Welcome to another episode of Jargon, the new show from Digital Trends that deciphers the complex jargon of various industries into words and concepts the rest of us can understand. We’re live each week on Tuesdays with a new set of jargon from a different industry.
On this episode, host Myq Kaplan dives into the world of digital advertising with Jeff Nicholson, chief media officer at VaynerMedia. From cookies to impressions, from KPI to GDPR, the modern world of online marketing is crawling with jargon that can confuse and obfuscate. We’re here to change that.
Join us as we define the following jargon:
- Cookies: We’ve all visited websites and have seen the “We Use Cookies, Please Agree to Continue” warning box. It’s a term that’s been around a long time now, but what exactly are cookies? Nicholson explains that cookies are a “piece of code that tracks users across their computer and web browser” to cater the site to the preferences and habits of a specific user.
- Ad Impression: Most ads leave an impression. Usually it’s, “I hope I never have to sit through that again.” But “Ad Impression” is a specific industry term. Basically, Nicholson notes, an impression is “something that’s viewable as an ad,” and asks “did [the consumer] look at the ad for a good amount of time?”
- Interstitial Ad: We’ve all been there: Trying to watch an online video only to have to sit through ads. Interstitial ads are “ads that pop up before seeing content,” Nicholson explains.
- KPI (Key Performance Indicator): In every industry, there are ways to measure success. In digital advertising, Nicholson notes, KPIs are “metrics that are important to a business to see if they’ve been successful.” Each business and company will have a different metric to decide their Key Performance Indicators based on their goals and message.
- GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): Like in every industry, there is a certain amount of government involvement. In this case, General Data Protection Regulations are rules the government uses to decide how to “regulate how people’s data is used, and not overused.” They are aimed at making sure the industry players are overtly compliant.
On next week’s episode, we’ll talk about the jargon of plant-based diets, with expert guest Will Schafer, the vice president of marketing at Beyond Meat.
