Stuck on a word or phrase? Consult the illumin glossary. Many of the items you'll find below explain ad tech industry standards. We also added terms that are specific to the illumin platform.
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
A
Developed by leading industry associations (AdChoices) to apply consumer-friendly standards to Online Behavioral Advertising across the Internet. The principles of this program address public education and industry accountability when it comes to the collection and use of online behavioral advertising data. Creatives display an industry icon that indicates to users data is collected for interest-based advertising by the company. Users can tap (or click) the icon to manage data collection options.
A virtual marketplace where participating suppliers auction their impressions to eligible buyers. The ad exchange announces each impression in real time and asks buyers (represented by ad technology partners) if they are interested in buying it and at what price.
A popular measure of Rich Media campaign performance, it identifies interactions within a unit, even if they do not result in a click-through. Interactions are captured when the user clicks an Exit link, displays the ad in Full-Screen mode, or mouses over the ad.
Technology that stores display advertisements, delivers them to website visitors, monitors campaigns, and creates reports.
A system that ensures every ad impression served is a quality impression, compliant with industry guidelines, as well as served and displayed exactly as intended.
An entity that connects buyers and sellers of online advertising impressions. These companies can facilitate the purchasing of real-time ad inventory.
A department or arm of an agency that oversees programmatic buying. Many agency holding companies have trading desks.
Predefined or dynamically generated groups of users based on shared characteristics such as demographics, behaviors, interests, or intent. Audience segmentation allows for more precise targeting and personalization.
The automated buying and selling of digital audio ads (e.g. podcasts, music streaming) through DSPs.
B
Data related to specific users, as well as their historical patterns of interaction with websites and advertising content.
This phrase refers to several ways in which online advertising campaigns can be made more effective by considering the actions of the consumer. Data needs to be collected to facilitate this process, and what is collected varies based on the desires of the website and/or advertisers.
A signal sent by a publisher's ad server or SSP to multiple DSPs in real-time. The request contains information about an available impression and the user viewing the content. DSPs evaluate the bid request and decide whether to bid and at what price.
The DSP's reply to a bid request, which includes the bid price and creative (ad asset) to serve if the bid is won.
The percentage of visitors to a particular website who navigate away from the site after viewing only one page.
Contextual technology aimed at ensuring an advertisement does not display on web pages where its appearance might negatively impact the advertiser’s brand.
C
It is a structured series of advertising activities designed to achieve specific marketing objectives, such as brand awareness, lead generation, sales, or app downloads. A campaign targets one or more specific audiences, uses various ad creatives, manages budgets and bids, and continuously optimizes performance based on real-time data and analytics. See also Journey.
Here is an example.
Sample performance metrics:
It’s the ability to process real-time data streams without delay or batch processing. In the digital advertising world, this means constantly receiving, analyzing, and acting on data such as user behavior, ad requests, bid responses, and campaign metrics—all in real-time.
Here is an example. Say you run an e-commerce company selling smartphones, and you're using a DSP to buy digital ads for your products.
It is a critical metric representing user interaction with an advertisement. Clicks are used to measure engagement, calculate performance metrics like CTR and CPC, and optimize ad campaigns.
The rate (expressed as a percentage) at which users click an ad. The rate is calculated by dividing the total number of clicks by the total number of ad impressions.
It is a rule that controls the user's movement from path to path or step to step. For example, a user must view a specific creative two times before they are moved to the next stage.
A subset of OTT (Over-the-Top), CTV refers to televisions that are connected to the internet and can stream digital content beyond traditional cable or satellite TV. CTVs include smart TVs with built-in internet capabilities, as well as standard TVs connected to the internet via external devices such as streaming boxes, sticks, or gaming consoles. Some key features include:
Advertising that is targeted to a non-search webpage based on the page’s content, keywords, or category. These ads can be text or images.
Data related to the content and context of the specific webpage where the advertisement is run.
When a user performs a desired action in response to an online advertising campaign. A conversion could be a monetary transaction, such as a purchase made after clicking a website link. It could also include a voluntary act such as registering at a website, downloading a white paper, signing up for a web seminar, or opting into an email newsletter.
