Analytics & Attribution
Incrementality
Quick definition
The revenue that would not have happened without a specific marketing channel running. The cleanest measure of true channel value.
What it actually means
Incrementality testing isolates the causal contribution of a channel by holding it out in some markets or audiences and measuring the revenue gap. Common methods: geo holdouts that pause a channel in selected regions, conversion lift studies using Meta or Google native tools, and PSA tests that replace ads with public service announcements for a control group. Measured incrementality is often lower than last-click attribution suggests, which means many brands overestimate paid-media value and underestimate organic and brand contribution.