Glossary

Incrementality

A measurement approach that isolates the additional (incremental) outcome caused specifically by an ad campaign, versus what would have happened anyway without it.

Measurement, Attribution & IntelligenceAdvancedAlso called: Incrementality TestingSource: Industry consensus

Definition

A measurement approach that isolates the additional (incremental) outcome caused specifically by an ad campaign, versus what would have happened anyway without it.

Why it matters

Incrementality is the difference between "this campaign was associated with sales" and "this campaign actually caused sales that would not have happened otherwise" — the second is a fundamentally stronger and rarer claim.

Key consideration

Most reported attribution numbers are correlational, not incremental. A campaign can show a strong last-click attribution number and still have near-zero true incrementality if it was mostly reaching people who would have converted anyway.

Related terms

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