SmartControl is a unique test and control technology that ensures minimal burden on site visitors while decreasing ad impression waste. Our campaign effectiveness product CAMPAIGN utilizes SmartControl to eliminate the need to purchase and traffic dedicated control impressions, freeing up ad inventory for sale that would otherwise be given away for free. It also delivers true equivalence between Exposed and Control groups, thus ensuring better accuracy in brand lift metrics.

How It Works

SmartControl uses existing campaign ad impressions and our sampling engine to determine in real-time, prior to ad exposure, whether to invite a visitor to the Exposed or Control group. If they are allocated to the control group, the ad is temporarily hidden during the invitation process. Upon completion of the survey (or if the invitation is declined or ignored), the ad is immediately displayed, thus preserving ad impressions and eliminating the need to allocate additional impressions to collect the control group.

Since SmartControl uses existing campaign ad impressions and only temporarily masks the necessary number of impressions (as few as needed), it is able to mirror the media plan exactly without requiring additional ad inventory.

Use of SmartControl technology ensures that the Control and Exposed groups are truly similar in all respects, with the exception of campaign exposure. Therefore any lift in key measure ratings can be attributed to the campaign.