Updated: August 6, 2022

Performance marketing glossary

A glossary of terms that every growth
marketer should know

Performance marketing, like many industries, uses a lot of acronyms and terms that may be unfamiliar to newcomers or even confusing to long-time professionals. At Moloco, we’re laser-focused on helping drive our customers’ success. 

We’ve developed this glossary to help beginners and industry veterans alike learn the terminologies that make the digital marketing profession so dynamic and cutting edge. By combining educational resources with our machine learning solutions, we want to ensure that you not only “talk the talk,” but “walk the walk” too in terms of realizing the highest levels of digital campaign performance.

A   B   C   D   E   F  G   H   I    K    L    M    N    O    P    R    S    T    U    V    W


A

A/B Test 

Statistical analysis to test the difference in performance outcomes between two variables. An example is a creative A/B test to understand which creative performs better.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Run fast and accurate creative A/B tests with Moloco’s Self Serve 

Case Study: AppQuantum’s ROI increases 1.5x

Blog: E-commerce advertising: how to build campaigns that convert 

Creative A/B test settings 

See also: Campaign

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Active User

A user who engages with an app on a regular basis.

For more information, visit: 

Moloco for User Acquisition

Blog: The Instacart advertising strategy is simple yet effective 

Blog: Mobile user acquisition 101: A beginner’s guide 


See also: User Acquisition

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Ad Exchange

Digital marketplace that allows publishers and advertisers to sell and buy ad inventory.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: DSP vs. SSP: understanding the advertising supply chain

Blog: RTB Software: How does real-time bidding actually work? 

Blog: Mobile RTB: the app marketers guide to the real-time bidding ecosystem

Moloco for Agencies 

See also: Ad Network, Mobile Ad Network 

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Ad Mediation

A platform that lets app publishers connect their app to multiple ad networks/exchanges through a single connection such as an SDK. Mediation enables apps to work with multiple advertising partners through one SDK.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: DSP vs. SSP: understanding the advertising supply chain

Blog: RTB Software: How does real-time bidding actually work? 

Blog: Mobile RTB: the app marketers guide to the real-time bidding ecosystem

Moloco for Agencies 

  

See also: Ad Network, Ad Exchange, Mobile Ad Network

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Ad network

A platform or intermediary that connects advertisers who want to buy ad slots to publishers who have ad inventory to sell.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: DSP vs. SSP: understanding the advertising supply chain

Blog: RTB Software: How does real-time bidding actually work? 

Blog: Mobile RTB: the app marketers guide to the real-time bidding ecosystem

Moloco for Agencies 

 See also: Ad Exchange, Mobile Ad Network, Publisher 

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Ad revenue attribution

Identifying the channel and/or supply-side partner that led to a conversion or other advertising goal. This helps advertisers understand which channels and/or partners deliver the best results, so they can focus their media ad spend on them.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: App changes and privacy are upending campaigns. How are marketers adapting? 

 See also: Attribution, Attribution Modeling, Attribution Window, Conversion, Supply Side Platform 

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Ad server

Technology that decides the best ad to show in real time among different ad exchanges and inventories/sources of advertising demand.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: RTB Software: How does real-time bidding actually work? 

   

See also: Ad Exchange 

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Ad stacking 

A type of ad fraud where the fraudster wants to gain credit for either showing an ad or earning a click. The fraudster stacks pixels onto a legitimate ad, which are not visible to the eye. When a user sees the ad, or clicks on it, the fraudster digitally takes credit for the action since their pixel and not the ad itself is triggered.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Bad ad networks part 1: the “Axis of Evil” in mobile ad fraud 

 

See also: Click Fraud, Click Injection, Mobile Ad Fraud 

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Ad viewer rate 

The percentage of users who engage with an ad.

See also: Engagement Rate 

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Advertising ID (ADID) 

A unique advertising identifier for mobile devices. It allows advertisers to track users' ad interactions and conversions. ADID is applicable to both iOS and Android. Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) applies to iOS, and Google Advertising ID (GAID) applies to Android.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: App changes and privacy are upending campaigns. How are marketers adapting? 

  

See also:  Device ID, Google Advertising ID (GAID), Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), Identifier for Vendors (IDFV)  

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Android 

Google’s mobile operating system. 

See also: Google Advertising ID, iOS 14.5 

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App bundle

A publishing format in app stores that includes a collection of app codes used to reduce app downloading time and create faster installs.

