A

Ad Display/ Ad Delivery:

When an ad is successfully displayed on a digital screen.

Ad Download:

When a server successfully delivers the ad onto the user's browser. Ads can be requested, but aborted or abandoned before actually being downloaded to the browser.

Address:

A unique identifier for a computer or site online.

Ad Exchange:

An open, bid marketplace where premium publishers and ad networks sell their remnant/unsold inventory to advertisers.

Ad Extensions:

Ad extensions are features that may be appended to the end of a search ad, which allow a brand to promote certain information upfront such as an address, phone number, links to other pages of a website, or a special offer.

Ad Network:

An aggregator or broker of advertising inventory for many different publishers.

Ad Recall:

A measure of a consumer's likeliness to remember a brand.

Ad Request:

The request a browser makes for the ad to be sent from the ad server.

Ad Server:

A technology platform that allows for the coding, management and tracking of all digital campaigns.

Ad Serving:

The delivery of an ad by a server to a user's computer.

Affiliate Marketing:

A cost-per-action revenue share model between advertisers, publishers and the network.

Affinity Marketing:

Advertising a brand to consumers based on their established buying history.

Android:

Google's mobile operating system.

Animated GIF:

An animation created by combining multiple GIF images in one file.

App Ad Extensions:

Search ads that have a promotional call-out for a mobile or tablet app, which are appended to the end, underneath the URL.

Attribution:

A reporting model that allows marketers to understand a consumer's path to conversion and apply ROI to multiple channels or touch-points.

Audience Targeting:

A combination of contextual, demographic, geographic, behavioral and retargeting tactics.

B

Banner:

A common form of digital advertising that utilizes a graphic image, or other media object, to promote a brand on a website.

Behavioral Targeting:

Following consumers' online habits (clicks, frequency and time spent), a brand's message is delivered when a visitor demonstrates the desired behaviors associated with the brand.

Billboard:

A 970x250 pixel banner.

Brand Awareness:

A measure of how well consumers are able to identify and recall a brand.

Browser:

A software program that requests, downloads, caches and displays a webpage.

Blind Ad Network:

An ad network that does not share the list of publishers it works with.

C

Call Ad Extension:

Search ads that drive consumers to call a brand directly. When served on a desktop or laptop, a phone number is provided, and when served on a mobile device, a click-to-call button is provided.

Channel:

Avenues that are used to make products available.

Clicks:

A measure of actions taken on a link, whereby a consumer is directed from one page or ad to another.

Clickthrough Rate:

The ratio of clicks on an ad to the number of impressions served.

Communication Ad Extension:

Search ads that have a one-step form appended to the end, underneath the URL. They allow consumers to sign up for alerts, updates and offers directly at the ad level, without being directed away from their original search query.

Companion Ad:

A banner or ad that is shown on the same webpage while a video is playing.

Connect Rate:

The ratio of visits to a landing page versus clicks on a banner.

Container Tag:

A snippet of web code added to a webpage, which enables actions such as visits, conversions and purchase information to be recorded. It also contains functionality to piggyback other snippets of web code.

Content Integration:

Advertising woven into a publisher's editorial content.

Content Syndication:

A method where a brand's assets (whitepapers, webinars or videos) are dispersed through a network of websites. To access the brand's assets, prospective consumers complete a gated registration form. The registration data is then sent to the brand as a lead.

Contextual Targeting:

Delivers the brand message on webpages containing content that is specified by the advertiser as relevant or desirable.

Conversions:

The number of consumers that responded to a campaign's call to action. Conversions are typically form completes or other high value engagements.

Conversion Rate:

The ratio of conversions recorded versus visits to the landing page.

Cookie:

A small program code that is stored on a browser to track web history, saved passwords and links.

Cost-Per-Action (CPA):

The cost for each recorded action. An action may be a lead, sale, conversion, or any other metric agreed upon.

Cost-Per-Click (CPC):

The cost for each recorded click.

Cost-Per-Conversion:

The cost for each conversion recorded.

Cost-Per-Sale:

The cost for each recorded sale.

Cost-Per-Thousand Impressions (CPM):

The price to purchase 1,000 impressions. It is the standard pricing model used across media channels.

D

Dedicated Email:

A custom email that is sent to a publisher's list of subscribers on behalf of a brand.

Deduplicated Audience:

The number of unique individuals that visit a webpage, or see a brand's message, within a specified timeframe.

Demand Side Platform (DSP):

A technology platform that automatically reads, scores then bids on impressions in real time for an advertiser within the exchanges.

Demographics:

Quantifiable statistics of a given population, such as age, gender and household income.

Demographic Targeting:

Using registration data, survey data

or third party data, an ad is delivered to target individuals based on their demographic profiles. Some common demographic data include gender, age, and education level.

Display:

A common form of digital advertising that utilizes a graphic image, or other media object, to promote a brand on a website. Banner advertising is now referred to as display.

E

Expandable Banner:

Banners, that when click upon or hovered over by a mouse, expand to a larger size.

F

Fixed Rate:

A hard cost set by a vendor, often used for sponsorships, content syndication, and other premium media placements.

Flash Banners:

Banners that are created with Adobe Flash.

Floating Ads:

Banners that appear over the content of a webpage.

Follower:

Twitter users who subscribe to another Twitter account.

Frequency:

The number of times an ad is delivered to a unique browser, and hopefully a consumer, within a given timeframe.

