MARKETING LINGO GLOSSARY
Like all industries, advertising and marketing have their own jargon that can be confusing for folks who are unfamiliar with it. We’ve collected the words and phrases that most commonly draw questions from our Addy users and defined them for you so that you can communicate in the ad world like an old pro.
ad specs
Noun
The specifications required for creating an ad for any given media, including sizes and image-quality requirements. Universal ad specs (which Addy uses whenever possible) allow you to use the same ad in lots of other media of the same type: for example, your ad in GQ magazine created to universal specs can be run as-is in Vogue as well.
“Addy supplies clear ad specs for every type of advertising that we offer on our website.”
au-di-ence de-mo-graph-ics
Noun
Measurable characteristics, such as age, gender and income level, that apply to the consumers of a given type of advertising.
“Addy supplies you with the audience demographics for all kinds of advertising to help you identify the media that will be most effective at reaching your target audience.”
call to ac-tion
Noun
plural noun: calls to action
A clear request or instruction, contained in advertising material, directed to potential customers.
“‘Bring this postcard to receive a special discount’ is a popular call to action used by many direct-mail marketers.”
check-ing cop-y
Noun
plural noun: checking copies
A checking copy is an issue of a magazine that a publisher provides to an advertiser, with the advertiser’s ad in place, as proof of publication.
“Addy sends each of their magazine advertisers two free checking copies—and they can purchase more if they’d like.”
click
Noun
plural noun: clicks
An instance of a potential customer choosing to view your ad content on their computer, tablet, or phone.
“Addy will provide you with the total number of clicks submitted over the course of your online campaign.”
click-through rate
Noun
plural noun: clicks-through rates
The ratio of clicks to impressions over the course of your online ad campaign. A higher click-through rate is a good thing.
“Sometimes, changing the artwork on an ad can dramatically improve the click-through rate.”
coun-ter card
Noun
plural noun: counter cards
A customer-focused display sign designed to be used in the public space of a business, at a check-in space or payment location, for example.
“The first time you purchase a magazine ad at Addy, we’ll send you a free counter card featuring your business ‘as seen in’ the magazine you selected. (You can always buy more counter cards from Addy.)”
ed-i-to-ri-al ca-len-dar
Noun
plural noun: editorial calendars
The publisher’s plan for the topics and features that will appear in each edition of a magazine over the course of a given year.
“Addy publishes editorial calendars for all of the magazines we offer so that advertisers can plan their marketing strategy.”
i-mage re-sol-u-tion
Noun
plural noun: editorial calendars
The publisher’s plan for the topics and features that will appear in each edition of a magazine over the course of a given year.
“Addy publishes editorial calendars for all of the magazines we offer so that advertisers can plan their marketing strategy.”
im-pres-sion
Noun
plural noun: impressions
A single instance of your ad being seen by a potential customer. With some media, like online advertising, each ad generates one impression. With others, like a billboards or magazines, your ad is likely to be seen by more than one person at a time, so the number of impressions is estimated.
“At Addy, you can purchase online advertising by choosing your desired number of impressions during a certain time frame.”
out of home ad-vert-is-ing
Noun
The advertisements that consumers see in public spaces, such as on billboards, taxi tops, on screens in lobbies or elevators, or in transit centers. Often shortened to “OOH.”
“Addy offers digital out-of-home advertising, a medium that’s faster to launch and typically more affordable than traditional OOH.
post-al route
Noun
plural: postal routes
Postal routes are smaller sub-groups within zip codes, designated by 9-digit postal codes. Sending direct mail by choosing specific postal routes allows marketers to choose a very local area to receive their mailings. Also known as carrier routes.
“Addy allows direct mail marketers to send full-color postcards to any of thousands of postal routes across the country.”
pro-gram-mat-ic on-line ad-ver-tis-ing
Noun
This type of digital marketing campaign allows an advertiser to target specific consumers who will be most receptive to their ads, based on their online behavior, rather than simply on the types of websites those consumers are likely to visit. Also known as “audience-targeted advertising.”
“Addy offers programmatic online advertising powered by Google Ads.”
proof of per-form-ance
Noun
plural noun: proofs of performance
Information providing evidence that your ad campaign ran as requested, sometimes accompanied by data regarding impressions and audience over the course of your campaign.
“Addy users who run online campaigns can check for proof of performance daily on their online dashboards.”