Advertising Glossary

Helpful Terminology

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - R - S - T - U - V - W

A

Above The Fold
the upper half of the front page of a newspaper where an important news story or attention grabbing photograph is placed; may also refer to a webpage describing the section that is visible without scrolling
Ad Flight
length of time that an advertising campaign is aired
Ad Networks
a company that connects advertisers to websites that want to host advertisements
Ad Server
a web server that stashes advertisements used in online marketing then delivers them to website visitors
Ad Space
the space on a Web page open for potential advertisers
Advertise
describe or draw attention to (a product, service, or event) in hope of catching the attention of consumers in a public vicinity
Advertorial
a newspaper or magazine advertisement providing information about a product in the form of an editorial or objective journalistic article
Affiliate Marketing
a marketing practice in which a business compensates one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate’s marketing strategies
Affinity Marketing
a targeted form of marketing products and services
Agency
a business or organization that provides a distinct service, particularly one that involves arranging transactions between two other parties

B

B2B
Business-to-Business. Commerce transactions between businesses
B2C
Business-to-Consumer. Transactions between businesses and end consumers that involve products and/or services
Backbone
the fundamental data routes between large, strategically interconnected networks and dominant routers in the Internet
Bandwidth
the transmission volume of an electronics communications device or system
Banner
a graphic featured on a web page that is usually connected to an advertiser’s website
Below The Fold
the placement of an ad that requires one to unfold or scroll to see
Billboard
an outdoor form of advertisement on a large board usually placed in highly publicized locations
Bleed
describes an ad which is larger than the area for which it is intended
Blind Link
a text or graphical hyperlink which does not show where the hyperlink leads to
Blind Traffic
web visitor traffic that is produced using blind links
Bounce Rate
represents the percentage of initial visitors to a site who “bounce” away to another site, rather than staying within the original site
Boutique
an agency that provides a limited service, such as one that does creative work but does not offer other services such as media planning or research
Browser
a computer software program that allows an individual to access text or graphical web pages on the world wide web

C

Cache
a computer memory that stores documents accessed in the past locally so that they can be accessed quicker if they are needed again
Campaign
the process of planning, creating, buying and tracking an advertising project from beginning to end
Click Rate
the percentage of impressions that ended in a click through
Click Through
the action of clicking on a banner and having ones browser automatically redirected to the web page the banner is hyperlinked to
Click Through Rate
the percentage of impressions that resulted in a click through, calculated by dividing the number of clicks by the number of impressions
Clicks
the number of click throughs that have occurred as a result of a user clicking on a banner and being redirected to an advertiser’s web page
Clickstream
the path a visitor takes while navigating from site to site or from page to page within a website
Comp
short for comprehensive it is a layout prepared to resemble, as closely as possible, the finished project. Comps are often created for ads, brochures, packaging, etc.
Comparative
an advertising appeal that consists of explicitly comparing one product brand to a competitive brand
Console
a type of pop up window. Pop up windows that launch when a visitor leaves a site are often called exit consoles
Contextual Advertising
contextual advertising is also known as content-targeted advertising, which means that an advertisement is shown on a website that is “in context” to a company’s specific product or service
Conversion
term used to describe the process of getting a web visitor to accept an offer or become a paying customer
Cookies
a process by which a small file is sent from a web server to the local user’s computer to store information unique to that browser
Copy Writing
the process of writing text for an advertisement that gets reader’s attention, generates interest and desire, and prompts action
Copywriter
one who creates the words and concepts for ads and commercials
CPC
Cost Per Click is one of the online payment models by which advertiser’s pay for each click through made on their investment
CPD
cost per day (CPD) is a payment model by which advertisers pay for their ads to be shown on a daily basis
CPI
cost per inquiry (CPI) is the same as cost per lead, CPL
CPM
cost per thousand (CPM) is one of the online payment models by which advertisers pay for every 1000 impressions of their advertisement
CPS
one of the types of CPA, a cost per sale (CPS) method allow advertisers to pay whenever a visitor who clicked on their advertisement generates a sale
CPT
on of the types of CPA, a cost per transaction (CPT) method allows advertisers to pay whenever a visitor who clicked on their advertisement generates a transaction or a sale
CPTM
the cost per targeted thousand impressions (CMPT) is the same as CPM but used when referring exclusively to a targeted campaign
Creative
the technology used to create a banner or other type of advertising material
CRM
customer relationship management refers to how a company manages data about its customers
CTA
call to action (CTA) is a marketing message that directs visitors to act in some specific manner such as requesting a brochure
CTR
abbreviation for click through rate; The rate at which viewers click on an advertisement

D

Dark site
a dark website is a pre-made, non-visible website, that can be activated online when a particular crisis occurs
Defaults
term used by ad networks to describe a type of banner that is served to a site when no paying banner is available
Demographics
information regarding the size and characteristics of a particular population of people of interest to advertisers such as their age, sex, income, education, etc.
Direct Marketing
the process by which an advertiser sends their advertising message directly to their customers or potential customers
Direct Response
a type of advertisement that allows recipients to respond directly to the sender to order a product/service or get more information
DMA
Direct Marketing Association is a trade association for advertisers and marketers
DNS
a Domain Name Server is a computer on the internet that helps to translate domain names into IP addresses
Domain Name
the part of an internet address including and immediately preceded by the domain extension

E

End Date
the date on which an advertising campaign ends

F

Flash
software plug-in that enables browsers to play multimedia animations
Flight
the period of time in which one or more commercials air, typically used to determine any type of advertising
Forced Click
type of click through that is forced upon a visitor without their consent
Frequency
a term used to describe the number of times the same advertisement is shown to the same visitor during a particular session or time frame

G

Geotargeting
showing ads or content based on the physical location a user is accessing the Internet from
GIF
the graphical interchange format is a graphical file extension

H

Hit
a term used by webmasters that refers to a request made to a web server for a page, graphic, audio or sound file
Hot Linking
process by which one links to an image stored on one site yet it appears on one or more other sites
House Ads
a type of banner advertisement that a web site publisher runs in an ad space when no paying advertisement is available to fill the space
HTML
Hyper Text Markup Language is a computer programming language that helps control the format of a document’s content and design on the world wide web
Hyperlink
HTML code that when clicked on redirects ones browser to another web page

I

Impressions
the number of times a banner ad was requested and presumably seen by users
Insertion Order
an online or printed document that specifies the details of an advertising campaign
Internet
from the term internetworking, the internet is made up of multiple interconnected networks connected using the TCP/IP protocol
Inventory
the number of ad spaces available for sale on a web site during a certain time frame
IP address
the numeric address that is translated into a domain name by a domain name server
Island Position
an advertisement that is completely surrounded by editorial material with no adjoining advertisements to compete for the audience’s attention

J

Java
a programming language, created by Sun Microsystems, that enables developers to write software on one platform and run it on another
JavaScript
a cross-platform, object-based scripting language developed by Netscape for client and server applications
JPEG
Joint Photographic Experts Group, is a graphics format which displays photographs and graphic images with millions of colors
Jump Page
special entrance page to a site

K

Keyword
a word or phrase entered into a search engine in an effort to get the search engine to return matching and relevant results
Keyword Density
the measurement of how frequently any given keyword appears within a web page

L

Landing Page
the page on a website where one is taken after clicking on an advertisement
Lead
term used to describe a person or company that has expressed interest in an offer
Lead Product
a type of product, may be sold at a loss, that is used to help companies generate new customers
Life Time Value
term used to describe the monetary value of a customer to a company over the customer’s lifetime
Line Item
a unit of advertising that is sold by the publisher to the advertiser

M

Make Goods
adjustments made by a publisher to an advertiser to make up for a shortfall in contracted ad impressions or errors
Malvertising
the use of online advertising to spread malware
Media Kit
information offered to potential advertisers by publishers to help advertisers understand the publisher’s rates, visitor demographics, terms, etc.
Mind Share
the amount of attention required by something and the time spent thinking about something
Monetization
the way or ways in which money is generated from a process, resource or service

N

Netiquette
the dos and don’ts of online behavior
Newbie
a term to describe someone new to the internet
Niche
that part of market consisting of those people most likely to be interested in a product or service you are selling

O

Opt In
a process where a user voluntarily agrees to start receiving email, usually commercial, about a topic of interest
Opt Out
a process where a user voluntarily agrees to stop receiving email, usually commercial, about a topic of interest

P

Page View
occurs when a user’s browser requests a webpage
Pay Per Click
an online payment model where advertisers pay for each click through made on their investment
Pay Per Impression
online payment models where advertisers pay for every 1000 impressions of their advertisement
Pitch
when an advertising agency attempts to win the representation of its client usually by making a presentation as to how they could best advertise their client’s products or services
Platform
the type of computer or operating system on which a software application is designed to operate on
Point of Purchase
point of purchase (POP) usually refers to the area in a store where the consumer is completing their purchase
Pop Up
a type of advertisement that is automatically displayed in a second smaller browser window upon loading or unloading a normal web page
Portal
a web site that offers so many resources that a visitor has little reason to go to another site for more information
PPC
pay per click (PPC) is a method by which advertisers’ ads show for free and only pay for clicks on their ads
Preemptive
advertising that explains to customers a company’s business processes undertaken in order to deliver high quality products or services
Product Placement
the prominent display of commercial products in films, TV shows and video games
Proxy Server
a web server between a website and a user’s browser that is used to cache frequently accessed data from a website so that it may be accessed quicker
Psychographics
identification of personality characteristics and attitudes that affect a person’s lifestyle and purchasing behaviors
Publisher
this is the web site operator, also referred to as an Affiliate or Partner

