A/B Testing
Randomly giving web site visitors one of two different versions of a web site (the “A” or “B” version) in order to determine which version is more effective in attracting business.
Above the Fold
Refers to anything immediately visible in a browser window when a web page is first opened. This is highly dependent on the resolution of the user's display. For example, in 2000, the most common screen resolution was 800x600. Today the average resolution is 1024x768 or higher.
Abstract Marks
An abstract image that is used to express an idea or attributes about a brand. Typically, abstract marks are used for large companies. Abstract marks are also referred to as symbolic marks.
Acquisition Cost
The price of acquiring converting a potential consumer.
Ad Copy
The text inside of an advertisement such as slogans, descriptions, and calls to action.
Ad Flight
The amount of a time that an advertisement campaign is conducted for.
Ad Network
A company that offers its properties as real estate for advertisers. In online advertising, ad networks have the rights to the real estate that advertisers can place banners on as part of their campaigns.
Ad Server
A computer server that serves advertisements to web sites and measures metrics associated with the banners. Updating the server with advertisements will change the content served to web sites.
Ad Space
The real estate set aside on each web page for advertisements as opposed to content. This is where banners actually appear.
Ad Units
Ads which appear on the web. These include banners, pop-ups, skyscrapers, interstitials, text links, and roadblocks.
Advertising
A form of communication that attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase, or to consume more of, a particular brand of product or service.
Affiliates
Web sites that post advertisements for products or services and receive commissions for click-throughs or sales.
Affinity Marketing
A way of targeting consumers by partnering brands that complement each other. The earliest examples of affinity marketing were branded credit cards featuring other businesses or products.
AIDA
Stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. A simple way of describing the timeline of a possible consumer’s experience with an advertisement up to an eventual purchase.
Air Date
The first time and date that an advertisement is released to the public.
Alexa Rank
The Alexa Traffic Rank is a metric that determines a web site’s popularity on the Internet. An Alexa Traffic Rank is important for comparing how one web site compares to another in terms of demographics and overall traffic.
Analytics
The use of gathered or pre-existing data to inform a company of the optimal strategies or possible pitfalls of a marketing or business venture.
API
Stands for Application Programming Interface. It is a set of data structure or classes and libraries that is used to support applications.
App
An application specifically created for a smartphone, tablet, or similar mobile device. Though the term "app" has been in use prior to the advent of mobile, it now commonly is used to refer to an application being available in and operating using the mobile space.
Application
Any program that is designed to perform specific tasks for the user. Functions can range from email clients to image editors.
Attitude Study
A survey of opinions regarding a brand, used as a benchmark before and after making changes to it.
Audience
The group to which a service, product or message is aimed; called also the target audience.
Awareness
Percentage of a population (or a target market) who are aware of the existence of a given brand or company. There are two kinds of awareness: the first is "spontaneous", which gauges the percentage of people who spontaneously mention a particular brand when asked to name brands in a certain category; the second is "prompted", which evaluates the percentage of people who recognize a brand from a particular category when shown a list.
Awareness Study
A survey that examines an audience's familiarity with a brand; it may be divided into "prompted" and "spontaneous" awareness.