This Knowledge Base (Wiki) is a practical reference for modern media and marketing professionals. Definitions, real-world context, and planning implications. Reviewed by real humans from the perspective (and in the voice) of a career media professional. Your level up starts now. ⬇️
Start with the fundamentals
If you’re new—or just need a refresher—these are the concepts most marketers return to.
- Attribution – How credit is assigned across touchpoints
- CPM (Cost-Per-Thousand) – The foundational currency of media buying
- Impression – What delivery actually means in practice
- CTR (Click-Through Rate) – Engagement, intent, and its limitations
- Media Plan – Turning strategy into investment decisions
Browse all terms below, or search for a specific concept above.
Basics
The unspoken curriculum you are usually expected to learn on the fly. We cover the agency structures, key players, and foundational concepts so you can skip the awkward "what does that mean?" moments and build your career on solid ground.
Conquesting (Conquest Marketing)
An aggressive marketing strategy focused on targeting and acquiring customers who are actively engaging with or have previously purchased from a direct competitor.
Retention
The strategic discipline of keeping existing customers active, engaged, and profitable over the long term to maximize Lifetime Value (LTV).
Effectiveness
The measure of the extent to which a specific intervention or campaign achieves its intended business objective, regardless of cost.
Efficiency
The ratio of output to input, measuring how economically media budget is converted into specific deliverables like impressions, clicks, or conversions.
KPI (Key Performance Indicator)
The quantifiable measure used to evaluate the success of an organization, employee, or specific marketing campaign in meeting objectives.
Media Math
Strategy is just an opinion until the numbers back it up. Master the deterministic formulas, from blending CPMs to calculating Reach curves that you need to validate your budgets, audit your vendors, and keep your plans solvent.
VCR (Video Completion Rate)
The percentage of video ad impressions that play through to their completion, serving as a primary indicator of creative resonance and audience retention.
SOM (Share of Market)
The percentage of total sales in a specific industry or category that is generated by a single company or product.
SOV (Share of Voice)
The percentage of the total advertising inventory in a specific category or market that is owned by a single brand.
CPV (Cost Per View)
The primary pricing model for video advertising, where advertisers pay only when a user watches the content for a specific duration or interacts with it.
CPA (Cost Per Acquisition)
The ultimate efficiency metric measuring the aggregate cost required to drive a specific conversion event.
Ad Tech
The programmatic ecosystem is a black box; we hand you the flashlight. We strip away the vendor jargon to reveal the actual infrastructure (DSPs, SSPs, Identity) that moves your media dollars, transforming "alphabet soup" into a competitive advantage.
Ad Exchange
The digital marketplace that acts as the intermediary clearinghouse, connecting buyers (DSPs) and sellers (SSPs) to execute real-time media transactions.
Lookalike Audience (LAL)
A programmatic targeting segment derived from algorithmic modeling that identifies new users resembling an advertiser's existing high-value customers.
Retargeting
A programmatic strategy focused on re-engaging users who have previously interacted with your brand’s digital properties.
Second Party Data
Aggregated audience information collected by entities without a direct relationship to the user, typically purchased to scale reach beyond owned channels.
Third Party Data
Aggregated audience information collected by entities without a direct relationship to the user, typically purchased to scale reach beyond owned channels.
Platforms
Context is the new targeting. A great ad in the wrong place is just wasted spend. Go beyond the spec sheet to understand the algorithms, audience psychology, and rules of engagement for every major environment—from TikTok to CTV.
Native Advertising
Paid advertising that matches the form, function, and visual aesthetic of the media format in which it appears.
Programmatic Advertising
The automated methodology of buying and selling digital advertising inventory in real-time using software instead of manual negotiation.
OTT (Over-The-Top)
Video content delivered directly to viewers via the internet, bypassing traditional cable or satellite television platforms.
Out of Home (OOH)
Physical advertising formats that reach consumers while they are outside their homes, ranging from static billboards to digital screens in elevators.
FAST Channels
The digital reincarnation of traditional cable, offering linear-style programming without the subscription fee.
Creative
The variable that drives 50% of your performance. Stop guessing what the character limit is. Access the technical specs, copywriting frameworks, and format guides you need to build assets that look professional and stop the scroll.
Advertorial
A blend of "advertisement" and "editorial," representing long-form paid content designed to look, read, and feel like a legitimate news story or feature article.
End Card
The final graphic or interactive frame appended to a video advertisement designed to trigger a specific user action after the narrative concludes.
Boosted Post
An existing organic social media post that an advertiser pays to distribute to a wider audience beyond their current follower base.
Dark Posts
Unpublished social media content created exclusively for paid advertising, visible only to specific target audiences and not on the brand’s public timeline.
Interstitial
A full-screen ad format that covers the interface of a host app or website, typically appearing at natural transition points in the user flow.