Glossary

A private marketplace (PMP) is an invite-only variation of the real-time bidding (RTB) model. Unlike open, public RTB auctions where any qualified buyer can participate, a PMP restricts bidding to a curated, limited set…

A method that uses varied data sets and statistical algorithms to identify the same user across different devices and applications with high probability. Because each device carries its own unique identifier — such as a…

Also known as: programmatic buying, programmatic ad-buying, programmatic advertising The buying and selling of online media through automated AdTech platforms, as opposed to manual media-buying, where ads are negotiated…

A one-to-one media-buying arrangement that mirrors traditional direct sales, where a publisher's sales team would meet with an advertiser to negotiate and close a deal in person. The model is closely related to the…

A publisher is any company or individual that owns a website or app and offers ad space to advertisers. Publishers typically monetize their content or services by running ads on their properties. Advertisers purchase…

Reach refers to the number of people who could potentially be exposed to a given ad. It is determined by how broadly or narrowly an advertiser defines their targeting criteria. Wide targeting parameters — for example,…

The process of purchasing and selling digital ad space through automated auctions that occur in the time it takes a webpage to load. In an RTB auction, advertisers bid on individual impressions via Demand-Side Platforms…

Also known as: unsold inventory Remnant inventory is ad inventory that a publisher was unable to sell through its direct sales channels or premium campaigns. Rather than leave those impressions unfilled, publishers…

Reporting in advertising refers to the display and summarization of data about a campaign's performance and budget. Core metrics typically surfaced in reporting dashboards include cost, impressions, clicks, and…

Also known as: remarketing (Google's definition) Retargeting is a method of showing users ads for products and services they have previously viewed or interacted with. Rather than targeting a broad audience, retargeting…

A measure of how much a given investment or risk pays off relative to its cost. In advertising, ROI is calculated by comparing the profit generated by a campaign against the initial spend required to run it. A positive…

Run on exchange (ROE) refers to ad inventory that is made available for purchase through an ad exchange. In programmatic advertising, when inventory is designated as ROE, it can be bid on by any eligible buyer accessing…

A targeting method used in ad network campaign management that instructs the platform to distribute a campaign across all available sites within the network, without restricting delivery to specific placements,…

A targeting method used within ad networks that instructs a platform to run a campaign across specific domains or publishers. Rather than targeting by audience segment or contextual keyword, ROS targeting is defined at…

Also known as: Vickrey auction A second-price auction is an auction format in which the highest bidder wins but pays a price equal to the second-highest bid plus $0.01 — not their own submitted bid. This mechanism has…

Also known as: soft floor, soft price floor A soft-floor price is a secondary price threshold used in programmatic advertising, set below the hard floor price, designed to capture bids that fall only slightly under the…

Since the first digital ad appeared in 1994, the programmatic ecosystem has generated a steady stream of new technology to help publishers monetize their properties. Ad networks came first. Supply-side platforms (SSPs)…

An advertising-technology platform used by publishers to sell ad inventory in an automated fashion, typically through Real-time bidding (RTB) auctions. SSPs are most commonly used by online publishers — websites and…

A tag container is a snippet of code added to a website that acts as a central holder for multiple tags — including ad tags, analytics tags, and other third-party tracking scripts. Rather than embedding each tag…

A tag-management system (TMS) is software that allows website owners to manage the various tags deployed on their properties — including analytics tags and advertising tags — from a single user interface. Rather than…

A system for naming things and organizing them into groups based on their similarities. Originally rooted in scientific disciplines like biology, taxonomy has become a practical concept in data management — particularly…

A cookie that is saved under a domain other than the website currently open in the user's browser. Unlike first-party cookies, which are set by the site a visitor is actively viewing, third-party cookies originate from…

Ad networks were among the first pieces of advertising technology introduced in the mid-1990s. They helped publishers sell available ad space to multiple advertisers, allowing buyers to purchase inventory from many…

Consumer attention has steadily shifted away from traditional broadcast TV toward streaming services, and that migration has created significant new territory for AdTech. Connected TV (CTV) and over-the-top (OTT)…