Adscripto Wiki
AdTech Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the acronyms and terms used across programmatic advertising. Companion to the Programmatic Advertising Wiki.
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Ad ExchangeDigital marketplace where SSPs and DSPs buy and sell impressions in real-time auctions.
Ad NetworkAggregates inventory from many publishers and resells it to advertisers — the pre-programmatic model.
Ad ServerSystem that stores, serves and tracks ad creatives for publishers (sell side) or advertisers (buy side).
AttributionAssigning credit for a conversion to the ads and touchpoints that influenced it.
CDPCustomer Data PlatformUnifies first-party customer data into persistent profiles for marketing and measurement.
Contextual targetingTargeting the content of the page rather than the individual user. Privacy-friendly.
CPACost Per Acquisition / ActionPrice paid per conversion, such as a sale or sign-up.
CPCCost Per ClickPrice paid each time a user clicks the ad. Core pricing for search.
CPLCost Per LeadPrice paid per qualified lead generated.
CPMCost Per MillePrice paid per 1,000 impressions — the standard display/video currency.
CPVCost Per ViewPrice paid per video view.
CTRClick-Through RateClicks divided by impressions — a measure of engagement.
CTV / OTTConnected TV / Over-The-TopAds on internet-connected TVs and streaming apps.
Deal IDIdentifier that links a buyer to the negotiated terms of a PMP or programmatic deal.
Direct / IOInsertion OrderA hand-negotiated, guaranteed buy contracted between publisher and advertiser.
DMPData Management PlatformCollects, segments and activates audience data for targeting.
DOOHDigital Out-Of-HomeProgrammatic buying of digital billboards and screens in physical spaces.
DSPDemand-Side PlatformThe advertiser's tool for buying impressions programmatically across many exchanges.
eCPMEffective CPMBlended revenue per 1,000 impressions across all demand sources — the publisher's yield metric.
Fill rateShare of ad requests that are successfully filled with a paid ad.
Floor priceThe minimum CPM a publisher will accept for an impression in an auction.
GAMGoogle Ad ManagerGoogle's publisher ad server and SSP.
Header biddingOffering inventory to multiple exchanges simultaneously before the ad-server call, for higher yield.
IABInteractive Advertising BureauIndustry body that sets standards (formats, oRTB via IAB Tech Lab).
ImpressionA single instance of an ad being served to a user.
Lookalike audienceNew users modelled to resemble a brand's existing customers (seed audience).
Native adAn ad styled to match the surrounding content's look and feel.
OMIDOpen Measurement Interface DefinitionIAB standard for viewability and verification measurement; successor to VPAID.
Open AuctionFully open RTB marketplace where any connected buyer can bid on an impression.
oRTBOpenRTBIAB Tech Lab protocol standardising bid requests and responses between SSPs and DSPs.
PDPreferred DealOne-to-one, fixed-price, non-guaranteed deal giving a buyer first look at inventory.
PGProgrammatic GuaranteedAutomated direct deal: one buyer, guaranteed volume, fixed CPM, no auction.
PMPPrivate MarketplaceInvitation-only auction on premium inventory via a Deal ID; umbrella for private auctions & preferred deals.
ProgrammaticAutomated buying and selling of ad inventory via software and real-time auctions.
RetargetingRe-engaging users who already interacted with a brand (site visit, cart abandon) with follow-up ads.
ROASReturn On Ad SpendRevenue generated per unit of ad spend.
RTBReal-Time BiddingAuctioning each impression in real time as a page or app loads.
SEM / PPCSearch Engine Marketing / Pay-Per-ClickPaid search ads bought on a per-click basis via keyword auctions.
SSPSupply-Side PlatformThe publisher's tool for connecting inventory to demand and auctioning each impression.
VASTVideo Ad Serving TemplateIAB standard for serving video ads to players.
VCRVideo Completion RateShare of video ads watched to completion.
ViewabilityWhether an ad actually entered the user's view (a standard measurable metric).
VPAIDVideo Player-Ad Interface DefinitionLegacy interactive-video standard, now superseded by OMID/SIMID.
Walled gardenClosed ecosystem (Google, Meta, Amazon) bundling inventory, data and buying tools.
WaterfallLegacy sequential method of offering inventory to demand sources one at a time by priority.
Yield managementThe sell-side discipline of routing each impression to the highest-paying demand source.
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