R

Rank
a website or advertisement’s standing in comparison to other websites or advertisements
Rate Card
the published rates and ad space availability for a particular media such as a website or magazine
Reach
the number of unique visitors that visited a site over the course of the reporting period, expressed as a percent of the universe for the demographic category
Real Time
a term used to describe immediate results
Referring Page
the web page that a visitor was previously at before arriving to the current page as a result of clicking a hyperlink on the previous web page
Regional
often used to describe web page requests that originated from a similar geographical area
Registration
a process by which visitors to a web site are either requested or required to register certain details about themselves in order for complete access to the site
Remnant Space
advertising space that remains unsold right before it is about to be used and thus often sold at a discount at the last minute
Request
the attempt by one’s browser to retrieve a page, including page elements such as a banner advertisement, from a server on the internet
Return Visits
the number of times the same visitor returns to a site over a set period of time
RFP
a request for proposal (RFP) is a term that may be used by an advertiser that is requesting some type of advertising arrangement
RFQ
a request for quotation (RFQ) is a term that may be used by an advertiser that is requesting a price for placing advertisements
Rich Media
a type of advertisement technology that often includes richer graphics, audio or video within the advertisement
Right Hand Read
ad placed on the right hand side of a page on the right page
Roadblock
an ad roadblock provides an advertiser with the ability to “own” 100% of the page views on an online ad network, blog, website, or other online property for a specified period of time
ROC
run of category (ROC) means a banner will appear anywhere within a category on a website or ad network
ROI
return on investment (ROI) is the process used to determine whether the monetary benefits from an expenditure, such as an advertising campaign, are above or below the amount of money spent on the campaign
RON
run of network (RON) means a banner will appear on any page of any site that is part of an ad network
ROS
run of site (ROS) means a banner will appear anywhere on a website as opposed to run of category which would appear only on pages within a specific category
Rotation
a banner that is in rotation on a page or group of page, will not be the only banner shown when any of the pages are reloaded
RSS
really simple syndication (RSS) is a lightweight XML format designed for sharing headlines and other web content

S

SEM
search engine marketing (SEM) is the practice of promoting a website through a search engine
SEO
search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of promoting a website through a search engine’s organic listings
Session
a series of page requests by a visitor without 30 consecutive minutes of inactivity
Shockwave
a software plug in that enables browsers to play multimedia animations
Skyscraper
a type of ad unit that is much taller than it is wide
Slogan
a short, memorable advertising phrase that often appears in advertisements
Snail Mail
a term for traditional land and air mail services
Soft Sell
technique of using low pressure appeals in advertisements to generate a sale or response
Spam
the sending of unsolicited emails or news group posts in bulk often containing commercial advertising messages
Spider
a software program that automatically follows links on the world wide web
Splash Page
also known as a “jump page”, a splash page is a special entrance page to a site
Split-Run
the testing process of sending the same advertisement to two or more groups with different headlines or copy to determine effectiveness of each
Sponsorships
a form of advertising in which an advertiser pays to sponsor a section of a website
Standards
a set of voluntary standards created by the Interactive Advertising Bureau for online advertisement sizes, dimensions and names
Start Date
the date on which an advertising campaign starts
Statistics
the records that an ad serving software keeps each time it serves an ad and the ad is clicked on
Sticky
a term used to describe a website on which visitors stay at for longer than normal
Subliminal
subliminal persuasion is the use of an advertising message presented below the presence of consciousness

T

Tag Line
a slogan or phrase that conveys the most important product attribute or benefit that the advertiser wishes to convey
Targeted
refers to advertisements that are aimed, on the basis of demographic analysis, at one specific subsection of the market
Testimonial
a statement, often given by a celebrity or satisfied customer, affirming the value of a product, event or service
Traffic
general term used to describe a quantity of requests for web pages or other downloadable content by website visitors

U

Unique Visitors
a term used to describe the total number of visitors to a site over a certain time period
Up Sell
the process of making an additional offer for related products/services to a customer after they have committed to a sale but before they have completed the transaction

V

Virual
type of advertising, usually online, that encourages viewers to pass along the ad or link to it, to others
Virual Marketing
advertising that propagates itself by a web visitor’s use of a websites feature or service
Visit
a series of page requests by a visitor without 30 consecutive minutes of inactivity
Volume Discount
a price discount often offered to advertisers willing to commit to a certain quantity of page impressions at a certain rate

W

Web Page
a document that can contain text, graphics, sound or video and displayed in a browser window accessible on the world wide web
Web Server
a computer connected to the internet for the purpose of serving a website’s web pages to visitors on the world wide web
Web Site
a collection of hyperlinked web pages organized at the same domain name
Webcasting
a process where sound and/or video is broadcast online
Webmaster
a term used loosely to describe an individual assigned to administering a website