Frequency Cap:

Restrictions placed on the number of times an ad is delivered to a unique browser, and hopefully, a consumer.

Full Banner:

A 468x60 pixel banner.

G

Geo-Targeting:

An ad targeted based on a user's specific location

Graphic Interchange Format (GIF):

Any combination of static or animated imagery created in a .gif format.

H

Half Page Banner:

A 300x600 pixel banner.

Home Page:

The page designated as the main point of entry to a website.

Host:

Also known as a server, a host is a computer which distributes files that are shared across a LAN, WAN or the Internet.

I

IAB Rising Stars:

A collection of newly popular media placements, recognized by the IAB, that have been given standardized specifications for media vendors to follow.

Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB):

A non-profit digital advertising trade association. See iab.net for more details.

Impression:

The number of times a brand's ad is served on a webpage.

In-Banner Videos:

Videos that play within a standard banner.

Inferred Data:

Data gleaned from click, cookie, survey or other inferred information.

Insertion Order:

A legally binding sales agreement between a brand and a media vendor for the purchase of media space.

In-Stream:

Ads that are auto-played within publishers' digital video content.

Interstitial Ads:

Ads that serve before a webpage loads.

iOS:

Apple's mobile operating system.

IP Address:

An internet protocol numerical address that is assigned to each computer in order to track its usage and location.

K

Key Performance Indicators:

The metrics used to gauge a digital campaign's success.

L

Large Rectangle:

A 336x280 pixel banner.

Lead:

Identifying data (name, address, email, phone number) captured by an advertising program. Leads represent prospective customers.

Leaderboard:

A 728x90 pixel banner.

Lead Generation:

The generation of consumer inquiry requests for a specific product or asset.

Like:

A method of feedback created by Facebook for users to show their affinity for a page, comment, photo or other content across the web.

Local Ad Network:

An aggregator and broker of regional websites.

Location Ad Extension:

Search ads that have an address and phone number appended to the end, underneath the URL. They are typically used to drive consumers offline and into a nearby store.

Look-Alike Modeling:

Finds consumers that display similar behavioral patterns across the Internet as those that have converted for the brand already.

Long Tail Ad Network:

An ad network focused on aggregating and brokering content from comScore's extended list of media properties – sites that are much smaller and less known across the Internet.

M

Medium Rectangle:

A 300x250 pixel banner.

Microsites:

A subpage of a wepage, that stands alone from the rest of the website.

Mid-Roll:

An ad that is delivered mid-stream of an online video, similar to a TV commercial break.

Mobile Advertising:

Advertising displayed on a mobile device.

N

News Feed:

A list of real-time updates on a user's Facebook homepage from friends and pages followed.

Newsletter Sponsorship:

An ad placement within a publisher's newsletter that is sent out to its subscribers. Ad placement include banner ads and text ads.

P

Offer Ad Extension:

Search ads that have a discount offer or coupon appended to the end, underneath the URL.

Overlays:

Banners that appear over the content of a webpage.

P

Page View:

A measure that counts when a webpage is fully loaded.

Peelbacks:

Rich media ads that when clicked upon or rolled over, unveil themselves across the content of a page, as if the click was turning a page in a book.

Pencil:

Also known as a portrait ad, is a 970x90 pixel banner.

Pixel:

A single picture element (1x1 units) used for image display. It is also enables third party tracking code.

Pop-Ups:

Ad units that open in a new web browser window, in front of the window being viewed.

Pop-Unders:

Ad units that open in a new web browser window, behind the window being viewed.

Post-Roll:

An ad that is delivered after viewing an online video.

Portrait:

Also known as a pencil ad, is a 970x90 pixel banner.

Premium Ad Network:

An ad network focused on aggregating and brokering content from comScore's list of the top 100 media properties – most trafficked and well known sites across the Internet.

Pre-Roll:

An ad is delivered prior to the streaming of an online video.

Product Listing Ads (PLAS):

The search ads that have featured products appended to the end, underneath the URL. They are used to highlight products that are already listed under a brand's Google Merchant Center (GMC) account.

Profiling:

The tracking of consumers' demographic and psychographic information in order to build a profile of that consumer.

Publisher:

An individual or organization that prepares, issues, and disseminates content for public distribution or sale via one or more media.

Pushdown:

An expandable banner located at the top of a webpage that expands downward, over the content of the page, when rolled over or clicked.

R

Rails:

Skyscraper style ads that line both the right and left side of a webpage.

Rate Card:

An outline of a media vendor's placements, products and their associated costs.

Reach:

The count of unique users that have visited a webpage within a given timeframe, or a percentage of an audience.

Real-Time:

Data that is tracked and delivered immediately, without any delays.

Real-Time Bidding (RTB):

Bids for impressions or clicks that happen immediately, without any delays.

Re-Direct:

A URL or a page that instantly and automatically directs a user to another page.

Rectangle:

A 180x150 pixel banner.

Referral Url:

The webpage that a user was visiting prior to reaching their current page.

Registration Data:

User defined information that is voluntarily given to a website.

Repeat Visitor:

A unique visitor that has gone to a website two or more times during a specified timeframe.

Retargeting:

Sometimes referred to as remarketing, retargeting re-delivers the brand's message to consumers that have already been exposed to the brand– seen an ad, visited the brand's website, or engaged.

Return on Investment (ROI):

The ratio of net profit versus investment.

Return Visits:

The average number of times a unique user returns to a website within a specific timeframe.