Can you speak the lingo? Test your marketing jargon:

1) Times New Roman is a sans-serif typeface.

[ ] True

[ ] False

2) CPM stands for which of the following?

a) Capturing Permanent Messaging

b) Cost Per Thousand

c) Cost Proficient Marketing

3) What is a double-truck?

a) There is no such thing as a double-truck

b) A semi pulling two cargo trailers

c) Two full facing pages in a newspaper layout

4) This is issued when contracted advertising does not run as ordered.

a) Insertion Order

b) Makegood

c) Affidavit

5) What type of printing is most commonly used to print brochures?

a) Offset

b) Letterpress

c) Digital

Answers at end of article

So we’ve all been there – the big important meeting when someone uses a $5 word that you don’t know the meaning of. You get that glassed over look while searching the far reaches of your brain and make a mental note to look that up when you get back to your office. This month’s newsletter is our attempt to keep as many people from those uncomfortable circumstances as possible…at least when it comes to marketing lingo.

B2B / B2C

Business-to-Business / Business-to-Consumer – refers to the target audience of marketing messaging.

Bleed

Refers to an ad or layout that extends to the trimmed edge of a page or document.

BRC / BRM

Business Reply Card / Business Reply Mail – a BRC is a pre-printed mailer used to return marketing leads and surveys, and other items where you want to encourage a response. Most often it allows the respondent to reply without paying postage. BRM service enables mailers to receive First-Class mail back from customers by paying postage only on the mail returned to them. You must apply with the Post office for a BRM permit, and BRM pieces are subject to strict standards for format, markings and addressing.

Column Inch

A unit of ad space one column wide by one inch deep. Most newspapers sell ad space by column inches.

CTR

Click Through Rate – the average number of click-throughs per hundred online ad impressions, expressed as a percentage.

CPM

Cost Per Thousand – this typically refers to the cost to reach 1,000 audience units (homes, readers, listeners, etc.).

Die-Cut / Kiss-Cut

Die-cutting is the process used to cut shapes out of paper or other substrates. Kiss-cutting is the process used to cut shapes out of the top layer, but not the backing layer, of self-adhesive paper. Also called face cutting.

Digital Printing

Digital printing is produced by computer-controlled devices like inkjet or laser printers.

Electronic File Format

• EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) is a file that contains images and PostScript commands. They can have both vector and bitmap data. If the file contains only vectors it can be easily reduced or enlarged without losing image quality or resolution.

• GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) files are tightly compressed, low resolution image files that are most often used for static and animated web graphics. Because of their high compression and low image quality, GIF files should never be used for printing purposes.

• JPG (Joint Photographic Expert Group) files are raster-based image files with a variable compression range that allows the user to choose the quality of the image. They are typically used for on-screen purposes such as for websites or within email messages. JPG files are not ideal for printing and often cannot be resized or edited without significant loss of image quality.

• PDF (Portable Document Format) is a multi-platform file format developed by Adobe Systems. PDF files accurately display and preserve fonts, page layouts and images. In addition, PDF files can contain electronic components such as links to the web or to a page within a document.

• TIFF or TIF (Tagged Image File Format) is a raster-based file format that is the preferred format when saving images for print. TIF files cannot be enlarged without loss of image quality or resolution. For optimal image results when printing, TIF files should be at least 300 dpi (dots per inch) at usage size.

Emboss / Deboss / Stamp

Embossing is the process of pressing an image or shape into paper so it is raised above the surface of the paper. Debossing is the process of pressing an image or shape into paper so it lies below the surface of the paper. A blind emboss (or blind deboss) means the embossed (or debossed) area is left unprinted. Stamping is the process of using a heated die to press foil onto the surface of paper. Foils used in stamping come in a variety of colors and finishes including metallic, pearlescent, gloss and flat.

Font / Typeface

A font is one size, style, weight and width of a typeface. An example is 12 point Times Roman Bold Extended. Times is a typeface family; Roman is a style; Bold is a weight; Extended is a width. With the advent of computers, the terms font and typeface are often used interchangeably.

Frequency / Reach

Frequency is the number of times an individual or household is exposed to a given ad message during a given period of time. Reach is the number or percent of a potential audience exposed to an ad one or more times within a given period (GRPs divided by frequency = reach).

Graphic File Formats

• Raster Graphics (or bitmap graphics) are files in which images are made up of a grid of dots known as pixels. When output, they produce a continuous tone. These files can be scaled down with no loss of image quality, however, enlarging causes them to look jagged or pixilated. Common files formats for raster or bitmap graphics include BMP, JPG, GIF and TIF.

• Vector Graphics are files in which images are comprised of paths, which are defined by a start and end point. Because vector-based images are not made of a specific number of dots or pixels, they can be scaled to any size and printed at any resolution without losing detail or clarity. Vector graphics are the best choice for representing logos that must retain crisp lines when scaled to various sizes. Common file formats for vector graphics include EPS, AI and SVG.

Gross / Net

Gross refers to the cost of media or other outside services that includes agency commission. Net is the cost without agency commissions. Industry standard commission is 15% of gross for media costs and 20% of gross for production costs (printing, photography, illustration, etc.).

Gutter

The blank inside margins of facing pages in a magazine, book or newspaper; the place where a magazine or book is bound; the blank space between columns in a newspaper.

Impression

An impression is a single instance of an online advertisement being displayed.

Insertion Order

An advertising agency’s legally binding contract for the order of space from a publication.

Letterpress

Letterpress is a printing technique that transfers ink directly from raised surfaces to paper. The process often “bruises” the paper causing a desirable indentation in the surface of the paper.

Offset Printing

Offset is a lithographic printing technique that transfers ink from a plate to a blanket to paper, instead of printing directly from plate to paper.

Serif / Sans-Serif

In typography, serifs are the small cross strokes at the end of the main stroke of a letter. Times Roman is an example of a typeface with serifs. San-serif describes a typeface that does not have cross strokes at the end of its letter’s main stroke, such as Helvetica.

Spread / Double-truck

A spread is an ad or feature that occupies two facing pages in a publication, typically in a magazine. A double-truck is a two-page spread in a publication where the ad runs across the gutter, typically in a newspaper.

Tearsheets / Clippings / Affidavits

Tearsheets are a page of a publication where the advertiser’s ad appears that is torn out and sent to the advertiser for verification purposes. The same purpose is served using the term “clippings” in the public relations industry. Affidavits are legally binding documents that broadcast stations provide to advertisers for verification purposes – they include a complete listing of all spots run with run dates/times.

Web Printing

Web-fed lithographic presses use continuous rolls of paper and are usually suited only for high-volume runs.

Click here for our complete glossary of terms

Click here for a PDF version of this newsletter 

Answers: 1) False, 2) Cost Per Thousand, 3) Two full facing pages in a newspaper layout, 4) Makegood, 5) Offset