Advertising Terminology

Introduction

Here is a list of advertising terms we tend to use and what they mean. I can also be used as a guide to help you understand the words and phrases commonly used in the world of digital advertising

A 

Ad ID (Advertising ID): A unique string of letters and numbers assigned to a mobile device by its operating system (Android or iOS). Ad IDs allow advertisers to track and target mobile users with personalised ads based on their behaviour and interests while allowing users to limit ad tracking and protect their privacy, as they can choose to reset or disable their advertising ID at any time.

Ad Impressions: The number of times an ad is displayed or shown to a user’s screen, regardless of whether the user has actually seen or interacted with the ad in any way. (Also see: Ad Serving)

Ad Inventory: The total amount of advertising space or impressions a digital publisher can sell. In the AVOD and FAST space, this is typically expressed in minutes of advertising, or average minutes of advertising per hour or day.

Ad Serving: The delivery of an ad from an ad server to the end user’s device, where the ads are displayed on a browser or an application.

Ad Targeting: The process of displaying ads to a specific group of people based on demographic, geographical, or behavioural data.

Ad Units: Specific, standardised spaces on a website or app to place an ad. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), a trade association promoting digital ad standards and practices, maintains a set of guidelines for sizing and formatting different types of ad units.

Addressable: The ability to target individual users or devices based on demographic or behavioural data with relevant and personalised ads.

Attribution: The process of identifying which specific marketing efforts led to a conversion. Marketers use different attribution models to assign value to different touch points and calculate ROI.

B

Blocklist: A list of partners or suppliers that can be block from appearing on a channel, usually when a brand wants to avoid association with controversial or inappropriate advertising.

C

Channel: In FAST and AVOD advertising, channels are specific flavors of a brand, segmented to specific groups, most often by OS, device type and platform. A single linear channel may be split up in dozens of different advertising channels to segment the inventory into relevant portions according to the devices and platforms the FAST channel is available on.

Cost per Mille (CPM)/Cost per Thousand: How much it costs to serve 1,000 ad impressions. CPM is used as a standard measure for buying display ads.

D

Demand-Side Platform (DSP): A technology platform that allows advertisers to buy ad space across multiple ad exchanges, ad networks, and other sources through a single interface. DSPs use automation to target specific users and optimise campaigns based on user data.

E

End Point Request: An end point request is an event where an advertising opportunity arises as a viewer is consuming content. This can occur during ad breaks in television programs or when launching on-demand videos with pre-roll ads. Each end point request represents a potential opportunity for an ad to be displayed to the viewer. It is an absolute count of instances where an ad opportunity occurs.

F

Fill Rate: Fill rate is a metric that measures the percentage of ad opportunities (or ad impressions) that are successfully filled with actual ads. It is calculated by dividing the total number of filled ad impressions by the total number of ad opportunities and then converting that into a percentage. Fill rate provides insights into the efficiency of an ad campaign and the utilisation of available ad inventory. A higher fill rate indicates that a larger proportion of ad opportunities are being monetised effectively. Another way to think of this is "average number of ads per ad break". Not to be confused with Pod Fill Rate.

G

Geo-targeting: Delivering ads to a specific group of people based on their location. This can be as broad as a country or as narrow as a city.

H

Header Bidding: An advanced programmatic advertising technique that allows publishers to offer their ad inventory to multiple ad exchanges simultaneously before making calls to their ad servers. This can help publishers maximise their revenue by getting the highest possible bids.

I

Impressions: Impressions refer to the total count of times an advertisement is displayed on a user's screen, regardless of whether the user interacts with the ad or not. Each impression represents a potential opportunity for the ad to be noticed by the audience.

In-Stream Ads: Video ads that play before, during, or after video content on streaming platforms. They can be skippable or non-skippable, and they aim to capture the viewer's attention during a time when they are likely to be engaged.

O

Optimisation: The process of refining and improving advertising campaigns based on performance data. Optimisation involves making adjustments to targeting, creative elements, bidding strategies, and other factors to achieve better results.

P

Pod Fill Rate: The pod fill rate is more in line with the common understanding of fill rate: it is the total ad minutes filled divided by the total ad minutes requested. This is bound by 0 and 1, or 0% and 100%.

Programmatic Advertising: Programmatic advertising refers to the automated buying and selling of ad inventory through technology and algorithms. It streamlines the ad buying process and allows for real-time optimisation based on data and user behaviour.

S

Server Side Ad Insertion (SSAI): A technology used in digital advertising and online video streaming to seamlessly integrate ads into video content by combining them on the server side. SSAI ensures a smoother viewing experience without interruptions when ads are displayed.

T

Target Audience: The specific group of people that an advertising campaign is designed to reach and engage. Identifying and understanding the target audience is crucial for crafting effective messaging and creative elements.