A key performance metric that measures the percentage of users who take a desired action after interacting with an ad. This action varies depending on the campaign goals and can include making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, downloading an app, or any other predefined goal.
The conversion rate is calculated as follows:
Conversion Rate = (Number of Conversions / Number of Clicks) × 100
For example, an ad campaign generates 200 clicks and results in 10 conversions. The conversion rate would be:
A small text file (i.e. program code) that is stored on a user’s browser for the purpose of uniquely identifying that browser during audience activity and for authenticating, tracking, and maintaining specific information about users. First-party cookies are those left on a computer by a website that has been visited. Third-party cookies are those left by a domain different from the site being visited, such as an advertising server that has just delivered an ad to a computer.
A vital metric that measures the cost associated with acquiring a customer or a specific desired action, such as a sale, sign-up, download, or any other conversion event. This metric is crucial for understanding the effectiveness and efficiency of advertising campaigns.
CPA = Total Cost / Number of Acquisitions
A performance-based advertising model where payment is dependent upon an action that a user performs as a result of the ad. CPA is an advertising metric that measures the aggregate cost to acquire an action on a campaign. The action can be defined by any conversion (e.g. purchase, lead, form download) depending on the campaign goal.
CPA = Total Cost / Number of Actions
A pricing model in which advertisers pay for each click their ads receive. CPC is a performance-based metric that measures the cost incurred by an advertiser for each user who clicks on their ad rather than paying for impressions or ad views. CPC is calculated by dividing the total cost of the advertising campaign by the number of clicks received.
CPC = Total Ad Spend / Total Clicks
Here is an example. Suppose an advertiser runs a campaign with the following metrics:
Using the CPC formula, the advertiser pays $2.00 for each click their ad receives.
This is a pricing model for video advertisements on platforms like YouTube, streaming services, social media sites with video content, and other digital platforms where video ads are displayed. Advertisers are charged only when a viewer watches the entire video ad or at least a predefined portion (e.g. 15 or 30 seconds). It includes pre-roll (before the content), mid-roll (during the content), and post-roll (after the content) ads. Note that on the Illumin platform, CPCV is a goal type; CPCV billing is not supported.
For example, an advertiser runs a video ad campaign with a CPCV rate of $0.10 and achieves 10,000 completed views. The total cost of the campaign would be:
This pricing model charges advertisers based on user interactions with an ad rather than simply viewing it. Engagements can include actions like clicks, shares, comments, likes, or any other interaction that demonstrates user interest and involvement with the ad content.
For example, an advertiser runs a campaign with a CPE rate of $0.50 and achieves 2,000 engagements. The total cost of the campaign would be:
A pricing model that charges advertisers for every 1,000 impressions (mille = 1000) of their ad, regardless of whether users interact with it or not. This is one of the most common pricing models in digital advertising and is ideal for campaigns focused on brand awareness and reach, where the goal is to get the ad seen by as many people as possible. See also dCPM.
Here is an example calculation. An advertiser sets a CPM rate of $10 and wants to achieve 50,000 impressions. The total cost would be:
The visual, audio, and textual content in an advertisement. Creatives are essential for capturing audience attention, delivering the campaign message, and prompting desired actions. They come in various formats, including display ads, video ads, native ads, rich media ads, and audio ads.
The process of identifying and connecting a single user across multiple devices (e.g. smartphone, laptop, tablet) to deliver consistent messaging. Often powered by an identity graph.
Customer relationship management (CRM) is a broad term that consists of the processes a company uses to track and organize its contacts with current and prospective customers. Various tools exist to aggregate CRM data and leverage that information to increase the performance of online advertising campaigns.
D
A centralized system for gathering first-party data, integrating with third-party data, and applying this data to one’s advertising strategy.
illumin offers an extensive library of meticulously created, on-demand deals. Our team works closely with publishers to create a unique and proven private marketplace with deals built around a multitude of data points, including ad format, content vertical, audience demographics, and predicted performance. All deals are subject to rigorous testing and evaluation before being released.
These entities allow advertisers to manage their online advertising purchases in real time. DSPs purchase advertising for advertisers through ad networks and exchanges. DSP functionality varies and includes allowing advertisers to manage their bid amounts, performance metrics, and consumer targeting.
An identity resolution technique that uses exact identifiers, like hashed emails, login credentials, or customer IDs, to connect devices and behaviors to a known individual. These high-confidence connections feed directly into the identity graph, creating a reliable foundation for cross-device targeting and measurement. See also Probabilistic Matching.
It is the practice of delivering digital advertisements through out-of-home (OOH) media channels. These channels include digital billboards, digital signage, interactive kiosks, and other digital displays located in public spaces such as malls, airports, bus stops, and more. Below is a list of some key features.
A form of online advertising in which an advertiser’s message is shown in a graphical format on a destination webpage.
A variation of the traditional CPM model, this is an advanced pricing model that dynamically adjusts the cost of ad impressions based on real-time data and performance metrics (e.g. audience segments, ad placement quality, time of day, and competition). The model focuses on achieving specific performance metrics, such as click-through rates (CTR), conversions, or other engagement metrics, rather than just serving a set number of impressions.
In dCPM, the actual cost per 1,000 impressions can vary. For instance, if an advertiser targets different segments with varying values, the dCPM might look like this:
If the advertiser served 10,000 impressions across these segments, the total cost would be dynamically calculated based on the value assigned to each segment.
The purchase price for an ad impression that is determined via a real-time auction rather than a predetermined fixed rate.
E
It is a metric used in online advertising to measure ad campaign effectiveness. eCPM represents the estimated earnings per thousand impressions (views) an ad receives. See also CPM.
The formula to calculate eCPM is:
eCPM = (Total Earnings / Total Impressions) × 1000
A higher eCPM indicates the ad is generating more revenue per thousand impressions, suggesting better ad performance and monetization. For example, if an ad campaign earns $200 and receives 50,000 impressions, the eCPM would be:
This means the effective cost per thousand impressions is $4.
A completion rate for video or audio ads on connected TV.
Rich Media ads that can be enlarged to dimensions greater than the initial dimensions of their webpage placement. This action is based on user interaction (sometimes, the ad will briefly expand on its own to capture the user’s attention).
A control mechanism (aka Frequency Capping) that caps the number of times a specific ad is shown to an individual user within a certain period. For example, setting a frequency cap of three means a user will see the ad no more than three times for the specified period. Limits are often used to avoid ad fatigue and ensure a positive user experience.
Here are some key points.
Colloquial reference to the number of people who view or lay their eyes on a certain online advertisement.
F
An IAB Rising Stars ad unit template that is 350 x 3000 pixels, divided into five 350 × 600 pixel segments that scroll by user interaction through a 350 x 600 pixel placement window.
Information about customers owned directly by an advertiser. This information can be generated and collected on external systems used by the advertiser. However, it is gathered under an agreement that it is henceforth owned by the brand.
A term to describe the point at which content on a screen is no longer visible. For instance, Above the Fold refers to an ad or content that is viewable as soon as the webpage appears.
Online advertising fraud committed against advertisers is any form of malicious activity designed to misrepresent the performance of an online advertising campaign or to inflate the costs of said activities.
The number of times an ad is delivered to the same browser in a single session or time period. A site can use cookies in order to manage (cap) the extent of ad frequency.
This is a means of restricting (capping) the number of times (frequency) a specific visitor to a website is shown a particular advertisement. It is usually done to avoid banner fatigue and to improve performance. See also Exposure Limit.
The number or proportion of individuals in an advertising target audience who have the opportunity to see an ad online (e.g. once, twice, three times, more than three times, etc.).
G
Advertisers can specify where ads will or will not be shown based on the visitor or searcher location, enabling more localized and personalized results.
