Measurable Growth with Geographic Uplift Testing

Proving the value of upper funnel activity is still one of the toughest conversations in paid media.

We all know brand investment matters, but when senior stakeholders ask for commercial proof, theory is not enough. There are only so many Les Binet graphs you can show on brand building and sales activation. 

Platforms are evolving, but they still fail to capture the full commercial impact of awareness activity. Media Mix Modelling can help, but it often sits beyond reach if you are without a dedicated data science resource or budget for specialist tools.

What leadership teams want is simple: clarity. So how do we create credible, commercially robust evidence that upper funnel activity drives measurable business outcomes?

One answer is Geographic uplift testing.

A Practical Route to Proving Incrementality

Geographic uplift plans isolate impact by comparing defined geographic regions. Instead of relying on platform attribution, we measure real business outcomes in areas where activity is live versus areas where it is not.

It is controlled, measurable, and commercially focused. It allows us to measure impact not only within paid channels, but across the wider channel mix.

At Propellernet, we regularly conduct multiple iterations of this approach across different industries and budget levels. The structure flexes depending on scale.

With a limited budget, we concentrate investment in a single region to create a clear test market. Performance can then be benchmarked against comparable regions without activity.

With a larger budget, we remove activity from two or three regions and use them as control markets. This increases the robustness of the comparison and strengthens confidence in the findings.

Measuring Impact

When performance is measured properly at a regional level, the impact becomes clear.

In one case, we saw exceptional results for a client struggling with year-on-year brand decline. What we found was that in two of the three regions where upper funnel activity did not run, the decline in Brand was significantly worse. This gap between targeted and non-targeted regions has been as much as 28%.

For this client, in a declining market, slowing the rate of decline has a hugely positive commercial impact. That 28% differential represented significantly protected revenue.

In another example, we launched a YouTube campaign targeting specific store locations. When we analysed store-level appointment data, targeted locations grew by 16% compared to 6% in non-targeted locations.

That ten-point difference was not based on platform metrics. It was based on real business data measured by incremental footfall and, therefore, an incremental revenue opportunity.

Upper funnel activity is not about impressions or view rates. It is about creating measurable lift in revenue-driving actions.

What this means for you

Without structured testing, upper funnel investment often gets deprioritised. Lower funnel channels feel safer because they appear easier to measure.

Geographic uplift testing shifts that dynamic by reframing the upper funnel from a perceived cost to a controllable growth lever. It builds evidence, which builds confidence, which unlocks sustained investment and longer-term thinking.

Most importantly, it grounds the conversation in what businesses care about: revenue protection, growth, and efficiency.

Upper funnel activity works, but it is our responsibility to prove it in a way that aligns with how businesses make decisions.

If you are being challenged to justify brand investment, we would love to explore how structured Geographic testing could work for your business. Get in touch or take a look at more of our Insights to see how we approach measurement across paid media.