incrementality testing

Definition

An experimental method to measure whether your marketing actually caused an outcome or if it would have happened anyway. It's the uncomfortable question every CMO avoids: did we waste our money?

Example Usage

The incrementality test proved our Super Bowl ad generated exactly zero additional conversions that wouldn't have happened organically, but at least we got noticed at parties.

Origin

Borrowed from economic research methodology, popularized in digital marketing circa 2015

Fun Fact

Most marketers resist incrementality testing because they suspect it will reveal that half their budget accomplishes nothing, and they're usually right.

Source: Marketing science and econometrics literature

Related Terms

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The holy grail of digital marketing: that magical moment when a casual browser transforms into a paying customer, newsletter subscriber, or whatever action you've been desperately optimizing for. It's the difference between window shopping and actually buying, measured obsessively through analytics dashboards and celebrated with metaphorical champagne in Slack channels. Every marketer's job basically boils down to increasing this single metric, which explains why you get retargeted ads for shoes you looked at once, three years ago.

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dealer tier

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boomerang effect

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blue ocean

An untapped market space with little to no competition, as opposed to 'red ocean' markets soaked in competitor blood. The mythical promised land every marketer claims they've discovered.

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brand graveyard

The collection of discontinued products, abandoned campaigns, or failed rebrands that haunt a company's history. Where marketing dreams go to die and become cautionary tales.

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air cover

High-level executive support or approval that protects a risky marketing initiative from being killed prematurely. Essentially, having a C-suite bodyguard for your crazy ideas.

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