H
illumin manages the ad serving infrastructure for your creatives. This approach offers benefits like scalability, ease of use, cost efficiency, and access to advanced features while reducing the internal IT burden. illumin-hosted ad servers are ideal for advertisers and publishers seeking a managed, scalable, and efficient ad serving solution. See also Third Party ad server type.
Refers to a group of individuals who share a common residence. Household is one digital advertising metric used to measure campaign reach. Data about households can include a variety of information, such as demographics (e.g. age, gender), geographic location (e.g. ZIP code, city), and economic status (e.g. combined household income, spending habits).
The estimated income level of the households of the users being targeted by an ad campaign. This data is used to segment and target audiences more effectively based on their financial capacity, which can be crucial for certain types of products and services. Household income data is typically gathered from a variety of sources, including user-provided information, purchase history, demographic data, and third-party data providers. It can also be inferred from factors such as geographic location, property ownership, and spending habits.
I
A measurement of the number of times an online ad unit has been seen.
A video delivered as part of (inside of) the display ad creative for a given placement rather than initiating the use of a video player.
A database that maps various identifiers (like cookies, mobile IDs, hashed emails) to unify users across devices and channels. Enables cross-device targeting and personalization while supporting privacy standards.
These ads appear within the video content a user is watching and may or may not include a skipstream feature. Instream ads can be categorized based on their placement within the video stream:
Incrementality is the measurement of the causal impact of advertising. It answers the question: How many outcomes (e.g., conversions, site visits, actions) happened because of ads, versus how many would have happened anyway? Incrementality is not about raw counts or attribution models. It isolates the change caused by advertising by comparing exposed users (who saw ads) with a holdout group (who did not). The two most common ways to express incrementality are:
Ads that appear between two content pages. Also known as transition ads, interstitial ads, splash pages, and Flash pages.
The total pool of ad placements available on websites, apps, or platforms. It can be categorized as premium, remnant, or open exchange.
J
Refers to the complete path that a customer takes from the initial awareness of a brand or product to the final purchase and beyond. It encompasses all the interactions and touchpoints a customer experiences along the way. Understanding the customer journey helps advertisers create personalized, relevant, and timely marketing strategies that enhance customer experience, optimize campaign performance, and drive long-term customer loyalty. It involves managing multiple touchpoints, tracking stages, and adapting to non-linear customer behaviors. See also Campaign.
K
L
Potential customers are modeled after an advertiser’s first-party data (usually data from their customers who visited their website and made an online purchase). Attributes of the advertiser’s customers are matched against a larger audience, creating a pool of highly targetable and ‘pre-qualified’ users.
M
The process of tracking, analyzing, and evaluating the performance and effectiveness of ad campaigns. Measurement involves collecting and interpreting data to understand how well the ads are achieving their intended goals.
Key measurement metrics include:
Form of online video ad placement where the ad is played during a break in the middle of the content video.
Audience segments built using AI-modeled geographic and behavioral signals rather than direct cookie, MAID, or deterministic ID matches. Modeled geo-profiles emphasize location-based patterns and inferred attributes, enabling illumin users to maintain audience reach in low-ID environments where traditional identity signals are unavailable.
N
Refers to a type of advertising format that is designed to blend in with the content and style of the platform on which it appears. The goal is to provide a non-disruptive, cohesive user experience by making ads appear as a natural part of the editorial content or user interface. Here are some key features.
Refers to video advertisements designed to integrate seamlessly with the surrounding content on a given platform. These ads match the form and function of the platform, providing a non-disruptive experience that aligns with the editorial or social content. For example, videos that appear within the content feed of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok. Here are some key features.
O
Inventory that exists outside of walled gardens (e.g. Google, Meta). This includes independent websites, mobile apps, and CTV platforms where programmatic ads can be bought via DSPs.
An individual giving a company permission to use data collected from or about the individual for a particular reason, such as to market the company’s products and services.
When a company states that it plans to market its products and services to an individual, unless the individual asks to be removed from the company’s mailing list.
An ad unit that displays over the webpage content briefly when initiated.
P
A modeled audience based on a composite of behaviors, interests, or lifestyle traits. These are created to target users who resemble ideal customer types.