See also: App Bundle ID 

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App bundle ID 

A unique identifier for an app within the Apple ecosystem.

For more information, visit: 

App Bundle IDs

See also: App Bundle 

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App store analytics 

App stores have a lot of rich data concerning users’ behavior, including what they search for, what they read, and what they install.  These data points help an app publisher understand why users ignore or install their apps so they can optimize their copy, etc.

See also: Behavioral Data 

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App Store Optimization (ASO)

A service offered by agencies to help app publishers boost the rankings of their apps in the app stores. ASO is similar to search engine optimization but for apps.

For more information, visit: 

Search Engine Journal: “The Complete Guide to App Store Optimization (ASO)” 

 

See also: App Bundle,  App Store Analytics

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App Tracking Transparency (ATT) 

Introduced starting with iOS 14.5, this blocks advertisers from collecting a user’s unique ID, the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), and only collects aggregated campaign data if an app user chooses not to be tracked. ATT introduces an opt-in prompt that all iOS apps that share data with third parties must display.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: App changes and privacy are upending campaigns. How are marketers adapting? 

iOS14: your SKAdNetwork checklist 

Data Report: E-Commerce CPA Trends on iOS – H1 2012

See also: Advertising ID (ADID), Device ID, Google Advertising ID (GAID), Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), Identifier for Vendors (IDFV) 

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Application Programming Interface (API) 

A software intermediary that’s used to connect one application to another for data communication.

See also: Mobile Rich Media Ad Interface (MRAID)

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Average Revenue Per Daily Active User (ARPDAU)

The average amount of revenue an app publisher or developer earns daily  per user, both in terms of spending and advertising.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Dr. Sechan Oh explains Moloco’s machine learning

See also: Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) 

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Attribution

Identifying which ad campaign's ad is responsible for a user's conversion.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: App changes and privacy are upending campaigns. How are marketers adapting? 

​​Nielsen: Methods & Models: A Guide to Multi-Touch Attribution 

See also: Attribution Modeling, Attribution Window, Conversion, Mobile Attribution, Multi-Touch Attribution 

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Attribution modeling

A set of rules that helps apply credit to each ad/channel/supply partner that contributes to a conversion.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: App changes and privacy are upending campaigns. How are marketers adapting? 

​​Nielsen: Methods & Models: A Guide to Multi-Touch Attribution 

 

See also: Attribution, Attribution Window, Conversion, Multi-Touch Attribution 

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Attribution window

The window of time the ad can be attributed to a user's conversion.

See also: Attribution, Attribution modeling, Conversion 

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Authorized sellers for apps

Businesses that are authorized to sell in-app ad inventory on behalf of a publisher/developer. It’s part of the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) ads.txt initiative, which seeks to add transparency to programmatic ad buys and stop ad fraud. 

For more information, visit: 

Authorized Sellers for Apps

 

See also: Interactive Advertising Bureau, Programmatic, Publisher, Mobile ad fraud  

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Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)

A metric for determining how much money a company can expect to generate from an individual customer. It is calculated by dividing total revenue (both in-app purchases and advertising) by total users. 

See also: Average Revenue Per Daily Active User (ARPDAU) 

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Performance marketing, like many industries, uses a lot of acronyms and terms that may be unfamiliar to newcomers or even confusing to long-time professionals. At Moloco, we’re laser-focused on helping drive our customers’ success. 

We’ve developed this glossary to help beginners and industry veterans alike learn the terminologies that make the digital marketing profession so dynamic and cutting edge. By combining educational resources with our machine learning solutions, we want to ensure that you not only “talk the talk,” but “walk the walk” too in terms of realizing the highest levels of digital campaign performance.


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B

Banner ads

An image ad (static or rich media) placed on the top, side, or bottom of a publisher's page. Banner ads tend to be thin and relatively unobtrusive.

See also: Publisher 

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Behavioral data 

Data on users based on their behaviors and actions either in-app, browsing behaviors, or other user signals. This is often used to serve more personalized advertisements to users.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: How Moloco prepared for a post-IDFA era  

See also: Contextual signaling 

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Bid floor 

The minimum bid a publisher sets for specific media inventory. Ads that are below the bid floor will be rejected in the auction for that media inventory.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: RTB Software: How does real-time bidding actually work? 

