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

A
Above the fold (ATF)
What is automatically viewable on a website. Typically, this refers to the upper half of a website, or any part a website that a user can view without having to scroll down.
A/B TestingA method of comparing two versions of various digital marketing experiences (ad campaigns, email campaigns, websites, apps, etc.) against each other to determine which one performs better. A/B testing is essentially an experiment where two or more variants of a page are shown to users at random, and statistical analysis is used to determine which variation performs better for a given conversion goal.
AddressableA method of targeting where a specific ad is delivered at a household level. The target is determined based on audience data, such as age, income, media preference, presence of children, etc. This term is most often discussed in terms of addressable television, where this type of targeting occurs via set-top box data, making it possible for two households watching the same program to see two different TV spots.
Ad Delivery and Reporting (ADR)The collection or use of data about a browser or device for the purpose of delivering ads or providing advertising-related services, including, but not limited to: providing aspecific advertisement based on a particular type of browser, device, or time of day; statistical reporting, traffic analysis, analytics, optimization of ad placement; ad performance, reach, and frequency metrics (e.g., frequency capping); security and fraud prevention; billing; and logging the number and type of ads served on a particular day to a particular website, application, or device.
Ad ExchangeA platform that connects ad inventory from multiple supply-side platforms and publishers directly with multiple demand-side platforms for real-time bidding auctions to facilitate the buying and selling of ads.
Ad InventoryAll available digital advertising opportunities offered by publishers through supply-side platforms. Advertisers can bid on ad inventory through demand-side platforms. Ad inventory includes all available digital display, video, mobile, in-image, and native units. (Available inventory for a specific campaign line item is frequently referred to as “avails.”) Programmatic ad inventory also includes non-traditional inventory, such as audio ad placements on connected devices, addressable TV, out of home (OOH), and many others.
B
BANNER (A/K/A LEADERBOARD, RECTANGLE, TOWER, SKYSCRAPER)These terms refer to standard ad units. Banner (728X90), Rectangle (300X250) and Tower (160X600).
BELOW THE FOLD (BTF)The lower half of a website or the portion where users must scroll down to view. This part of a website is not automatically viewable.
BEHAVIORAL TARGETINGA method of targeting based on a user’s past online behavior. Behavioral targeting tracks user behaviors such as ads clicked on, searches performed, websites visited and then makes inferences based on these behaviors.
BID FACTORQuestions bidders must answer about their products, services or company. You set weightings for each bid factor, letting bidders know how much value you give to that portion of their bid. Price is by default the first bid factor of any buy or sell event.
BLACKLISTAn aggregate of publisher sites where a buyer does not want their advertiser to appear. Sites may be blacklisted for several reasons including performance, context or brand safety reasons.
BOUNCE RATEPercentage of users that visit a page and then leave the site in a short time frame without visiting any other pages at that site.
BRAND SAFETYControlling a brand’s exposure to content or environments they deem inappropriate or harmful.
C
CLICK-THROUGH RATE (CTR)Formula calculated by the number of clicks divided by the number of impressions (clicks/impressions=click-through rate (CTR)).
COMPLETION RATEFormula calculated by the number of video completions divided by the number of impressions delivered (completions / impressions = completion rate). Completion rate is often used as a metric of success for video campaigns.
CONVERSION RATEThe conversion rate is the percentage of users who take a desired action. The archetypical example of a conversion rate is the percentage of website visitors who buy something on the site.
COOKIEA small piece of data sent from a website and stored on the user’s computer by the user’s web browser while the user is browsing. Cookies were designed to be a reliable mechanism for websites to remember stateful information (such as items added in the shopping cart in an online store) or to record the user’s browsing activity (including clicking particular buttons, logging in, or recording which pages were visited in the past).
COST PER ACTION/ACQUISITION (CPA)Formula calculated by the number of actions divided by media cost. The action is predefined at the beginning of the campaign. CPA is often a metric of success for direct response campaigns and can also be used as a cost model for media purchasing.