An IAB Rising Star ad unit template that uses up to three interactive modules chosen (by the ad designer) from a variety of modular application options in a 350 × 1050 pixel space.
Form of online video ad placement where the advertisement is played after the content video plays.
Form of online video ad placement where the advertisement is played before the content video plays.
A programmatic deal where selected buyers get priority access to a publisher's premium inventory at negotiated rates. Unlike open exchanges, PMPs offer more control over brand safety and transparency.
Probabilistic matching relies on inferred connections based on device type, location, time of day, and behavioral patterns. While less precise than deterministic methods, it expands the reach of the identity graph by filling in the gaps when direct identifiers aren’t available.
The practice of tracking information about consumers’ interests by monitoring their movements online and creating a profile based on those interests and behaviors.
The process of executing media buys in an automated fashion through digital platforms.
An IAB Rising Stars ad unit template designed for rich interaction in a space similar to, but larger than, an expanding leaderboard, with initial dimensions of 970 × 90 pixels and expanded dimensions of 970 × 415 pixels.
Q
Quartile reporting refers to the division of a video ad’s total length into four equal parts, allowing advertisers to measure audience engagement and viewership at different stages of the ad. It is an important metric in video advertising because it helps advertisers understand how much of their video ad is being watched by viewers and where drop-offs occur.
Here is an example. Consider a 30-second video ad with the following quartile metrics:
R
The number of users who have had the opportunity to see an ad unit from an online advertising campaign.
A data-driven programmatic buying model that allows advertisers to bid on digital media (e.g. display, video, mobile, social, etc.) in real-time, at the impression level.
Also known as remarketing, this is an online advertising method that reaches previous visitors of your website or app. For example, spending more on the impressions of consumers who have not completed an order form on your website and showing them more influential creative.
A metric to determine the value of an ad investment and calculate margins. It helps measure a campaign's efficacy. ROAS provides a value for revenue over ad spend and is generally a multiplier. The higher the ROAS achieved, the better the ad money value spent. In order for a ROAS to be profitable, it has to be over 100%, as the initial 100% ROAS recaps money spent.
ROAS is calculated using the following formula:
Here is an example. Suppose an advertiser runs a digital ad campaign with the following metrics: revenue generated: $50,000, and ad spend: $10,000. Based on the figures below, the campaign generated $5 in revenue for every $1 spent on advertising.
Using the ROAS formula:
A key performance metric that measures the efficiency and profitability of an advertising campaign. The formula compares the revenue generated by the campaign to the total cost incurred to run it. The total cost of the advertising campaign includes the cost of ad impressions, clicks, creative production, and any associated fees. ROI helps advertisers determine whether their ad spend is yielding a positive financial return and guides decision-making for future marketing strategies.
ROI is calculated using the following formula:
Here is an example. Suppose an advertiser runs a digital ad campaign with the following metrics: revenue generated: $50,000, and cost of the campaign: $10,000. Based on the figures below, the campaign generated a 400% return on investment or $4 in revenue for every $1 spent.
Using the ROI formula:
Advertisements that users can interact with in a webpage format. These ads can include video, sound, or Flash. They also include banners, buttons, transitions, and various over-the-page units such as floating ads, page takeovers, and tear-backs.
Brand-focused ad units that offer more engagement within a larger-than-standard unit size.
S
A list of URLs where ads are either allowed (site list / allow list) or prevented from appearing (block list / deny list). Used for brand safety and targeting precision.
Refers to a feature within instream ads that allows users to skip the ad after a certain period, usually after the first 5 seconds. This format is common on platforms like YouTube. Users have the option to skip the ad after a brief mandatory viewing period (e.g. 5 seconds). This gives users control over their viewing experience and ensures that they are not forced to watch an entire ad if they are not interested. Advertisers only pay for the ad if the user watches past the skippable point, typically 30 seconds, or to the end of the ad if it’s shorter than 30 seconds.