Blog: Mobile RTB: the app marketers guide to the real-time bidding ecosystem

See also: Bid price, Bid request, Bid response, Bidstream data, Publisher 

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Bid price

The maximum bid an advertiser is willing to set to buy an inventory.

For more information, visit:

Blog: RTB Software: How does real-time bidding actually work? 

Blog: Mobile RTB: the app marketers guide to the real-time bidding ecosystem

See also: Bid floor, Bid request, Bid response, Bidstream data 

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Bid request

The initial notification that an ad within an app is open and available to be filled by an advertiser’s ad. Within real-time bidding systems, ad exchanges send bid requests containing inventory details to demand side platforms (DSPs) like Moloco to start the bidding process of buying and selling ad inventory.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: RTB Software: How does real-time bidding actually work? 

Blog: Mobile RTB: the app marketers guide to the real-time bidding ecosystem

See also: Bid floor, Bid price, Bid response, Bidstream data, Demand Side Platforms (DSPs) 

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Bid response

In response to a bid request, DSPs such as the Moloco Cloud Demand Side Platform, will send bid prices for different ads that match the inventory space in order to win the space in the auction.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: RTB Software: How does real-time bidding actually work? 

Blog: Mobile RTB: the app marketers guide to the real-time bidding ecosystem

See also:  Bid floor, Bid price, Bid request, Bidstream data, Demand Side Platform (DSP) 

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Bidstream data 

All the publisher and channel data that is offered by an ad exchange and used by a DSP to decide whether or not to bid on an impression, and how much to pay. 

For more information, visit: 

Blog: RTB Software: How does real-time bidding actually work? 

Blog: Mobile RTB: the app marketers guide to the real-time bidding ecosystem

See also:  Ad exchange, Bid floor, Bid price, Bid request, Bid response, Demand Side Platform (DSP), Impression 

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Brand safety 

Measures that seek to protect a brand’s reputation by ensuring its advertising does not appear next to objectionable or inappropriate online content. 

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Moloco Cloud DSP earns IAB Gold Standard 2.0 & TAG Certifications 

Blog: Moloco achieves TAG Global Brand Safety Certification 

Moloco’s Brand Safety Policy 

Blog: Programmatic media buying - what app marketers need to know

See also: Programmatic

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C

Call to Action (CTA)

A prompt within an ad or other content that encourages users to take an action and complete a conversion event. For user acquisition purposes, it’s typically written as an action phrase, such as “Download Now,” and used within a button design element.

For more information, visit: 

HubSpot: “50 Call-To-Action Examples You Can’t Help But Click"

See also: Conversion, Conversion Rate (CVR) 

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Campaign

A coordinated advertising effort around a central theme and/or specific marketing goals. A campaign houses ad and creative groups, as well as creatives. Each campaign will have a specific theme as part of an advertising strategy.

For more information, visit: 

What is a creative group and how do I use it? 

News: Moloco launches dynamic creative for programmatic mobile advertising 

Blog: Tailoring your creatives to different audiences 

Blog: The Airbnb marketing strategy: helping guests feel right at home 

See also: A/B Testing, Creative Group, Creative 

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Catalog feed

Used for dynamic product ads (DPA), this is a data feed containing all relevant product information for items sold on a digital property to consumers. 

For more information, visit: 

News: Moloco launches dynamic creative for programmatic mobile advertising

See also: Dynamic Product Ad (DPA) 

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Churn

A measure of customer attrition. 

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Dynamic retargeting: how to reconnect with lapsed users and drive revenue

   

See also: User Acquisition

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Click

The action of a user clicking or tapping on a mouse, touchscreen or other input device to select an item on a website or app. 

See also: Call to Action (CTA), Click fraud, Click injection, Click-through, Click-through rate (CTR), Click validation 

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Click fraud

Fraudulent clicks, typically as a result of ad stacking. Click fraud describes any event to fake a click or to falsely claim attribution for a click that actually should be attributed to another source. 

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Mobile ad fraud taxonomy

 

See also: Ad stacking, Click, Click injection, Click-through, Click-through rate (CTR), Click validation 

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Click injection

A form of fraud in which the fraudster takes credit for a new app installation actually driven by someone else. Fraudsters monitor for app installs, then trigger clicks before the installations are complete so they can earn the commission on the install.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Mobile ad fraud taxonomy

   

See also: Click, Click fraud, Click-through, Click-through rate (CTR), Click validation 

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Click-through

A conversion that results after a user clicks on an ad or button. The conversion is called a click-through conversion. Click-through describes the rate at which someone who is exposed to an ad then clicks on that ad and engages with its CTA.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: What is the CVR formula? 

