Upper-funnel brand campaigns

    Create the demand your search ads harvest.

    We plan and run upper-funnel campaigns across video, CTV, social and audio, then measure them properly with branded search lift, incrementality testing, and blended efficiency, not impression counts.

    See how it works
    • Brand lift measurement
    • Incrementality testing
    • Blended efficiency reporting

    Reach and recall

    4-week flight
    ReachBranded search
    Vertical hook, 6sCreative in rotation

    0M

    Reach

    0

    Frequency

    +0%

    Branded search

    Illustrative account view, not a client account

    Upper-funnel inventory we plan and buy

    YouTube logoYouTube
    YouTube TV logoConnected TV
    Meta logoMeta Reels
    TikTok logoTikTok
    Spotify logoSpotify Audio
    Programmatic Display logoProgrammatic Display
    YouTube logoYouTube
    YouTube TV logoConnected TV
    Meta logoMeta Reels
    TikTok logoTikTok
    Spotify logoSpotify Audio
    Programmatic Display logoProgrammatic Display

    Why brand budgets get cut

    Awareness spend dies when it cannot be measured

    Upper-funnel work is usually the first budget cut, not because it does not work but because it was never instrumented to prove that it does.

    No measurement framework

    Impressions and reach cannot be defended in a budget meeting. Brand lift and incrementality can.

    Performance ceiling reached

    When search and social are already capturing all existing demand, growth requires creating new demand rather than bidding harder.

    Disconnected funnels

    Brand and performance run as separate teams with separate messages, so awareness never converts into cheaper capture.

    Creative built for the wrong screen

    Repurposed performance ads underperform on CTV and long-form video, where storytelling and sound-on matter.

    What we run

    Upper-funnel programs with a measurement plan attached

    Every awareness campaign launches with the tests that will prove or disprove its contribution.

    Video production crew filming a short-form brand ad in a studio
    Creative volume is the awareness engine
    • 01

      YouTube and CTV video

      Sequenced video campaigns across streaming and YouTube with frequency management and reach planning.

    • 02

      Social reach and Reels

      Short-form video built natively for Meta and TikTok feeds to build familiarity at low cost per reached person.

    • 03

      Audio and podcast

      Streaming audio and podcast placements for categories where attention is high and competition is thin.

    • Programmatic and OOH support

      Display, native, and digital out-of-home layered around launches and regional pushes.

    • Incrementality testing

      Geo holdout and matched-market tests that isolate what brand spend actually contributed.

    • Launch and category creation

      Integrated launch programs for new products, markets, or categories where demand does not yet exist.

    Reach and frequency

    Awareness with a number attached to it

    Awareness spend stops being a leap of faith the moment it is planned as coverage and frequency against a named audience. Set a budget and audience size to see the plan we would hold ourselves to.

    Media plan inputs

    $15,000
    $9
    600k people

    Audience covered

    87%

    About 521k people reached

    Average frequency

    3.2x

    Three to five exposures is the working range

    Planning model only. Delivery depends on platform, creative and auction conditions.

    Next step

    Plan reach that moves demand

    We set an audience, a frequency target and the demand signals we hold ourselves to before launch.

    • No obligation
    • Reach and frequency plan
    • Demand signals defined

    How it works

    Plan, instrument, launch, prove

    The measurement design comes before the media plan, not after the first report request.

    1. 1

      Category and audience research

      We size the category, map competitor share of voice, and define the audience segments worth building familiarity with.

      Output: Category and audience map

    2. 2

      Measurement design

      We agree the success metrics upfront: brand lift studies, branded search volume, geo holdouts, and blended efficiency targets.

      Output: Measurement framework

    3. 3

      Creative platform and production

      We build a message platform, then produce video, audio, and static assets made for each screen rather than resized.

      Output: Channel-native creative set

    4. 4

      Reach and frequency buying

      We buy for effective reach against your target, controlling frequency and cost per reached person across channels.

      Output: Reach and frequency plan

    5. 5

      Read results and reinvest

      We read lift and incrementality tests, connect them to what performance channels see, and reallocate budget accordingly.

      Output: Incrementality readout

    What good looks like

    How we prove upper-funnel value

    Brand campaign results vary by category maturity, creative quality, budget, and measurement window. These are the indicators we hold ourselves accountable to.

    Leading indicator

    Branded search lift

    Demand creation shows up in branded query volume first.

    Causal proof

    Incrementality

    Geo holdout tests isolate brand spend contribution.

    Business impact

    Blended CAC

    Awareness should reduce total acquisition cost over time.

    Pedestrian walking past a large glowing digital billboard at dusk
    Reach measured against branded search lift

    Campaign snapshot

    How a multi-market brand structures upper-funnel spend with us

    1. 1

      Measurement framework agreed and instrumented before launch

    2. 2

      Creative produced separately for CTV, short-form social, and audio

    3. 3

      Geo holdout markets reserved to measure incremental contribution

    4. 4

      Branded search volume tracked weekly as a leading indicator

    5. 5

      Quarterly reallocation between brand and performance based on test reads

    Who it fits

    When upper-funnel investment makes sense

    Brand spend works when demand capture is already maxed out or when the category does not know you exist.

    • Established brands at a ceiling

      Search and social already capture existing demand, so growth needs new demand.

    • New market or product launches

      Entering a geography or category where awareness starts near zero.

    • Considered-purchase categories

      Long decision cycles where familiarity before the search matters most.

    • Competitive share battles

      Categories where share of voice tracks closely with share of market.

    What you get

    Brand media planning, production, and proof

    Strategy, creative, buying, and measurement handled by one team accountable for the read.

    Creative team reviewing a wall of short-form video frames
    One team

    Creative volume, reviewed weekly

    • Category, competitor, and share of voice research
    • Audience segmentation and reach planning
    • Message platform and creative strategy
    • Video, audio, and static production for each channel
    • YouTube, CTV, social, audio, and programmatic buying
    • Brand lift study and geo holdout test design
    • Branded search and blended efficiency tracking
    • Monthly performance readout and quarterly reallocation plan

    The difference

    Awareness you can defend in a budget review

    The problem with most brand campaigns is not the media, it is the absence of proof.

    Success metric

    GrowbiBrand lift, branded search, incrementality
    Typical agencyImpressions and reach

    Measurement

    GrowbiDesigned before launch with holdouts
    Typical agencyReported after the fact

    Creative

    GrowbiProduced per channel and screen
    Typical agencyPerformance assets resized

    Funnel integration

    GrowbiRead alongside performance channels
    Typical agencyManaged in isolation

    Budget decisions

    GrowbiReallocated on test reads
    Typical agencyDefended on gut feel

    Client feedback

    What marketing leaders tell us

    The geo holdout gave our CFO the number he needed. Brand budget stopped being the first thing cut each quarter.
    Portrait of VP MarketingVP MarketingMulti-market services brand
    Branded search volume moved within six weeks, and our search costs came down as a result.
    Portrait of Growth LeadGrowth LeadConsumer subscription brand
    Creative made specifically for CTV performed nothing like the resized social cuts we used before.
    Portrait of Brand DirectorBrand DirectorRetail group

    Next step

    Get a measurement framework

    Send us your market and audience and we will send back the reach plan and the signals we would report on.

    • Reply within one business day
    • No media commitment

    Questions

    Brand awareness campaign FAQs

    Build demand, and prove it moved the business

    Book a strategy call and we will outline a reach plan and the measurement framework needed to defend the investment internally.

    • No obligation
    • Measurement plan before media
    • US and Canada coverage