COST PER CLICK (CPC)Formula calculated by the number of clicks on an ad, divided by media cost (clicks/cost=CPC). This can be used as a cost model for purchasing media or calculated post-delivery to measure campaign efficiency.
COST PER MILLI (CPM)The rate or price of 1,000 impressions. The formula is calculated by dividing the total number of impressions by 1,000, then dividing the total cost by the result. CPM is a typical cost model for purchasing media.
CREATIVEThe advertising file(s) used in a digital advertising campaign. Common creative types can include images, rich media (animated/interactive), audio files, video files, or a combination of text and images.
Cross-App AdvertisingThe collection of data across applications owned or operated by different entities on aparticular device for the purpose of delivering advertising based on preferences or interests known or inferred from the data collected.
Cross-Device LinkingThe practice of linking two or more devices or browsers used or likely used by the same user, for advertising purposes.
CROSS-DEVICE TRACKINGA method in which platforms and publishers attempt to identify individual users across every device — mobile, tablet, desktop, and apps. This data is used to better understand users’ behaviors online and target or retarget individuals with relevant advertising.
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT (CRM)The tool or tools used by a brand to collect information and manage communication with customers as they progress through the customer lifecycle.
D
DATA ACQUISITONThe process of sampling signals that measure real world physical conditions and converting the resulting samples into digital numeric values that can be manipulated by a computer. Data acquisition systems, abbreviated by the acronyms DAS or DAQ, typically convert analog waveforms into digital values for processing.
DATA CLEANSINGThe process of detecting and correcting corrupt or inaccurate records from a record set, table or database and refers to identifying incomplete, incorrect, inaccurate or irrelevant parts of the data and then replacing, modifying or deleting the dirty or coarse data.
DATA MANAGEMENT PLATFORM (DMP)A platform to collect, organize, and activate first- and third-party audience data from any source, including online, offline, or mobile. DMPs are used by agencies, publishers and brands to tie user information and activity together to optimize media buys. DMPs play a critical role in helping brands perform cross-device tracking and user identification, as well as marrying offline CRM data with actionable online data.
DATA MATCHINGThe process by which companies identify mutual audiences in order to share targeting data and information is called cookie syncing. Matching one user identifier (such as a cookie ID) is appended to another user identifier. This is done so publishers, ad networks and exchanges can merge user information to accurately target audience segments.
DATA ONBOARDINGThe process of transferring offline data to an online environment for marketing needs. Data onboarding is mainly used to connect offline customer records with online users by matching identifying information gathered from offline datasets to retrieve the same customers in an online audience.
DATA OVERLAYThe application of data in addition to other targeting already applied in a campaign. Data overlays allow the advertiser to home in on a specific parameter in order to increase campaign engagement and performance. Examples include adding first party data, demographics, geographic information, and interests.
DATA SEGMENTATIONThe process of taking the data you hold and dividing it up and grouping similar data together based on the chosen parameters so that you can use it more efficiently within marketing and operations.
DATA VALIDATIONThe process of ensuring data have undergone data cleansing to ensure they have data quality, that is, that they are both correct and useful.
DEMAND-SIDE PLATFORM (DSP)A computer-based platform that automates media buying across multiple sources. The DSP provides technology for advertisers to buy ad impressions across a range of publisher sites. The impressions can be targeted to specific users based on information such as location and previous browsing behavior. Publishers make their ad impressions available through marketplaces called ad exchanges and DSPs automatically decide which of those impressions make the most sense for an advertiser to buy.
DETERMINISTIC DATAInformation that has been provided directly by a user, so it is known to be accurate. For example, a user registering on a website and including their date of birth would provide the publisher deterministic data about that user’s age. (Deterministic data is often mentioned in conjunction with probabilistic data, which is data that is inferred, or likely to be true, but not based on information received directly from a consumer.)
DEVICE IDA unique identifier assigned to mobile devices and tablets.
De-Identified DataData that is not linked or intended to be linked to an individual, browser,or device.
