The media buying and planning landscape is filled with technical jargon and acronyms, creating a complex environment for newbies and veterans alike. We’re here to help with a glossary of common terms for media buyers and planners. These terms are fundamental to understanding and successfully navigating the industry.
Media Buying Glossary
Conversion: An action that a user takes, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading a whitepaper.
Cookieless tracking: The practice of tracking users without using cookies.
Cost per acquisition (CPA): The cost of an advertising campaign that results in a single conversion.
Cost per lead (CPL): The cost of an advertising campaign that results in a single lead.
Cost per click (CPC): This is the cost of an ad campaign that results in 1,000 clicks.
Cost per thousand impressions (CPM): This is the cost of an ad campaign that reaches 1,000 people.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): A software platform that helps businesses manage customer data, such as contact information, purchase history, and preferences.
Click-through rate (CTR): This is the percentage of people who see an ad and click on it.
Data-driven marketing: The use of data to inform all aspects of a marketing campaign, from planning to execution.
Demand-side platform (DSP): A software platform that allows advertisers to buy digital advertising space.
Display advertising: A type of advertising that uses images, text, or videos to promote a product or service.
Data Management Platform (DMP): A software platform that helps advertisers collect, store, and manage first-party and third-party data.
Effective frequency: The number of times that an ad must be seen by a person before it has a desired effect.
Engagement: A measure of how well an ad or marketing campaign interacts with its target audience.
First-party data: Data that is collected directly from consumers, such as through surveys, email signups, or social media interactions.
Frequency capping: The practice of limiting the number of times that an ad is shown to a single person.
Frequency planning: The process of determining how often an ad should be shown to a target audience.
Geotargeting: The practice of showing ads to people who are located in a specific geographic area.
Gross rating points (GRP): This is a measure of the total reach and frequency of an advertising campaign.
Keyword targeting: The practice of showing ads to people who are searching for specific keywords.
Long-tail keywords: Keywords that are less popular but have a higher conversion rate.
Machine Learning: A type of AI that allows systems to learn from data without being explicitly programmed.
Media buyer: A person who buys ad space on behalf of advertisers.
Media cost: The total amount of money that an advertiser spends on a media campaign.
Media mix modeling: A statistical technique that is used to estimate the impact of different media channels on a marketing campaign.
Media mix: The combination of different media channels that are used in an advertising campaign.
Media optimization: The process of improving the performance of a media campaign by making changes to the media mix, targeting, or budget.
Media planning grid: A tool that helps media planners visualize the different media channels that can be used in an advertising campaign.
Media planning: The process of developing and executing a media strategy.
Media strategy: The overall plan for how an advertiser will use media to reach its target audience.
Native advertising: A type of advertising that is designed to blend in with the surrounding content.
Natural Language Processing (NLP): A field of computer science that deals with the interaction between computers and human language.
Programmatic advertising: The use of software to automate the buying and selling of digital advertising.
Programmatic guaranteed: A type of programmatic advertising that guarantees a certain number of impressions or clicks.
Reach: The number of people who are exposed to an advertising campaign at least once.
Retargeting: The practice of showing ads to people who have already visited a website.
Return on ad spend (ROAS): A measure of the amount of money that an advertiser makes from every dollar that it spends on advertising.
Return on investment (ROI): The amount of money that an advertiser makes from a marketing campaign, minus the cost of the campaign.
Rotation: The frequency with which an ad is shown within a given period of time.
Share of voice: The percentage of advertising in a particular medium that is devoted to a particular brand.
Target audience: The specific group of people that an advertiser is trying to reach with its marketing message.
Targeted advertising: The practice of showing ads to people who are most likely to be interested in them.
Targeted content: Content that is specifically tailored to a particular audience.
Third-party data: Data that is collected from third-party sources, such as data brokers or social media platforms.
Upfronts: The annual market where media buyers and sellers negotiate ad rates for the upcoming season.
Video advertising: A type of advertising that uses videos to promote a product or service.
Yield management: The process of optimizing the price of ad space based on factors such as demand, inventory, and competition.
And there you have it! Understanding these terms is kind of like learning a new language – it might seem a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of it, it feels totally natural. Now that you’ve got these terms under your belt, you’re ready to chat like a pro, make strategic decisions, and really get the most out of your media campaigns. Remember, the media landscape is always changing – there’s always something new around the corner. So, stay curious, keep learning, and most importantly, have fun with it!