Blog: Success case: Golf King World Tour 

See also: Call to action (CTA), Click, Click fraud, Click injection, Click-through rate (CTR), Click validation  

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Click-through rate (CTR)

Calculates the percentage of users who see an ad and then end up clicking on it. 

For more information, visit: 

Blog: What is the CVR formula? 

Blog: Success case: Golf King World Tour 

  See also: Click, Click fraud, Click injection, Click-through, Click validation, Impression 

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Click validation

Determines and confirms whether a click is legitimate or not, to say whether a real user actually clicked on the ad.

For more information, visit:

Blog: Mobile ad fraud taxonomy    

See also: Click, Click fraud, Click injection, Click-through, Click-through rate (CTR) 

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Cohort

A group of users who have attributes in common. Cohorts often can be used for targeting or analysis.

See also: Behavioral data, Cohort analysis 

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Cohort analysis

Understanding the attributes of a cohort.

See also: Behavioral data, Cohort 

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Connected TV (CTV) 

Internet-enabled television. Connected TV provides streaming content through apps, either on a smart TV (through the television set itself) or through Over the Top (OTT) devices like a Roku box. 

For more information, visit: 

Blog What this unconventional Super Bowl ad means for the future of TV advertising 

See also: Over the Top (OTT)

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Contextual signaling 

Data signals used for ad campaign optimization in the absence of a user's Advertising ID (ADID) such as device data, language, OS, location, time, user interests based on apps, etc. 

For more information, visit: 

Blog: App changes and privacy are upending campaigns. How are marketers adapting? 
Marketing Dive: Mobile marketers intensify focus on contextual signals amid privacy changes

See also: Advertising ID (ADID), Bid Request, Behavioral Targeting, Retargeting 

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Conversion

When a user completes an action that’s been set as a campaign goal.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: App changes and privacy are upending campaigns. How are marketers adapting? 

Blog: What is the CVR formula? 

See also: Attribution, Conversion Modeling, Conversion Rate (CVR), Conversion Value 

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Conversion modeling

Use of machine learning to help quantify and estimate attribution for specific marketing campaigns when a cohort of conversions cannot be tracked individually. 

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Dr. Sechan Oh explains Moloco’s machine learning

See also: Attribution, Campaign, Cohort, Conversion, Conversion Rate (CVR), Conversion Value, Machine Learning 

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Conversion rate (CVR)

The percentage that calculates which users convert on an action after seeing an ad.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: What is the CVR formula? 

Blog: Conversion values vs user quality: driving impactful results post iOS 14.5

See also: Attribution, Conversion, Conversion Modeling, Conversion Value 

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Conversion value

A conversion's lifetime or short-term value, used to understand the return on investment (ROI) of a campaign.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: What is the CVR formula? 

Blog: Conversion values vs user quality: driving impactful results post iOS 14.5

See also: Campaign, Conversion, Conversion modeling, Conversion rate (CVR), Return on investment 

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Cookie

A small piece of code that tracks a user's actions on a website. Companies use cookies to provide personalization or gain insight on how to improve the online experience.

For more information, visit: 

PressGazette: The Future of Media: “Marketing experts reveal alternatives to third-party cookies” 

McKinsey & Company: As the cookie crumbles, three strategies for advertisers to thrive 

See also: Do Not Track (DNT), Retargeting 

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Cost per action (CPA)

Calculates how much ad budget is spent to reach one goal or conversion event. CPA is used as a reporting metric to evaluate performance.

For more information, visit: 

Case study: Health and fitness app chooses Moloco as their trusted DSP

Data report: E-commerce CPA trends on iOS – H1 2012

 

See also: Attribution, Click through, Conversion, Conversion rate, Conversion value  

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Cost per click (CPC)

Calculates how much each ad click costs.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: CPM and CPC: understanding mobile advertising rates

  

See also: Attribution, Click through, Click through rate (CTR), Conversion, Conversion rate, Cost per action (CPA) 

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Cost per completed view (CPCV)

A pricing model used when advertisers only pay to place video ads if the user watched it all the way through.