DIGITAL FOOTPRINTA trail of data you create while using the Internet. It includes the websites you visit, emails you send, and information you submit to online services.
Device-Identifiable Information (DII)Formerly referred to as “Non-PII,” Device-Identifiable Information (DII) is any data thatis linked to a particular browser or device if that data is not used, or intended to be used, to identify a particular individual. DII may include, but is not limited to, unique identifiers associated with browsers or devices, such as cookie identifiers or advertising identifiers, and IP addresses, where such data is not linked or intended to be linked to PII. DII includes data that is linked to a series of browsers or devices linked through Cross-Device Linking, if that data is not used, or intended to be used, to identify a particular individual. DII does not include De-Identified Data.
DIVERSIFICATIONThe process of expanding business opportunities through additional market potential of an existing product. Diversification may be achieved by entering into additional markets and/or pricing strategies. Often the product may be improved, altered or changed, or new marketing activities are developed.
DYNAMIC CREATIVE OPTIMIZATION (DCO)A form of programmatic advertising that allows advertisers to optimize the performance of their creative using real-time technology. While the actual optimization approaches may vary, they almost always involve the use of multivariate testing. The DCO process consists of creative development, identification of test variables, definition of the optimization objective, and method of optimization.
E
EFFICIENCYThe ratio of advertising cost to the number of targeted audiences reached through advertising. For example, if the cost of advertising is $1 million and the number of target audiences reached is 100,000 then the advertising efficiency is 1,000,000/100,000 = $10 /person.
EFFECTIVE COST PER MILLI (eCPM)This term gets more specific and shows the cost of ad inventory based on the amount of impressions that were actually shown/paid. Here is the formula to determine this amount: eCPM = Revenue/ (Paid Imps/1000)
EFFECTIVENESSHow well a company’s advertising accomplishes its intended goal. There are many different statistics or metrics to measure their advertising effectiveness. These measurements can be used for all types of advertising, including television, radio, direct mail, Internet and even billboard advertising. A company’s advertising effectiveness usually increases over time with many messages or exposures.
ENDEMIC ADVERTISINGPlacing advertisements on websites that are directly related to the business type.
F
FEDERATED EXCHANGEA federated exchange links to other exchanges (called upstream exchanges). Messages published to upstream exchanges are copied to the federated exchange, as though they were published directly to it. The upstream exchanges do not need to be reconfigured and they do not have to be on the same broker or in the same cluster.
FLIGHTThe lifetime of a campaign (e.g. how long a campaign runs on a site).
FREQUENCY CAPThe maximum number of times a specific user is to be shown a particular ad within a specified timeframe. Frequency caps vary by campaign but tend to range from three to five exposures per day.
FIRST-PARTY DATAInformation collected by brands and websites about their site visitors or customers. Companies who have first-party data can use this data to communicate directly with the people they collected it from. First-party data may include names, addresses, phone numbers, site-interaction data and information about products purchased. First- party data is the most valuable type of data because of its accuracy and because it is proprietary.
FIRST-PRICE AUCTIONA first-price auction is a mechanism for determining the cost of an impression. The highest bidder wins the impression at the CPM they offered.
FREQUENCY CAPAn established limit to the number of times an ad campaign, tag or ad size can be shown to an individual user.
G
GEOFENCINGThe method of determining the geolocation of a website visitor and delivering different content to that visitor based on their location. This includes country, region/state, city, metro code/zip code, organization, IP address, ISP or other criteria.
GEOTARGETINGThe method of determining the geolocation of a website visitor and delivering different content to that visitor based on their location. This includes country, region/state, city, metro code/zip code, organization, IP address, ISP or other criteria.
H
HEALTH CARE PROVIDERA licensed person or organization that provides healthcare services.
I
IMPRESSIONThe point in which an ad is viewed once by a visitor or displayed once on a web page. The number of impressions of an advertisement is determined by the number of times the particular page is located and loaded.
