Glossary

A/B Testing – Running two versions of an ad or landing page to see which performs better.

Ad Creative – The visuals and copy (images, video, headlines, text) that make up an ad.  Check out our ad creative specifications here.

Audience Targeting – Directing ads to specific groups of people based on demographics, location, or behaviors.

Call to Action (CTA) – A prompt that encourages users to take action (“Buy Now,” “Learn More”).

Click-Through Rate (CTR) – The percentage of people who click on your ad after seeing it.

Connected TV (CTV) – Streaming ads delivered via internet-connected TVs and devices like Roku or Fire Stick.

Conversion – When someone completes a desired action such as making a purchase or filling out a form.

Conversion Rate – The percentage of users who take that desired action out of all who saw the ad.

Cost per Click (CPC) – The amount paid each time someone clicks an ad.

Cost per Mille (CPM) – The cost of 1,000 ad impressions.

Demand-Side Platform (DSP) – Software advertisers use to buy digital ad space programmatically.

Device ID – A unique identifier tied to a user’s mobile device, often used for app tracking and ad targeting.

Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) – Digital ads on public screens like billboards, transit hubs, or malls.

Frequency – How often, on average, a person sees your ad.

Geofencing – Delivering ads to people within a defined geographic area.

Impressions – The number of times your ad is displayed, whether clicked or not.

Lookalike Audience – A group resembling your current customers, built from shared behaviors or traits.

Omnichannel Marketing – Coordinating ad messages across multiple channels (social, display, CTV, etc.).

Over-the-Top (OTT) – Internet-delivered streaming video (Hulu, YouTube TV, Peacock) where ads run.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) – Advertising model where you pay only when someone clicks on your ad.

Pixel – A tiny piece of code placed on a website that tracks user actions (like conversions, page visits, or purchases) and feeds data back to ad platforms for targeting and measurement.

Private Marketplace (PMP) – Invitation-only ad auctions where select advertisers access premium inventory.

Programmatic Advertising – Automated buying and selling of ads using real-time data and algorithms.

Programmatic Guaranteed – A direct deal between buyer and publisher with fixed pricing but delivered programmatically.

Reach – The number of unique people exposed to your ad.

Retargeting – Showing ads to people who’ve already interacted with your brand or website.

Sequential Messaging – Serving ads in a specific order to guide a user along a journey.

Supply-Side Platform (SSP) – Software publishers use to sell ad inventory to buyers.

View-Through Rate (VTR) – The percentage of people who watch a video ad to completion.

Brand Awareness – How familiar your audience is with your company, products, or services.

Brand Lift – A measurement of how advertising improves brand perception (awareness, favorability, purchase intent).

Creative Fatigue – Decline in performance when audiences see the same ad too often.

Evergreen Content – Content that stays relevant over time, not tied to a campaign or event.

Halo Effect – Positive impact that one strong campaign has on a brand’s overall perception.

Native Advertising – Ads designed to blend in with the surrounding content (sponsored articles, in-feed posts).

Social Proof – Reviews, testimonials, or user-generated content that builds audience trust.

Value Proposition – A clear statement that explains why someone should choose your product or service.

Voice of Customer (VoC) – Direct insights from customer feedback used to guide brand and messaging.

Attribution – Assigning credit to the marketing touchpoints that led to a conversion.

Attribution Models – Different methods of credit assignment (first-click, last-click, linear, time-decay).

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) – Improving websites or campaigns to increase conversion rates.

Cross-Device Tracking – Understanding user interactions across devices (CTV → mobile → desktop).

Data-Driven Marketing – Using insights and analytics to guide marketing strategy.

First-Party Data – Data collected directly from your customers (emails, purchase history).

Incrementality – Proving that a campaign drove new conversions beyond what would have happened anyway.

Key Performance Indicator (KPI) – A measurable goal used to track success (CTR, conversions, leads).

Lift Test – An experiment comparing groups exposed vs. not exposed to ads to measure campaign impact.

Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA) – Distributes credit across multiple touchpoints in a customer journey.

Second-Party Data – Data shared directly by a trusted partner.

Statistical Significance – A measure of whether test results are real or due to chance.

Third-Party Data – External, aggregated data used to expand reach.

Unique Visitors – The number of distinct individuals visiting a site over a set period.

UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) – A tag added to URLs to track campaign performance in analytics platforms.

Viewability – Whether an ad had the opportunity to be seen (e.g., 50% visible for at least one second).

B2B (Business-to-Business) – Marketing from one business to another.

B2C (Business-to-Consumer) – Marketing from a business directly to individual customers.

Buyer Persona – A semi-fictional profile of your ideal customer based on research and data.

Buyer Journey – The path a customer takes from awareness → consideration → decision.

Churn Rate – The percentage of customers who stop doing business with you over a given time.

Content Marketing – Creating and distributing valuable content to attract and engage an audience.

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) – The projected total revenue a customer will bring to your business over time.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) – A system for managing customer interactions, sales, and data (e.g., HubSpot).

Demand Generation – Marketing strategies that build awareness and interest in your brand or services.

Demographics – Audience traits like age, gender, income, education, and location.

DMA (Designated Market Area) – Geographic regions defined by Nielsen for TV/CTV ad targeting.

Engagement Rate – How often people interact with content (likes, comments, shares, clicks).

Funnel / Marketing Funnel – The journey from awareness to conversion and loyalty.

Go-to-Market (GTM) – A strategic plan for launching a new product, service, or campaign to the market.

Guerilla Marketing – Creative, unconventional, and low-cost marketing tactics designed to generate buzz.

Influencer Marketing – Partnering with individuals who have large or trusted followings to promote your brand.

Organic – Traffic or engagement that happens naturally, without paid promotion (like search results or unpaid social reach).

Open Rate – Percentage of people who open an email.

Retention – Efforts to keep customers engaged and loyal over time.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – Improving content to rank higher in organic search results.

Target Audience – The specific group of people a brand or campaign is aimed at.