Programmatic Glossary

Pixels (tags, beacons)

1x1 pixel tags on websites that track users' locations and activities online, such as a registration or conversion. Some are powerful enough to know what a user types on a particular site.

DPM (Data Management)

A centralized system for gathering first-party data, integrating with third-party data and applying this data to an advertising strategy. Advertisers use DMPs to analyze clicks and impressions and gain insights while planning media buys to build data segments for targeting. Publishers use DMPs to gain audience insights, target more precisely (to add value and attract higher CPMs on impressions) and sell data, among other reasons.

Automated Guaranteed (Guaranteed Reserve)

A fixed number of ad impressions purchased on a specific web page prior to the scheduled run date.

Cookie Synch (Cookie Match)

A method of enabling data appending by linking one company's user identifer to another company's user identifer. This allows advertising platforms to identify users coming from third-party sources such as ad exchanges and DMPs. Because cookies can only be read by the owner of the domain by which they were set, every company in the programmatic ecosystem has unique cookie IDs for each user (i.e. two ad serving companies may have different cookie IDs for the same exact user). The cookie syncing process makes it possible for multiple parties (i.e. a DSP, an SSP and a DMP) to map each other's IDs, allowing them to share datafreely and recognize the same use

Bid Management

A method of using historical data and analytics to determine bid price for different types of online ad inventory. This concept can also be applied to paid search.

Attribution Modeling

A methodology for linking marketing activities to specific outcomes such as an online product purchase. Attribution modeling typically analyzes the degree to which different blends of media exposure, across different channels, generate results. This can establish causality to properly credit each media channel for its impact on the final outcome.

Reach Extension (Audience Extension)

A process by which a publisher helps advertisers find more targeted audiences, besides the ones already visiting a publisher's owned and operated properties, on other sites. In this case, the publisher would be selling ad inventory on other sites to the marketer.

Programmatic Direct

A reserved (guaranteed) buy with fixed rates negotiated directly with the publisher and executed in programmatic environments using Deal ID.

Ad Verification (Audience Verification)

A service that confirms if an ad ran only where it was intended to by the advertiser. It is often used to ensure brand safety, so that an ad does not appear on an inappropriate page or site.

ATD (Agency Trading Desk)

A services department or arm of an agency that oversees programmatic buying. Many agency holding companies have trading desks. Agency trading desks (ATD) use demand side platforms (DSP) as a tool for programmatic buying. A company (not owned by an agency) that uses DSP technology to provide programmatic and auction buying services is generally known as an independent trading desk or media trading desk.

Ad Server

A technology that stores display advertisements and delivers them to website visitors.

Private Exchange (Private Marketplace)

A virtual marketplace operated by sellers to represent their high value or premium inventory, providing programmatic access to select buyers (via a DSP) who agree to transact based on pre-negotiated terms (e.g. flight dates, floor prices, auction types, budgets, etc.). True private exchanges offer access to inventory that is not otherwise available within the open market.

Ad Exchange

A virtual marketplace where participating suppliers (such as publishers, ad networks and other exchanges) sell their impressions to eligible buyers. The adexchange announces each impression, in real time, and asks buyers if they are interested in buying said impression and at which price.

Remnant Inventory

Ad space or impressions that a publisher is unable to sell directly so it is turned over to a third-party (ad network, ad exchange, SSP, etc.) for resale. It can also be referred to as 'unsold.'

Ad Network

Aggregated unsold inventory from any number of publishers available for purchase through a singular platform.

Vickery Auction (Second Price Auction)

An auction where the winner of the impression typically pays one cent above the second highest bid.

RTB (Real-Time Bidding)

An automated process that enables advertisers and agencies to buy and sell digital media assets (display, video, mobile, social, etc.) via auction in real-time, at the impression level. This is made possible through an RTB pipe (and API) that provides a server side connection into an inventory source that pushes impressions, in real-time, to eligible buyers.

SSP (Sell Side Platform)

An entity which facilitates the sale of a publisher's inventory (direct and remnant/unsold) through ad exchanges, ad networks, agency trading desks, agencies, advertisers, and other SSPs.

Viewability

An online advertising metric that aims to track only impressions that can actually be seen by users. The Media Ratings Council's standard for a viewable display impression is a minimum of 50% of pixels (of the ad) in view (within the browser) for a minimum of one second. For example, if an ad is loaded at the bottom of a webpage but a user doesn't scroll down far enough to see it, that impression would not be deemed viewable.

Audience Data

Consumer data that is provided by a first-party such as a publisher or a DMP or other third-party data sources. This term is frequently used in reference to an advertiser's own retargeting list or to data coming directly from a publisher, which is available at the moment an ad impression is made available.

User Attribute

Data about a user that is stored in a behavioral profile which may be used to match ad content to that user. Attributes can consist of demographic information (age, gender, geographical location), segment or cluster information (auto enthusiast), and retargeting information (visited Site X two days ago).

First Party Data

First-party data is generated when a cookie is placed on a website by the owner (publisher) so that the owner can recognize return visitors to the website.

CPM (Cost Per Mille)

Pricing model per 1,000 impressions

Long Tail Publishers

Small publishers or commercial websites with traffic levels that (generally) fall below the comScore 1000. These websites usually cover niche content or merchandise categories.

Audience Buying

The ability to purchase online advertising impressions targeting users with specific attributes in real-time as they visit various websites.

Dynamic CPM

The approach to winning ad impressions by allowing advertisers to operate within a variable cost method (between a set floor and ceiling price) where the CPM bid decreases or increases in real-time based on the optimal value of the impression

DSP (Demand Side Platform)

The process by which an ad is inserted into a page in response to data about the user. Dynamic ad placement allows alteration of specific ads on a page in real-time. It permits multiple ads to be rotated through an ad space, served by a template creative. For example, an advertiser may show a certain creative and message to one user, but then show something completely different to another user because of differences in gender, age, location or more.

Audience Modeling (Look-A-Likes)

The process by which an ad is inserted into a page in response to data about the user. Dynamic ad placement allows alteration of specific ads on a page in real-time. It permits multiple ads to be rotated through an ad space, served by a template creative. For example, an advertiser may show a certain creative and message to one user, but then show something completely different to another user because of differences in gender, age, location or more.

Tagging

The process of placing a pixel on an advertiser's website or landing page to "tag" or track user visitors. This allows the advertiser to then re-market offers to the visitor via email or other marketing channel.

Audience Intelligence

The use of first and third-party data to determine an advertiser's audience.

Third Party Data

Third-party data is generated when a cookie is placed on a website by a third-party, such as an ad server or data provider. Information from these cookies is collected and can be used to place users in one or more segments, based on their online activity. These cookies are used to target advertisements and segment audiences.