Interest-Based Advertising (IBA)The collection of data across web domains owned or operated by different entities forthe purpose of delivering advertising based on preferences or interests known or inferred from the data collected.
IDENTITY GRAPH (ID GRAPH)A database that stores all identifiers that are associated with an individual customer (including email, username, phone number, IP address, cookies, physical address, etc.). ID graphs provide you with the demographic, geographic, behavioral, purchase and other crucial data about a customer that you can use to enhance customer experience.
IFRAMESAn HTML document embedded within another HTML document that allows content from another source to appear on a web page.
INSERTION ORDER (IO)A purchase order issued between a seller of advertising and a buyer that is commonly the last step in the ad proposal process. An insertion order will contain details such as dates, number of impressions, creative type or ad size, and other campaign-specific details.
INTERNET PROTOCOL ADDRESS (IP ADDRESS)An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing.
K
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR (KPI)The metric identified as the definition of success for a campaign. This is the metric the campaign will be optimized around and the primary metric focused on when discussing reporting and performance.
L
LINE ITEMUnit of advertising sold by the publisher to the advertiser that specifies details of the sale (site, size, cost, dates, etc.).
M
MACHINE LEARNING TECHNOLOGYThe scientific study of algorithms and statistical models that computer systems use to effectively perform a specific task without using explicit instructions, relying on patterns and inference instead. It is seen as a subset of artificial intelligence.
MEDIA BUYINGTaking a commercial, newspaper or digital ad, or other sales message and getting it viewed by the intended audience.
MOBILE DEVICESA computing device small enough to hold and operate in the hand (e.g. cell phones, smartphones, Tablets, smartwatches, etc.)
N
NATIVE ADVERTISINGA form of paid media where the ad experience follows the natural form and function of the user experience in which it is placed. Native ads match the visual design of the experience they live within and look and feel like natural content. They must behave consistently with the native user experience and function just like natural content.
NON-HUMAN TRAFFIC (NHT)A form of ad fraud, NHT is website traffic that is not generated by humans. Also known as invalid traffic, or bot traffic, non-human traffic is generated by malicious entities seeking to secure media dollars being spent by DSPs on fake or otherwise spoofed web traffic.
O
OPTIMIZATIONThe process of improving the marketing or advertising efforts of an organization to maximize the desired business outcomes.
OVER-THE-TOP (OTT)The delivery of video, audio, and other streaming media over the internet through connected devices, gaming consoles, set-top boxes, and other distribution channels. In short, OTT encompasses media entities that do not distribute through a cable or satellite network and instead offer content directly to consumers through apps, websites, and devices. Popular OTT providers include Hulu, Roku, Amazon Video, Netflix, and Apple TV.
OVERLAY ADAlso referred to as Interstitial, an ad format that covers all or some of a website’s content with an advertisement usually on a semi-transparent background. Overlay ads disappear after a specified number of seconds or when the user chooses to close the advertisement (with a “Skip this ad” or “X” button). Overlay ads can be displayed on top of images, video, or text.
Opt-In ConsentAn affirmative action taken by an individual that manifests the intent to opt in.
Opt-Out MechanismAn easy-to-use mechanism by which individuals may exercise choice to disallow Personalized Advertising with respect to a particular browser or device.
P
PACINGThe process of tracking and optimizing elements of your digital advertising campaigns in order to control the rate at which the campaigns spend.
PAGEVIEWAnytime a webpage loads, a pageview is created. The more pageviews a website has the more impressions it will have an opportunity to sell.
PASSBACK TAG (DEFAULT TAG)When an ad partner chooses to pass on the opportunity to capture or serve an ad impression, they ‘default’ the opportunity to serve an ad. The tag that’s called during that default process is referred to as a passback tag.
PERSISTANT IDENTIFIER (PI)A long-lasting reference to a document, file, web page, or other object. The term “persistent identifier” is usually used in the context of digital objects that are accessible over the Internet. Typically, such an identifier is not only persistent but actionable: you can plug it into a web browser and be taken to the identified source.
