Q: Is brand lift measurement available for smaller India CTV budgets?

Publisher brand lift studies (JioHotstar, Zee5) typically have minimum spend thresholds of ₹50 lakh–₹1 crore, below which the exposed sample size is too small for statistically significant results. For campaigns below this threshold, alternatives include: Survey-based brand tracking run independently (Kantar, Nielsen) alongside the campaign — not tied to CTV exposure data but measures brand health trend. Digital lift proxies — measuring search volume uplift for brand terms, direct website traffic, and brand keyword search during and after the CTV flight as indirect signals of awareness impact. DSP-native conversion lift experiments (DV360 experiments, TTD lift) require smaller scale than publisher brand lift studies and can provide directional signal for ₹15–₹25 lakh campaigns. Full deterministic brand lift at statistically robust sample sizes requires ₹50 lakh+ CTV spend in India.

Question 1

How do you run a brand lift study for an India CTV campaign?

Accepted Answer

Brand lift studies for India CTV measure the difference in brand metrics (ad recall, aided awareness, purchase intent) between viewers who saw CTV ads and a matched control group who did not. The study is run during the campaign flight. Publishers offer brand lift studies directly — JioHotstar and Zee5 have built-in brand lift capabilities through their ad platforms. Third-party measurement companies (Nielsen, Kantar, Lucid) also run independent brand lift studies for India CTV campaigns. The methodology: exposed group (device IDs that received the campaign) is surveyed; control group (matched device IDs that did not receive the campaign) is surveyed. The lift is the difference in positive responses between the two groups. JioHotstar brand lift studies are typically offered for campaigns above ₹50 lakh; third-party studies are available for any spend level but have a service cost.

Question 2

What brand lift results are typical for India CTV campaigns?

Accepted Answer

Indicative India CTV brand lift benchmarks (2025): Ad recall lift: 8–20 percentage points above control for well-executed non-skippable CTV. Aided brand awareness lift: 4–12 percentage points. Brand consideration lift: 3–8 percentage points. Purchase intent lift: 2–6 percentage points. These are directional ranges. Results vary significantly by: category (auto, FMCG, and financial services typically show stronger brand lift than commoditised categories); creative quality (15s focused messaging outperforms 30s generic spots in CTV recall); and frequency (3–5 exposures typically shows higher lift than 1–2 exposures, after which diminishing returns set in). Sports content (IPL, cricket) consistently shows higher ad recall lift than non-sports VOD because viewer attention is higher during live viewing.

Question 3

Is brand lift measurement available for smaller India CTV budgets?

Accepted Answer

Publisher brand lift studies (JioHotstar, Zee5) typically require ₹50 lakh–₹1 crore minimum spend. Below this, sample sizes are too small for statistically significant results.

For smaller budgets, alternatives include:

Survey-based brand tracking (Kantar, Nielsen) run independently alongside the campaign — measures brand health trend as a proxy
Digital lift proxies — brand keyword search volume, direct traffic during and after the CTV flight as indirect awareness signals
DSP-native lift experiments (DV360 experiments, TTD lift) — require smaller scale than publisher studies; directional signal for ₹15–₹25 lakh campaigns