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B2B Digital Advertising Glossary

Programmatic, ABM, attribution, and everything in between – your plain-English guide to the terms that shape B2B advertising.

A/B Testing

A method of comparing two versions of a webpage, ad, or other digital asset to determine which performs better. For example, testing two ad creatives to see which gets more clicks. This is also referred to as split testing.

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Account Based Advertising (ABA)

A targeted advertising strategy where marketers serve personalised ads to key decision-makers at specific companies. Often used in B2B marketing to reach high-value accounts.

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Account Based Experience (ABX)

An evolved form of ABM that prioritises a unified and personalised experience across the buyer’s entire journey, from awareness through retention.

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Account Based Marketing (ABM)

A B2B marketing strategy that focuses on personalised campaigns to target specific high-value accounts, aligning sales and marketing to close deals more efficiently.

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Ad Exchange

A digital marketplace where advertisers and publishers buy and sell ad space via real-time auctions. It enables programmatic buying and selling of impressions.

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Ad Fraud Prevention

Technologies and strategies used to detect and block invalid traffic, fake clicks, or impression fraud in digital advertising.

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Ad Impression

A metric that counts how many times an ad is served to a user’s device. It doesn’t require the user to interact with the ad.

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Ad Inventory

The total amount of space available for advertisements on a website, app, or network. Publishers sell this inventory through direct deals or programmatic platforms.

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Advertising Technology (Ad Tech)

A broad category encompassing the systems and tools used to manage, deliver, target, and optimise digital advertising. Examples include ad servers, DSPs, SSPs, and DMPs.

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Affiliate Marketing

A performance-based marketing model where individuals or companies earn commissions by promoting another company’s products and driving sales or leads.

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App Tracking Transparency (ATT)

A privacy framework introduced by Apple that requires apps to get user permission before tracking them across other apps and websites. It impacted targeted advertising and attribution on iOS devices.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI)

In ad tech, AI refers to technologies that mimic human intelligence to automate tasks like ad targeting, budget allocation, and performance prediction.

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Attribution Model

A framework for assigning credit to different marketing touchpoints in the customer journey. Common models include first-touch, last-touch, and multi-touch attribution.

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Audience Graph

A data structure that maps relationships and behaviors across digital identifiers (like cookies, devices, emails) to unify user profiles for better targeting.

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Awareness

The top stage of the marketing funnel where the goal is to make potential customers aware of a brand, product, or service through high-reach campaigns.

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Banner Advertisement (Banner Ad)

A rectangular image-based ad that appears on websites, typically in headers, sidebars, or footers, aimed at attracting traffic by linking to the advertiser’s site.

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Behavioral Targeting

A digital marketing technique that uses users’ past online behavior—such as pages visited or products viewed—to serve more relevant ads.

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Bid Price Optimisation

The process of adjusting bids in real time to maximise performance metrics (e.g., clicks, conversions) while minimising ad spend in programmatic advertising.

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Bottom of the Funnel (BOTF)

The final stage in the marketing funnel where leads are close to making a purchase decision. Messaging is focused on conversion, such as promotions or demos.

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Bounce Rate

The percentage of visitors who land on a webpage and leave without taking any further action. A high bounce rate may indicate poor engagement or irrelevant content.

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Brand Awareness / Brand Marketing

Brand awareness is the extent to which consumers recognise a brand. Brand marketing focuses on increasing that recognition and creating positive associations through storytelling and consistent messaging.

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Brand Safety

Practices and technologies that ensure ads don’t appear alongside harmful, inappropriate, or non-brand-aligned content, protecting the advertiser’s reputation.

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Brand Suitability

An evolution of brand safety that ensures ads appear in environments that align specifically with a brand’s values and tone, not just avoiding harmful content.

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Business Development Manager (BDM)

A professional responsible for identifying growth opportunities, developing partnerships, and driving revenue through strategic business initiatives in ad tech or marketing firms.

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Buyer Persona

A semi-fictional representation of a target customer based on market research and real data. Used to tailor marketing and ad strategies to ideal customer profiles.

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California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

A state-level privacy law that gives California residents rights over their personal data, including the ability to opt out of data selling—impacting ad tech compliance practices.

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Call to Action (CTA)

A prompt in advertising or content that encourages users to take a specific action, such as ‘Buy Now’, ‘Learn More’, or ‘Sign Up’.

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Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)

Illegal content involving the abuse of minors. Ad platforms have strict policies to detect and prevent ad placements on pages hosting or linking to CSAM.

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Click / Click-Through

A user interaction with a digital ad that results in opening the advertiser’s landing page. Key performance indicator in digital campaigns.

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Click-Through Rate (CTR)

A metric showing the percentage of users who click on an ad out of the total who viewed it. CTR = (Clicks / Impressions) x 100.