For more information, visit: 

 Blog: What is performance marketing? 4 tips for app marketers 

See also: Cost per action (CPA), Cost per click 

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Cost per Install (CPI)

Calculates how much ad budget is spent in order to lead to one legitimate install. Used either as a reporting metric or an optimization goal.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Cost per install – benefits and drawbacks of app marketing’s best-known KPI 

Case Study: Vimosoft sees 10X increase in install volume on SKAdNetwork Traffic

  

See also: Conversion, Cost per action (CPA), Installs per thousand (IPM) 

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Cost per mille (CPM)

A measurement that calculates the amount it costs to show an ad 1,000 times.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: CPM and CPC: understanding mobile advertising rates

 

See also: Impression  

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Creative

Also known as creative assets, creative describes the ads themselves. Image ads, native ads, video ads, playables, dynamic product ads, rich media, and interstitial ads are all examples of creative assets.

For more information, visit: 

Resources: Image Creative Guide

What is a creative group and how do I use it? 

Blog: Tailoring your creatives to different audiences

   

See also: Creative group, Dynamic product ad, Interstitial ads, Native ad, Playable ad, Rich media 

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Creative Group

A creative group is the smallest sub-unit of the campaign. You can set targets and creative groups within each ad group.

For more information, visit: 

What is a creative group and how do I use it? 

Understand campaign identities 

   

See also: Campaign, Creative customer acquisition cost (CAC)

A calculation of how much it costs to acquire one customer.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Mobile user acquisition 101: A beginner’s guide  

See also: Average Revenue Per Daily User (ARPDU), Lifetime Value (LTV) 

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D

Daily Active Users (DAU)

The number of people who use an app each day.

See also: Active user, Average revenue per daily active user (ARPDAU), Monthly active user 

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Deep Link

A URL, typically within and connected to an app, that takes users to a specific content page in an app to drive engagement, retention, or app growth. 

For more information, visit:   

AppsFlyer: Deep linking in 2022: Everything you need to know 

Branch: Deep Linking 

See also: Engagement rate (ER), Retention rate

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Demand Side Platform (DSP)

Technology that gives digital advertisers the ability to manage and buy ad inventory through multiple ad exchanges and ad networks. The Moloco Cloud is a DSP that automates this process.

For more information, visit: 

Moloco Cloud DSP 

Blog: 11 questions to ask before working with a new DSP 

Press release: Moloco announces Moloco Cloud Demand-Side Platform updates 

Case Study: Health and Fitness app chooses Moloco as their trusted DSP 

Blog: DSP vs. SSP: understanding the advertising supply chain

Moloco for Agencies 

R&D Blog: Challenges in building a scalable Demand Side Platform (DSP) service

Moloco’s Machine Learning Engine

 

See also: Ad exchange, Inventory, Supply Side Platform (SSP) 

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Deterministic attribution

A measurement based on a user’s unique ID that can directly connect a conversion action to a particular campaign.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: App changes and privacy are upending campaigns. How are marketers adapting? 

See also: Advertising ID (ADID), Attribution, Attribution modeling, Attribution window, Device ID, Google Advertising ID (GAID), Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA)  

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Device ID 

The unique and anonymized identification of a particular mobile device.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: App changes and privacy are upending campaigns. How are marketers adapting? 

 

See also: Advertising ID (ADID), Google Advertising ID (GAID), Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), Identifier for Vendors (IDFV) 

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Do not track (DNT)

A setting that disallows websites from tracking or collecting browsing data.

For more information, visit: 

Electronic Frontier Foundation: Do Not Track

McKinsey & Company: As the cookie crumbles, three strategies for advertisers to thrive 

See also: Cookie, Retargeting 

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Dynamic product ad (DPA)

An ad that updates in real time to show the most relevant content, personalized to users.

For more information, visit: 

News: Moloco launches dynamic creative for programmatic mobile advertising 

 

See also: Catalog feed 

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Dynamic retargeting

An advertising technique that personalizes ads for each user that has already been exposed to a brand’s marketing messaging, based on their past behaviors or engagement with an ad. Machine learning is deployed to understand where a user is in the purchase journey in order to create an ad that is uniquely suited for that user.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Dynamic retargeting: how to reconnect with lapsed users and drive revenue 

   

See also: Dynamic product ad, Machine learning, Retargeting 

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E

Effective cost per mille (eCPM)

The “effective” cost per 1,000 impressions publishers earn. To calculate the eCPM, divide total ad revenues by impressions, and multiply by 1,000. 

