Glossary of Terms

Glossary Of Terms

  • A/B Split

    Two creative messages may be tested within the same issue of a publication using an A/B split.  In a true A/B split, every other issue will be printed with the varying creative copies and randomly distributed across the DMA.  This technique is typically only available in large, national publications.  Integral Media has years of experience with A/B splits and will guide 

  • ABC

    Audit Bureau of Circulations.  This bureau is in charge of auditing the printed circulation as reported by the publication.  This ensures advertisers they are reaching the quantity of people as indicated by the publication’s media kit.

  • AOR

    Agency of Record.  This document is provided to the publications, upon request, by the agency representing the advertiser. The AOR document states the named buying agency is the designated print media placement agency for said advertiser.  Although the document is signed by the advertiser, it does not contractually bind the advertiser and the agency, but gives reassurance to the publications that the agency named in the AOR is authorized to make the ad submission.

  • Checking Copy

    A printed copy of the issue in which the advertiser placed an ad is sent to the agency for confirmation the ad ran as contracted and to verify placement with the publication. Once the agency has reviewed the checking copy, the issue will be passed along to the advertiser for their records.  Integral Media requires checking copies for every ad placed and verifies that your ad runs. In addition, several extra copies are requested and given to you for your records and promotional purposes.

  • Circulation

    The number of printed copies of each issue.  The copies may be distributed via newsstand, subscriptions or as free copies in designated areas. Publications use circulation as a strong factor in rate determination.  A publication’s circulation should not be confused with its readership as they are two different statistics.

  • Clearance

    The process by which a publication reviews an advertisement for legal, ethical, and taste standards, before accepting the ad into publication. The agency will submit the ad for clearance and once the ad has been granted clearance, rate negotiations will begin and an IO is requested by the publication.

  • Closing Date

    The final date in which a publication will accept ad space reservations and an IO for the upcoming issue in the production calendar.

  • Cover Position

    There are four cover positions in nearly every publication: First cover (outside front cover), second cover (inside front cover), third cover (inside back cover) and fourth cover (outside back cover). These positions are typically offered at a premium price for their high visibility.

  • CPL

    Cost per Lead, also referred to as CPA (cost per acquisition).  This is the cost incurred by the advertiser, through advertising costs, to obtain new leads, acquisitions, or sales.  This is an important factor in many companies’ budgets and also a strong indicator of the advertisements’ success.

  • CPM

    The cost, per thousand people reached, of buying ad space. The circulation against the gross rate is used to determine the CPM.

  • Creative

    The completed advertisement with product/service information, CTA and imagery.  Basically, the creative is the advertisement.

  • CTA

    Call to Action.  The messaging, or offer, within the ad that tells the customer what is expected of them.  Examples include: “Call Now”, “Go to www.website.com”, “Order now to save”, etc.

  • Demographics

    Basic classifications of consumers used to describe the target or ideal consumers.  Also used by publications to describe their average reader.  Demographics include but are not limited to: age, gender, average income, marital status and homeowner status.

  • Direct Response

    Promotions requesting the consumer directly contact the advertiser via mail, telephone, website, email or any other preferred method of contact.  Direct response advertising traditionally has a strong CTA and effectiveness of the ad can easily and accurately be tracked, recorded and analyzed.

  • DMA

    Designed Market Area–The geographical area in which a publication is distributed. DMAs can be specific to cities, counties, states, regions or national.

  • Drop Date

    Also referred to as the on sale date-the earliest date a publication will be made available to its readers.

  • Endemic

    In advertising terms, endemic refers to the likeness of an advertised product to the publication and its readers.  For example, if an advertiser wanted to place an ad for golf clubs in Golf Magazine, a title geared towards golf enthusiasts, the advertisement would be considered endemic.

  • Frequency

    The number of times an advertisement is placed in the same publication, but in different issues.

  • IO

     Insertion Order-a contractual agreement submitted to the publication from the agency on behalf of the advertiser. This document details the dollar amount the advertiser is expecting to pay, the circulation the advertiser is expecting from the publication, positioning statement (if applicable) and all other pertinent information regarding the ad placement.

  • Market Place

    The section in the back of the magazine that solely serves the purpose to advertise.  Market Place sections may look similar to a classified section with several smaller advertisements on one page.  This is the alternative to a cover position or run of book positioning.

  • Media Kit

    Details all relevant information about a publication in regards to advertising. It will contain a production calendar, demographic information, rate card, circulation and advertisement specs. Media kits are public information and available for anyone’s viewing.

  • Placement

    The purchase of space within a publication and the insertion of an advertisement into that publication. Several placements equate to frequency.

  • Production Calendar

    A schedule pre-determined by each publication providing each issue date, the closing date, deadline for submitting creative and the drop date.  Most production calendars are created annually.

  • Positioning

     Used when describing the location of an ad within the publication.  Page number and surrounding content, such as other advertisements or editorial content, determine if the positioning was favorable.  Integral Media believes in the power of positioning and uses it as a leverage for negotiations.

  • Rate Card

    The list price of an advertisement.  This will be the highest rate charged for an advertisement in a publication and is broken down by size of ad, black and white versus color and frequency of ad placement.

  • Readership

    The numbers of reads per issue, per publication as deciphered by the publication.  Readership is generally higher than circulation as most publications anticipate there will be more than one reader per printed copy of the issue.

  • ROI

     Return on Investment. A statistic used to determine whether the monetary benefits from an advertising campaign are above or below the amount of money spent on the campaign.  Running a direct response campaign can help determine ROI with more certainty and accuracy.

  • ROP

    Run of Press/Paper: This category includes daily newspapers.

  • Run of Book

    Positioning in the publication throughout the editorial pages of the book.  Exclusions to run of book are cover positions 1-4 and the market place section.

  • Specs

    Dimensions (sizes) of the advertisement as specified by the publication.  The specs are important for the creative designer to know in order to make the ad suitable for press in the desired publication.

  • Supplements

    Also referred to as inserts.  Supplements are add-ins to free standing ROPs; a newspaper section in magazine format. Some of the more popular supplements are Parade and Spry found in Sunday newspapers across the country.  Several of Integral Media’s clients have enjoyed success with these types of publications.  With a quick turnaround time and lower CPMs, supplements can be a great option for your advertising campaign.

Testimonials

Integral Media is very good at what they do, they’re efficient, and are good people to work with. Whenever I reach out for assistance, I always get it. Using their service is far more efficient than trying to contact publishers directly.

C.D.

Marketing Agency Client

We’ve relied on Integral Media to help market a variety of our products. Time and again, they’ve consistently delivered ad placements that really pull—whatever the product—at the absolute lowest cost. Plus their customer service is extraordinary!

G.D.

President, Electronics Products Marketing Co., Texas

Get your FREE Copy

Download Your FREE PDF

Get in Touch

Share by: