The good, the bad, and the ugly — one day, Samsung batteries started to explode. They went kaboom. And overnight, every airline, news outlet, and next-door neighbor had pegged the company in a negative light. Their brand went into the red. What did they do? They performed a study and pivoted — from cell phones to entertainment units. From the Galaxy to the Freestyle projector. From small handhelds to large-screen ultra HD screens.
They still rolled out the cell phones, but they started to focus on other products. The first thing they did after the switch was perform a brand lift study. But what exactly is it, and how did it help Samsung? It’s vital to understand and leverage brand lift studies. This article is here to help you with a comprehensive guide on conducting brand lift studies — giving you the 4-1-1 on methodologies, best practices, and strategies for using a study’s findings to enhance your brand strategy.
What is a Brand Lift Study?
A brand lift study is a research method used to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns by evaluating changes in brand awareness, perception, consideration, and preference. In Samsung’s case, it was a do-or-die assessment since they sort of went and made a pig’s breakfast of their brand with the exploding batteries.
They needed to implement one and fast. In most cases, these sorts of studies are not pulled up the flagpole due to dire situations — they are done on a regular basis to see how the brand is evolving. To see if there needs to be a change in marketing strategy. To see if there is an opportunity or if a demographic group is not being exploited. To bear witness to the effectiveness of a company’s efforts and their Mad Men. These studies provide valuable insights into how well your campaigns are resonating with your target audience.
Strategic Marketing Decisions & a Good Lift
Brand lift studies contribute in a rather significant manner to strategic marketing decisions. How? By offering data-driven insights that help marketers understand the impact of their advertising efforts and make informed adjustments to improve campaign performance. They shine a light on the whole affair.
What Do Brand Lift Studies Measure?
Brand Awareness
Brand lift studies measure changes in brand awareness. How do they do this? By evaluating how many people recognize and recall your brand after being exposed to your ads. They perform studies, interviews, calls, and even knock on doors.
Brand Perception
These studies evaluate shifts in brand perception, helping you understand how your advertising influences the way people view your brand. For example, they may ask, “How do you perceive Nike when compared to Adidas?” Or “What do you think is the difference between IBM and Apple?” They give people frames to get a clear POV of how they view your brand.
Brand Consideration
Brand lift studies gauge whether your ads are increasing the likelihood that consumers will consider your brand when making a purchase decision.
Brand Preference
These studies also measure changes in brand preference — indicating whether your advertising is making consumers more inclined to choose your brand over competitors. They ask whether their last ad has made them view your brand in a better light than before and if they are willing to make a purchase of your brand. And if so, what within the ad persuaded them the most?
Objectives of a Brand Lift Study
Gauging Campaign Effectiveness
One of the primary objectives of a brand lift study is to evaluate the overall punch of your advertising campaigns. By measuring key brand metrics, you and your team can determine which elements of your campaign are working and which need improvement. What’s making a dent, and what isn’t? Sometimes, changing an actor or a song might be the grand change you need.
Understanding Brand Perception Changes
Brand lift studies help you understand how your advertising efforts are influencing brand perception. This, in essence, allows you to refine your message and creative strategies to better resonate with your audience.
Preparing for a Brand Lift Study
Objectives
Define clear and measurable goals for your brand lift study. Align these objectives with your overall marketing and business goals to ensure the study provides valuable insights. It’s important to understand what you want to gauge — make it as focused as possible.
Identifying Target Audience
Selecting the right audience is crucial for obtaining accurate results. Use methods such as segmentation and targeting to identify and reach the audience most relevant to your study. Your brand already has a demographic it wants to attract.
You need to aim for that audience — why not a wider one? Because each brand has its loyal followers, and people understand it. For example, a tech brand will target people who understand the difference between an Intel Chip and an M1 Chip. Or who understands what 5G communication means.
Choosing the Right Platform
Select a platform that supports brand lift studies and offers the right tools and settings to conduct your research effectively.
Methodology of Brand Lift Studies
Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
Brand lift studies employ a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to gather comprehensive data. Quantitative methods include surveys and digital analytics, while qualitative methods involve interviews and focus groups.
One is a sheet of paper with multiple answers — the other includes ZOOM meetings, brainstorming sessions, interviews, and a lot of group sessions.
Data Collection Techniques
Surveys
Surveys are a primary data collection technique in brand lift studies. They are designed to elicit responses that measure brand awareness, perception, consideration, and preference.
Interviews
Interviews provide in-depth insights into consumer attitudes and behaviors, offering a qualitative perspective on how your advertising is impacting your brand.
Digital Analytics
Digital analytics tools track online behavior and engagement, providing quantitative data on how users interact with your ads.
Crafting Effective Brand Lift Questions
Formulating Questions
Guide on how to formulate effective brand lift study questions to elicit meaningful insights. Questions should be clear, unbiased, and designed to measure specific aspects of brand perception and customer behavior. They should be easy to understand — use tools available online to create them.
Examples of Brand Lift Questions
Here are some of the most common brand lift study questions you can include:
- How aware are you of our brand?
- How do you perceive our brand compared to competitors?
- How likely are you to consider our brand for your next purchase?
- How has your preference for our brand changed after seeing our ads?
Best Practices for Conducting a Brand Lift Study
Ensuring Validity and Reliability
Minimize bias and errors by using well-structured surveys and maintaining a robust control group. This ensures the validity and reliability of your brand lift study results.
Survey Design Best Practices
Craft surveys with clear and unbiased questions to maintain respondent engagement and honesty. Ensure the survey is easy to understand and complete.
Optimizing Campaigns Based on Results
Use the insights gained from your brand lift study to iterate on ad creatives and targeting. Continuously monitor and adjust your marketing strategies based on the results to improve campaign performance.
A Great Lift
Brand lift studies are vital tools for getting an idea of the kick and pull of your advertising campaigns. By coming to terms with them and applying the methodologies — not to mention best practices — outlined in this guide, you can conduct effective and easy brand lift studies. Ones that provide actionable insights.
These insights will help you optimize your brand strategy, improve your advertising efforts, and ultimately enhance your brand’s performance in the market. Start conducting your own brand lift studies today to elevate your marketing strategy and achieve better results.