PIXELIn digital imaging, a pixel or picture element is a physical point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable element in an all points addressable display device; so, it is the smallest controllable element of a picture represented on the screen.
PERSONALIZATIONUsing data points — insights into who a customer is — to increase an ad’s relevancy. These can be simple insights (such as basic demographic information; or more specific like niche interest, buying intent, and behavioral patterns).
Personalized AdvertisingA collective term for Interest-Based Advertising, Cross-App Advertising, and Retargeting, as well as any combination of these practices.
Personal Directory DataCalendar, address book, phone/text log, or photo/video data (including any associated metadata), or similar data created by a user that is stored on or accessed through a device.
PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION (PII)Any data that could potentially identify a specific individual. Any information that can be used to distinguish one person from another and can be used for de-anonymizing anonymous data can be considered PII.
POST CLICK CONVERSIONSA conversion that occurs after a user has clicked on an ad.
POST VIEW CONVERSIONSA conversion where the user has previously been delivered an impression but not clicked on it.
PRICE FLOORThe minimum acceptable CPM for inventory in an auction, set by the publisher.
PRIVATE EXCHANGEA private exchange is the ability to transact a digital spend in a one-to-one relationship between a publisher and an advertiser. The transaction is programmatic, but a specific opportunity has been established in advance, such as audience or areas of a site. Private exchanges offer more transparency and control based on predetermined standards.
PRIVATE MARKETPLACEA private marketplace is an exclusive invitation-only auction where a publisher and buyer execute a negotiated deal on specific inventory that runs programmatically. PMPs target specialized pools of inventory and/or audiences and are offered to buyers through unique identifiers known as deal IDs.
PROBABILISTIC DATAData created about a user that is likely to be true, usually derived from inferred behavior or statistical models that determine the likelihood of a user to match that criteria based on users that have other similar known attributes.
PROGRAMMATIC ADVERTISINGAutomated bidding on advertising inventory in real time, for the opportunity to show an ad to a specific customer, in a specific context.
Precise Location DataInformation that describes the precise geographic location of a device derived through any technology that is capable of determining with reasonable specificity theactual physical location of an individual or device, such as GPS-level latitude-longitude coordinates or location-based Wi-Fi triangulation.
PUBLISHERAn independent party that promotes products and services of an advertiser in exchange for a commission on leads or sales.
Q
QUARTERLY BUSINESS REVIEW (QBR)A once-per-quarter meeting with your customer.
R
RATE CARDA pre-set list of prices established by a publisher or reseller for different advertising inventory. Inventory is typically segmented by various classifications on a rate card.
Reach
REAL-TIME BIDDING (RTB)A mechanism of media buying that falls underneath the programmatic umbrella. RTB is a standard protocol through which buyers and sellers hold auctions for advertising inventory.
REMNANT INVENTORYInventory available on a publisher’s website that has not been sold directly by their sales team. With the advent of programmatic advertising, the inventory playing field has been leveled thanks to sophisticated targeting
RetargetingThe practice of collecting data about a browser’s or device’s activity in one unaffiliated web domain or application for the purpose of delivering an advertisement based on that data in a different, unaffiliated web domain or application.
RE-TARGETING PIXELAn identifier (cookie) that gets dropped on a user when they are browsing a participating web page. These cookies track online behavior and allow for more targeted ads that are specific to the user.
RETURN ON AD SPEND (ROAS)The total revenue generated for a specific marketing channel divided by the total spend on that channel. Here’s the formula: (Revenue/Spend) =Return on Ad Spend.
RETURN ON IVESTMENT (ROI)Measures the gain or loss generated on an investment relative to the amount of money invested. ROI is usually expressed as a percentage and is typically used for personal financial decisions, to compare a company’s profitability or to compare the efficiency of different investments.