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Connected TV (CTV)

Televisions connected to the internet via apps or devices like Roku, Fire TV, or smart TVs. CTV ads are non-skippable video ads shown during streaming content.

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Consideration Stage

The middle of the marketing funnel where potential customers are evaluating options. Ads aim to educate and highlight competitive advantages.

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Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A network of servers that deliver web content quickly to users based on their geographic location. Used in ad tech to ensure fast ad and page loads.

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Contextual Advertising

Targeting ads based on the content of the web page, not user behavior—e.g., showing sneaker ads on a sports blog. Useful in cookieless environments.

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Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO)

The process of improving a website or landing page to increase the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up.

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Cookie

A small file stored in a user’s browser to track activity. Used in digital advertising for targeting, frequency capping, and attribution.

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Cost Per Action (CPA)

A pricing model where advertisers pay only when a specific action (like a purchase or signup) is completed. Also used as a campaign performance metric.

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Cost Per Click (CPC)

An ad pricing model where the advertiser pays each time a user clicks on their ad. Common in paid search and programmatic campaigns.

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Cost Per Lead (CPL)

A metric and pricing model where advertisers pay based on the number of leads (e.g., signups, form submissions) generated by a campaign.

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Cost Per Mille (CPM)

A common pricing model in digital advertising where advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions, regardless of clicks or actions taken.

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Cost Per Order (CPO)

A performance metric that shows how much it costs an advertiser to acquire an actual order or sale from their ad campaign.

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Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

The total cost of acquiring a new customer, including marketing and sales expenses. It’s a key metric for evaluating ad campaign efficiency.

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Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

The total revenue a business can expect from a single customer over the entire relationship. Helps advertisers decide how much to spend on acquisition.

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Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Software or strategies used to manage interactions with customers and prospects. In ad tech, CRM data can be onboarded to platforms for targeting.

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Data Protection Officer (DPO)

A role required under privacy laws like GDPR responsible for overseeing data protection strategy and compliance in organisations.

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Demand Marketing

Marketing strategies focused on generating awareness and interest in products or services, often through content and performance campaigns that lead to conversions.

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Demand-Side Platform (DSP)

A software platform that allows advertisers to buy digital ad inventory programmatically across multiple publishers via real-time bidding.

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Designated Market Area (DMA)

A geographic region used by marketers and broadcasters to target ads based on Nielsen’s television market boundaries.

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Deterministic Identifiers (Deterministic Ids)

User identifiers based on verified data, such as login credentials or customer records, offering high accuracy in identity resolution.

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Digital Advertising Supply Chain (Digital Supply Chain)

The sequence of platforms and technologies involved in delivering a digital ad from the advertiser to the user. Includes DSPs, SSPs, ad exchanges, and more.

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Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH)

Digitally delivered ads displayed in public spaces like billboards, transit screens, and retail displays. Can be programmatically bought and targeted.

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Display & Video 360 (DV360)

Google’s enterprise-level DSP that enables media planning, buying, and optimisation across display, video, CTV, and more.

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Display Advertising (Display Ads)

Visual ads that appear on websites, apps, or social platforms, often in the form of banners, videos, or rich media. Used for awareness and retargeting.

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Dynamic Ad

An ad that updates content (like price, product, location) in real-time based on user behavior or external data feeds, often used in retargeting.

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Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO)

A technology that automatically assembles and optimises ad creatives in real-time using data signals like location, behavior, or device type.

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Engagement

User interactions with an ad or content, such as clicks, likes, shares, or time spent. Engagement metrics help measure ad effectiveness.

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Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Integrated software systems that manage business operations like finance, HR, and supply chain. In marketing, ERP data may be used to inform targeting.

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Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

The U.S. regulatory body that enforces consumer protection and data privacy laws, including oversight of deceptive advertising practices.

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Firmographics

Descriptive attributes of companies (e.g., industry, size, revenue) used for B2B audience segmentation and targeting.

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First Party Data (1P Data)

Data collected directly by a company from its own audience, such as website behavior, CRM data, or purchase history. Highly accurate and privacy-compliant.

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First-Touch Attribution

An attribution model that gives 100% credit to the first marketing interaction a customer has with a brand, regardless of subsequent actions.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

A section or document that provides clear answers to common customer or user inquiries. Used in onboarding and support.

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Full-Funnel Marketing

A marketing strategy that targets users at all stages of the customer journey—from awareness to conversion to retention—using tailored messaging.

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General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

A European Union regulation that governs data protection and privacy, requiring user consent for data processing and rights to data access.

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Geofencing

A location-based marketing tactic that uses GPS or RFID to trigger ads or notifications when a user enters a predefined geographic area.

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Geotargeting

The practice of delivering ads to users based on their geographic location, often by city, zip code, or country.

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Google Analytics (GA)

A free web analytics tool from Google that tracks website traffic, user behavior, and marketing performance.