For more information, visit:

Blog: CPM and CPC: understanding mobile advertising rates 

  

See also: Cost per mille (CPM), Impression 

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Engagement rate (ER) 

The number of times people engage with an ad divided by the number of times the ad is shown.   

See also: Ad viewer rate, Impression  

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F

Fill rate

A metric to assess a supply side platform’s (SSP) ability to monetize an app developer’s inventory. To calculate it, divide the number of ad impressions shown by the number of ad calls made.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: DSP vs. SSP: understanding the advertising supply chain

See also: Supply Side Platform, Impression 

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First-party data

Data that is collected directly from users, such as when they input their email address or phone number in an app.

For more information, visit: 

PerformanceIN: “Machine Learning is Unlocking the Power of First-Party Data”

AITHORITY: “How Machine Learning and First-party Data Work in Harmony for Performance Marketers”

Forbes: “Advertising Is Flourishing Beyond The Garden”

Blog: The importance of first-party data in RTB campaigns

Blog: Sending first party data to MMPs in a post IOS 14.5 world 

AdExchanger: AdExplainer: What is First-Party Data? 

 

See also: Second-party data, Third-party data 

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Fractional attribution

When credit is given to multiple sources once a conversion occurs. It recognizes that users rarely convert after seeing just one ad.

For more information, visit: 

​​Nielsen: Methods & Models: A Guide to Multi-Touch Attribution 

See also: Attribution, Attribution modeling, Attribution window, Conversion, Multi-touch attribution

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G

Google Advertising ID (GAID)

A unique identifier for Android mobile devices that tracks a user’s journey on mobile websites and in apps.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: App changes and privacy are upending campaigns. How are marketers adapting?  

See also: Advertising ID (ADID), Device ID, Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), Identifier for Vendors (IDFV) 

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General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

A regulation enacted by the European Union (EU) in 2018, providing a legal framework for collecting, processing and storing personal data from people who interact with a brand’s digital properties and live and/or travel to an EU member state. 

For more information, visit: 

GDPR Compliance 

AdExchanger: AdExplainer: What is First-Party Data?

  

See also: Cookie, Do not track (DNT), First-party data, Second-party data, Third-party data 

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H

Header bidding

A programmatic advertising technique that enables publishers to offer up their ad inventory to multiple advertising exchanges, ad networks, and other ad demand sources, all in real time. With header bidding, the publisher holds a “pre-auction” and then selects the highest bid before an ad call is made to the ad server.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Mobile RTB: the app marketers guide to the real-time bidding ecosystem

See also: Ad exchange, Bid floor, Bid price, Bid request, Bid response, Bidstream data, Programmatic, Publisher 

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I

Impressions to installs rate (i2i)

Calculates ratio of impressions to installs. This is used to determine the number of impressions an ad needs to lead. 

See also: Impression, Cost per install (CPI), Installs per thousand (IPM)  

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Identifier for advertisers (IDFA)

A device ID generated by Apple that tracks an iOS device user’s journey on websites and in apps.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: App changes and privacy are upending campaigns. How are marketers adapting? 

Data Report: E-Commerce CPA trends on iOS – H1 2012

See also: Advertising ID (ADID), Device ID, Google Advertising ID (GAID), Identifier for Vendors (IDFV) 

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Identifier for vendors (IDFV)

An identifier used by app developers to measure user-level data across multiple apps from the same content provider without having to request their consent.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: App changes and privacy are upending campaigns. How are marketers adapting? 

 

See also: Advertising ID (ADID), Device ID, Google Advertising ID (GAID), Identifier for advertisers (IDFA) 

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Impression

When a user sees an ad. An impression occurs each time a user opens an app or website and an ad is displayed.

For more information, visit: 

Moloco Cloud DSP 

See also: Cost per mille (CPM), Effective cost per mille (eCPM), i2i, Impressions per daily active user (IMPDAU) 

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Impressions per daily active user (IMPDAU)

The average number of ads shown to daily users. This is a useful metric to assess the efficacy of an app developer’s monetization initiative.

For more information, visit: 

Moloco’s Machine Learning Engine  

See also: Cost per mille (CPM), Effective cost per mille (eCPM), i2i, Impression  

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In-app advertising

Ads shown to users as they engage with an app.

