Research Topics:

Data Analysis | Data Quality | Quantitative Research

Content Type:

Glossary

Control Group Definition

The group in a study that receives no treatment in order to compare the treated group against a norm.

A control group is a subset of a target audience in market research that is purposely not exposed to a specific marketing intervention or treatment. It serves as a reliable baseline for comparison against groups that receive the intervention in order to compare the treated or exposed group against a norm. A control value is key for evaluating the success of marketing endeavors because it helps determine the impact of the intervention by isolating external factors. This research approach boosts the credibility of findings and supports data-driven marketing practices.

Who relies on control groups?

Marketing researchers, analysts and businesses use control groups to conduct experiments, measure the impact of campaigns and determine whether or not observed results are caused by the marketing efforts in question and not due to other variables.

Why should I care about control groups?

Control groups can accurately measure the impact of marketing initiatives because they enable researchers to differentiate between the actual effects of strategies and external influences, like seasonality or market trends. This information can be used to help optimize strategies, allocate resources effectively and avoid making decisions based on misleading data or correlations.