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High-Engagement Media (HEM)

Premium media formats that capture strong user attention, such as interactive ads, CTV, or full-screen video. Often command higher CPMs.

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ID5 ID (ID5)

A privacy-first identity solution for cookieless environments that allows advertisers and publishers to identify users without third-party cookies.

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Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

A detailed description of the type of company or customer that would benefit most from your product. Guides B2B marketing and targeting.

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Identity Graph (Id Graph)

A data structure that connects user identifiers across devices and platforms to build a unified customer profile for cross-channel marketing.

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Identity Resolution

The process of connecting multiple identifiers (cookies, device IDs, emails) to a single user profile across channels and devices.

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Incremental Cost per Decisioned Response (ICDR)

A metric that measures the cost of media spent to generate incremental actions (like clicks or conversions) after a decisioning process.

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Insertion Order (IO)

A formal contract between a buyer and seller that outlines the terms of an advertising campaign, including budget, dates, and targeting.

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Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)

An industry organisation that develops technical standards and best practices for digital advertising, including ad formats, privacy, and programmatic.

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Internet Service Provider (ISP)

A company that provides access to the internet. ISPs can affect ad delivery performance and are also used for audience segmentation.

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Key Performance Indicator (KPI)

A measurable value that indicates how effectively a campaign or tactic is achieving its objectives. Examples: CTR, ROAS, conversions.

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Know Your Customer (KYC)

A process of verifying the identity of customers to prevent fraud and comply with regulations. Used in fintech and increasingly relevant in data privacy.

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Landing Page

A standalone web page where users arrive after clicking an ad. Optimised for conversions like sign-ups or purchases.

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Large Language Model (LLM)

An AI model trained on vast text data capable of generating human-like text. Used in ad copy generation, chatbot automation, and more.

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Last-Touch Attribution

An attribution model that gives full credit to the last interaction before a user converts, ignoring earlier touchpoints.

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Lead Generation

The process of attracting and converting prospects into potential customers, often through gated content or sign-up forms.

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Lead Nurturing

Building relationships with prospects through targeted content and communications, moving them through the sales funnel.

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Lead Scoring

The process of assigning values to leads based on their behavior and profile, helping sales and marketing prioritise follow-ups.

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Lookalike Audience Targeting (Lookalike Targeting)

A targeting method that finds new audiences similar to your existing customers based on behavioral or demographic traits.

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Machine Learning (ML)

A type of AI that allows systems to learn and improve from data without being explicitly programmed. Used in bidding, targeting, and optimisation.

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Made for Advertising (MFA)

Websites or apps designed primarily to serve ads with low-quality content. Often flagged for poor user experience or invalid traffic.

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Marketing Automation Platform (MAP)

Software that automates marketing tasks like email campaigns, lead nurturing, and audience segmentation. Examples: HubSpot, Marketo.

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Marketing Channels (Channels)

The platforms or mediums used to deliver advertising, such as display, video, social, search, email, or CTV. Campaigns are often multichannel.

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Marketing Funnel

A model that illustrates the customer journey through awareness, consideration, and decision stages. Used to align campaigns with user intent.

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Media Buying

The process of purchasing ad placements across channels to reach target audiences. Can be direct or programmatic.

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Media Curation

The practice of selecting and packaging high-quality inventory, typically via private marketplaces or curated deals, to improve targeting and performance.

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Mobile Advertising ID (MAID)

A unique identifier assigned to mobile devices (like IDFA for Apple or GAID for Android) used for ad targeting and attribution.

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Multi-Touch Attribution

An attribution model that distributes credit across all marketing touchpoints that led to a conversion, not just the first or last.

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Native Advertising

Ads that match the look and feel of the platform they appear on, such as sponsored content on news sites or social feeds.

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Omnichannel Marketing

A strategy that provides a seamless customer experience across all marketing channels, both online and offline.

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Open Internet

The portion of the web not enclosed by ‘walled gardens’ like Google or Meta. It includes thousands of independent sites and apps.

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Open Marketplace (OMP)

A programmatic auction environment where ad inventory is publicly available to all buyers, as opposed to private deals.

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Out-of-Home Advertising (OOH)

Advertising that reaches consumers outside their homes, such as billboards, transit ads, or street furniture.

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Paid Media

Any media placement where a brand pays to display its messaging—includes display ads, PPC, social media ads, and sponsored content.

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Partner Marketing

Collaboration between two or more businesses to jointly market products or services—e.g., affiliate, co-branded, or influencer campaigns.

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Pay Per Lead (PPL)

A pricing model where advertisers pay for each qualified lead generated, such as a sign-up or contact form submission.

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Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

An advertising model where advertisers pay only when a user clicks on their ad. Common in search and display advertising.

