Media Buying Glossary
Media buying is the process of purchasing ad space and time on digital and offline platforms, such as websites, YouTube, radio, and TV. A media buyer is also responsible for negotiating with publishers for ad inventory, managing budgets, and optimizing ads to improve campaign performance.
Media Buying
Advertising Impressions
The audience delivery of media vehicles, programs or schedules. Usually expressed as thousands (000).
Media Buying
Advertising Weight
The measure of advertising support for an item/brand over a period of time, expressed in gross rating points, impressions, target audience reached, etc.
Media Buying
Advertorial
A print advertisement that is deliberately intended to resemble editorial matter or story in a newspaper or magazine.
Media Buying
Affidavit
A formal sworn statement of fact, signed by someone who can verify this fact, and witnessed by someone such as a notary public. For newspapers, this is often used to prove that an insert or legal notice has run in a paper as scheduled.
Media Buying
Agate Line
A unit of measurement for newspaper advertising which measures one column wide with 14 agate lines per inch (each equal to 1.81 millimeter or 0.07 of an inch).
Media Buying
Alliance for Audited Media (AAM)
Independent, non-profi t organization comprised of publishers, advertisers, advertising agencies to audit and certify circulation of various publications. Annual audit reports show the average net-paid-circulation of the publications (including daily and weekly editions of newspapers, and magazines) and is used by advertisers in planning their marketing campaigns.
Media Buying
Average Frequency
The average number of times a person or household is exposed to an advertising schedule/campaign.
Media Buying
Banner
Rectangular digital advertisements that are shown in and around content on a webpage.
Media Buying
Bleed
Printing that extends to the trimmed edge of a printed page.
Media Buying
Brand Development Index (BDI)
A measure of the strength of a brand’s sales in a particular geographic area indexed to the national sales average. BDI indicates where significant groups of a brand’s customers live and aids in targeting marketing efforts.
Media Buying
Broadsheet
A full-size newspaper.
Media Buying
Buy Sheet
The form used by a media buyer to keep track of data related to a media “buy”.
Media Buying
Center Spread
An advertisement appearing on two facing pages of a newspaper, printed on a single sheet in the center of a publication (see Double Truck).
Media Buying
Checking Copy
A copy of a printed page sent to the advertiser and the agency as proof the ad ran as ordered (see tearsheet).
Media Buying
Circulation
The total average number of distributed copies of a publication during a specified standard time (day, week or month).
Media Buying
City Zone Circulation
The targeted number of newspapers distributed within a specifi ed city area, not outlying areas.
Media Buying
Classified Advertising
Advertising arranged according to categories featuring items offered for sale at a set price for a set period of time. The ad is generally in small print.
Media Buying
Classified Display Advertising
Classified advertising with the characteristics of display advertising – larger-sized, non-classified fonts, graphics, and borders.
Media Buying
Click
When a user manually takes action and clicks on a digital advertisement.
Media Buying
Click Through Rate (CTR)
The percentage of ads that were clicked on by a user (total number of clicks divided by the total number of impressions served).
Media Buying
Closing Date
The final deadline by which advertising space must be reserved to secure the dates/ times/positions requested.