RICH MEDIA ADVERTISEMENTAn animated piece of creative leveraged by brands to enrich the advertising experience within a standard display placement size. This creative type can include interactive elements that allow a user to access additional content, input information, and perform actions within the ad creative itself. Rich media can also enable the creative to appear outside of the initial banner dimensions for a designated period of time. This is called “expandable rich media.” Pharmaceutical companies often add scrolling ISI (important safety information) to rich media banners for branded campaigns.
REAL COST PER MILLI (rCPM)The most accurate view of ad space of the three, this provides the “real” worth because it considers the total impressions that occurred, not just the ones that paid, which is important when determining the value of a space. The formula to determine this amount is: rCPM = Revenue/ (Total Imps/1000).
S
Sensitive Data
Sensitive Data includes:
- Social Security Numbers or other government-issued identifiers;
- Insurence plan numbers;
- Financial account numbers;
- Information about any past, present, or potential future health or medical conditions or treatments, including genetic, genomic, and family medical history based on, obtained or derived from pharmaceutical prescriptions or medical records, or similar health or medical sources that provide actual knowledge of a condition or treatment (the source is sensitive);
- Information, including inferences, about sensitive health or medical conditionsor treatments, including but not limited to, all types of cancer, mental health-related conditions, and sexually transmitted diseases (the condition or treatment is sensitive regardless of the source);
- Sexual orientation.
SECOND-PARTY DATA First-party data that has been bought directly from a seller/publisher or through a DMP. Second-party data is directly purchased from a single source as verified, first-party data.
SECOND-PRICE AUCTION A second-price auction is a mechanism for determining the price paid by the winning bidder for a piece of inventory in an RTB auction. In a second-price auction, the winner’s CPM is set at one cent higher than the second highest bid placed.
SUPPLY-SIDE PLATFORM (SSP) A technology platform used by digital publishers to manage the sale and fulfillment of their advertising inventory or supply.
T
THIRD-PARTY DATA Third-party data often refers to information gathered from internet interactions. Data-management firms then aggregate information from sites across the web that show similar behaviors or interests and that third-party data is used to categorize people into groups. Third- party data is data acquired from a multitude of sources. The data is used to create consumer segments for targeting ads and marketing messages.
TRACKING PIXEL A small transparent image placed on a website or in an email that tracks user behavior. It is often used in combination with cookies, and may also be referred to as a beacon, conversion tag, or floodlight tag.
TRANSPARENCY Operating in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed. Transparency implies openness, communication, and accountability.
U
USER OPT-OUT The term opt-out refers to several methods by which individuals can avoid receiving unsolicited product or service information.
UNIQUE USER A visitor on a web page for the first time over the course of audience measurement (Typically day, week, month, year).
V
VIEWABILITY (VIEWABLE IMPRESSION) An ad that has the opportunity to be seen by an online user. An impression is considered viewable when at least 50% of the ad was in view for at least one continuous second (banner) or two continuous seconds (video).
Viewed Content Advertising The collection of Viewed Content Information, or the use of such data for the purpose of tailoring advertising based on preferences or interests known or inferred from the data collected.
Viewed Content Information Data about the video content viewed on a television.
VISITOR A user who revisits a webpage, regardless of frequency E.G. if you visit ADFIREHEALTH.com four times in a day you would count as one unique user for that day but 4 visitors or visits.
VOLUMEHow much traffic (impressions/pageviews) a website has over a given period of time. Ad partners will often ask how much volume a publisher is willing to send at a discussed rate.
W
WHITELIST An aggregate of publisher sites that a trader uploads in order to target for either performance, contextual, or brand safety reasons. Engaging in open exchange buying, including on a domain on a whitelist, does not guarantee that you will actually run on that domain, you are simply indicating that you are ok with bidding on impressions coming from that domain.
WIN RATE The percentage of bids won over the number of impressions bid. This is used to gauge competition and adjust bid prices based on bid performance.
Y
YIELD OPTIMIZATIONManagement of digital advertising inventory to increase fill rate and/or CPM paid. Various yield optimization techniques can be applied to increase a publisher’s yield, or revenue per pageview.

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