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Persistent Identifiers

Stable identifiers (like hashed email or login ID) used for user recognition across sessions, platforms, and environments.

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Personalisation

Tailoring ads or content to individual users based on data like behavior, demographics, or interests to improve relevance and performance.

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Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

Any information that can be used to identify a specific individual, such as name, email, IP address. Subject to data privacy regulations.

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Predictive Analytics

The use of data, statistical models, and machine learning to forecast future outcomes—like which users are likely to convert.

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Premium Inventory (Premium Publications)

High-quality ad placements on reputable websites or apps with strong editorial standards and engaged audiences.

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Private Marketplace (PMP)

A programmatic auction where selected advertisers are invited to bid on premium ad inventory from publishers.

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Probabilistic Identifiers

IDs based on statistical modeling rather than direct login or deterministic signals. Useful when persistent IDs are not available.

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Programmatic Advertising

The automated buying and selling of digital ads in real-time using software and data-driven decision-making.

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Publisher

An individual or organisation that owns digital properties (websites, apps) and makes ad inventory available to advertisers.

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Purchase Intent

A measure of how likely a consumer is to make a purchase based on their behavior, such as search queries or product views.

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Quarterly Business Review (QBR)

A structured meeting between clients and vendors (or internal teams) to review performance, KPIs, and strategic goals for the quarter.

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Reach

The total number of unique users who have seen an ad or campaign. It’s a measure of audience size, not frequency.

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Real-Time Bidding (RTB)

A programmatic buying method where ad impressions are auctioned in real time, allowing advertisers to bid per impression.

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Retargeting

The practice of serving ads to users who have previously interacted with your brand, usually through cookies or tracking pixels.

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Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)

A performance metric that calculates the revenue earned for every dollar spent on advertising. ROAS = Revenue / Ad Spend.

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Return on Investment (ROI)

A financial metric that measures the profitability of an investment. In marketing, it compares the revenue to total campaign costs.

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Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

SEM or Search Engine Marketing is an umbrella term used to cover both organic and paid marketing strategies to gain visibility and traffic from search engines such as Google and Bing.

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Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

The practice of optimising content to improve its ranking in organic search engine results, increasing unpaid visibility.

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Segmentation

The process of dividing an audience into smaller groups based on characteristics like behavior, location, or demographics for targeted messaging.

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Static Ad

An ad that does not change content or adapt to the viewer. Typically image-based and lacks personalisation or dynamic features.

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Subject Matter Expert (SME)

An individual with deep knowledge in a specific area or industry. Often contributes to product development, training, or sales enablement.

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Supply Path Optimisation (SPO)

The process of evaluating and selecting the most efficient, transparent, and cost-effective path to supply inventory in programmatic advertising.

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Supply-Side Platform (SSP)

A platform used by publishers to manage, sell, and optimise their ad inventory through real-time bidding and programmatic channels.

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Target Account List (TAL)

A list of key accounts identified as ideal targets for personalised marketing and sales engagement.

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Target Account Lists (TALS)

Lists of high-value companies or customers that a B2B marketing or sales team aims to engage through account-based strategies.

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The Trade Desk (TTD)

A leading independent demand-side platform (DSP) for programmatic media buying across channels like CTV, audio, display, and native.

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Third Party Data (3P Data)

Data collected by entities that don’t have a direct relationship with the user. Often aggregated and sold for audience targeting.

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Top of Funnel (TOFU)

The awareness stage in the marketing funnel where potential customers first encounter a brand or product.

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Top of Funnel (TOTF)

Same as TOFU: The stage where marketing aims to build brand awareness and attract new prospects.

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Total Addressable Market (TAM)

The total demand for a product or service, measured in revenue or customer count, assuming 100% market share.

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Tracking Pixel

A tiny snippet of code embedded in websites or ads that collects data on user behavior, ad views, or conversions.

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Unique Visitor

An individual user who visits a website within a specific time period, counted only once regardless of repeat visits.

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Universal ID (UID)

An identifier designed to replace third-party cookies by enabling consistent identity across the open web in a privacy-safe way.

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User Experience (UX)

The overall experience a user has when interacting with a digital product, influenced by design, speed, content, and ease of use.

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User Interface (UI)

The visual layout and design through which users interact with software, websites, or digital ads.

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User-Generated Content (UGC)

Content such as reviews, photos, and videos created by consumers rather than brands. Often used in social and content marketing.

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Video Completion Rate (VCR)

The percentage of video ads that were played to the end compared to those that were started. A measure of engagement.

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View-Through Rate (VTR)

A metric that shows how many users saw an ad and later converted, even if they didn’t click the ad directly.

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Visits

The number of sessions on a website. A single user may generate multiple visits within a time period.

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Walled Gardens

Closed digital ecosystems (like Google, Meta, Amazon) that control their own data, inventory, and user access, limiting external tracking.

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