An IAB Rising Star Ad Unit template designed with an overlay slider (90 pixels high) that rests at the bottom of a publisher’s page and, when prompted by user interaction, slides page content to the left for a canvas of 970 × 550 pixels full of rich interaction possibilities for user engagement.
A set of ad specifications for standard image or animated in-page ad units that establish a framework for advertising inventory and webpage design. These units include Leaderboard (728 × 90), Big Box (300 × 250), and Skyscraper (160 × 600).
Refers to an element inside a Journey Canvas path. Each step can hold creatives and has a string of customizable targeting parameters. Unlike tactics on Classic Canvas, campaign builders can attach a condition to a step. Each path can contain multiple steps.
A technology platform solely for the purpose of enabling publishers to manage and monetize their advertising impression inventory and maximize revenue from digital media.
T
Refers to a line item inside a Classic Canvas path. Each tactic has a separate element to hold the audience and creatives, plus a string of customizable targeting parameters. Each path can contain multiple tactics. See also Step.
The process of adding a pixel to a webpage (usually the landing page and key pages for a campaign) that collects data on the visitors to those pages. This data is then used to make more informed buying decisions later on.
A form of advertising in which ads are delivered to consumers based on demographics, geography, interests, and purchasing behavior.
An external solution used to manage, deliver, and track digital ad campaigns independently of illumin's primary systems. It provides centralized campaign management, independent tracking, and advanced analytics, offering transparency, control, and improved efficiency for advertisers. See also Hosted ad server type.
Information acquired through a partnership with a data provider or other external organization. It represents a consolidation of user data across a variety of touchpoints and can be licensed for use in data and ad targeting. Coupled with first-party data, this information gives advertisers a greater depth of consumer targeting for their campaigns.
A tool or piece of code used to collect data on ad performance and user interactions. Trackers are essential for measuring and analyzing various aspects of an ad campaign, such as impressions, clicks, conversions, and user behavior. This data helps advertisers optimize their campaigns, ensure accurate attribution, and achieve their marketing objectives.
A 1×1 pixel-sized transparent image that provides information about an ad’s placement. In many cases, a tracking pixel is used to notify an ad tracking system that either an ad has been served (or not served, in some cases) or that a specific webpage has been accessed. These pixels are often used to identify when a consumer has completed a desired action online (e.g. visiting a purchase page).
U
A metric used to measure the total number of distinct users who were exposed to an advertisement during a specific period of time. Unlike total impressions, which count every instance an ad is displayed (including multiple views by the same user), unique reach focuses on counting each person only once, regardless of how many times they have seen the ad.
It's a set of parameters added to the end of a URL to track the performance of online marketing campaigns. When someone clicks a URL with UTM parameters, those details are sent back to the analytics tool (e.g. Google Analytics). This information helps marketers see how visitors interact with their website based on different traffic sources.
A UTM link usually contains all or some of the following parameters:
For example:
https://www.example.com?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=summer_sale&utm_term=shoes&utm_content=ad1
The UTM parameters in this example help marketers analyze which campaigns are driving the most traffic, conversions, or sales.
utm_source=google
utm_medium=cpc
utm_campaign=summer_sale
utm_term=shoes
utm_content=ad1
V
It is a standardized XML schema developed by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) to facilitate the delivery of video ads across different ad servers, video players, and platforms. VAST ensures consistent ad behavior and reporting, enabling advertisers to serve video ads effectively across a wide variety of environments.
How VAST works.
Refers to online advertising units containing video content. This content can be auto-initiated or user-initiated. These ads are typically 15 or 30 seconds long, skippable and non-skippable, served before, during, and/or after a video stream on the internet.
A term used to reference an ad unit’s opportunity to be seen by a consumer. Several factors impact an ad’s viewability, including page location and the user’s time on said page. Generally, display ads are considered viewable when on screen for more than 1 second and with 50% or more of the ad loaded. For video, the same is true except that the time on screen is 2 seconds.
W
A closed ecosystem where the platform controls access to user data and ad inventory (e.g. Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager). Unlike the open web, these environments have limited data portability and transparency.