets and formats depend on the platform and the country, so confirm them in your ad account or with a platform representative before you plan the campaign.
The second route is your own survey through a respondent panel or a research agency. It's harder, but it covers offline media such as billboards, radio, TV and event sponsorships. Don't survey only your Telegram channel or Instagram followers: they already know you, and the sample will be skewed.
The third route is a regional comparison. Run radio or outdoor ads in one city, keep a similar city clean, and survey both. No two cities are identical, so read the result with some caution.
Writing questions and reading the result
A good questionnaire is short and neutral, because long surveys get abandoned. A few rules:
- Ask about the category first, without naming your brand, then show a list
- Include competitors and one fake brand to spot careless answers
- Keep wording neutral: “Which of these brands do you know?” rather than “Do you know our great brand?”
- Make Russian and Uzbek versions identical in meaning
What to do when there is no lift
Look at statistical significance as well as the size of the gap. On a small sample, random noise easily passes for an effect. Also compare segments by age, gender and region: ads often move people who didn't know you before and barely affect loyal customers.
No lift is still a result. It usually comes down to one of three causes: the brand appears too late in the video, people saw the ads too few times, or the audience already knew you well.
Limits of the method and a cheaper alternative
A brand lift study doesn't measure sales. Higher purchase intent is a signal, not a guarantee of revenue, so it's usually read alongside branded search, direct site visits and regional sales. If a campaign is small and drives direct response, such as leads, calls or Click and Payme payments, just track those.
Before launch, write down the shift you expect and the decision you'll make: keep going, change the creative or move budget between channels. If no result would change your plans, don't order the study.
A light version for small businesses: ask every new customer how they heard about you and compare answers before and after the campaign. It isn't scientific, but it shows direction. At markdev we build these questions into end-to-end analytics, in lead forms, Telegram bots or sales scripts. If you want to know what your awareness advertising really delivers, we're happy to discuss your case.
FAQ
How is a brand lift study different from a regular customer survey?
It always includes a control group of people who didn't see the ads. A regular survey shows your awareness level but not what caused it.
Does a small business need a brand lift study?
Usually not. If ads bring leads and orders, count those and ask new customers where they heard about you.
Can you measure brand lift for billboards and radio?
Yes, through your own survey or a regional test: one city with the ads and a similar city without. Adjust your reading for differences between the cities.
Does a brand lift study show sales growth?
No. It measures brand perception. Sales impact is assessed separately through order trends, branded search and direct visits to your site.
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