See also: In-app bidding, In-app event, In-app purchase (IAP) 

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In-app bidding

A monetization strategy in which mobile app developers hold auctions within their apps in order to sell ad impressions to the highest bidder. With in-app bidding, all potential advertisers have the opportunity to bid on and potentially buy a publisher’s available ad inventory. Also sometimes known as in-app header bidding, in-app bidding largely replaces the waterfall or sequential monetization model.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: RTB software: how does real-time bidding actually work?

Blog: Mobile RTB: the app marketers guide to the real-time bidding ecosystem

See also: In-app advertising, In-app event, In-app purchase (IAP) 

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In-app event

Conversion actions within the app that advertisers want to track -- e.g. placing an order, purchasing in-game currency, funding a crypto wallet, and so on.

See also: Attribution, Conversion, In-app advertising, In-app bidding, In-app purchase (IAP) 

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In-app purchase (IAP)

When a user makes a purchase within an app, such as buying in-game currency, booking a flight, or ordering dinner.

See also: Attribution, Conversion, In-app advertising, In-app bidding, In-app event 

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Installs per thousand (IPM)

Calculates installs per thousand impressions. A metric used to track the number of app installs per thousand ad impressions.

See also: Cost per install (CPI), Effective cost per mille (eCPM), i2i, Impression, Impressions per daily active user (IMPDAU) 

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Interactive advertising bureau (IAB)

An American advertising business organization that develops industry standards, conducts research, and provides legal support for the online advertising industry.

For more information, visit: 

Interactive Advertising Bureau

See also: Authorized sellers for apps 

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Interstitial ad

Ads that cover most of or the entire screen when a user is using an app.

For more information, visit: 

Resources: Image Creative Guide

What is a creative group and how do I use it? 

  

See also: Creative, Dynamic product ad, Native ad, Playable ad, Rich media 

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Inventory

Ad space that publishers are looking to sell to buyers.

See also: Publisher 

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iOS 14.5

When this version of Apple’s iOS mobile operating system went live in 2021, it marked the start of Apple's enforcement of its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework. With ATT, the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) attached to a device is only shared when a user specifically opts in to tracking. 

For more information, visit: 

iOS14: your SKAdNetwork checklist 

See also: Android, App Tracking Transparency (ATT), Do not track (DNT), Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA)  

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K

K-Factor

Measures the degree to which an app is “viral.” The term is borrowed from epidemiology and is used to measure how contagious a disease is.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: 3 of the best e-commerce marketing campaigns of all time 

 

See also: App store optimization 

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Key performance indicator (KPI)

Any metric that advertisers use to set goals and measure the success of a campaign or marketing initiative. 

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Weekly Budget Optimizer delivers 29% higher ROAS for e-commerce apps

Blog: Targeting, throttling and tips 

Moloco Cloud DSP 

 

See also: Attribution, Campaign, Conversion, Cost per action (CPA), Cost per click (CPC), Cost per completed view (CPCV), Cost per install (CPI), Cost per mille (CPM), Effective cost per mille (eCPM), Return on ad spend (ROAS), Return on investment (ROI) 

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L

Landing Page

The page that users are directed to when clicking on a call-to-action button.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: E-commerce advertising: how to build campaigns that convert 

  

See also: Call to action (CTA) 

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Lifetime value (LTV)

A way to measure a customer's revenue to a business during the duration of their relationship.

For more information, visit: 

Moloco for User Acquisition 

 

See also: Mobile app user acquisition, User acquisition (UA)

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Limit Ad Tracking (LAT)

Apple's iOS setting that allows users to select to prevent advertisers from tracking user behavior for targeted ads.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: App changes and privacy are upending campaigns. How are marketers adapting?

Data Report: E-Commerce CPA Trends on iOS – H1 2012

See also: Behavioral data, iOS 14.5, Do not track (DNT) 

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M

Machine learning

A type of artificial intelligence where the algorithm automatically improves when more data is collected and as time goes on.

For more information, visit: 

PerformanceIN: “Machine Learning is Unlocking the Power of First-Party Data”

AITHORITY: “How Machine Learning and First-party Data Work in Harmony for Performance Marketers”

Video: Moloco’s machine learning platform for performance and growth 

Moloco’s Machine Learning Engine

Blog: Dr. Sechan Oh explains Moloco’s machine learning 

Blog: 11 questions to ask before working with a new DSP

R&D Blog: Challenges in building a scalable Demand Side Platform (DSP) service

 

See also: Demand Side Platform (DSP)

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Mediation platform

A platform that allows app developers to connect to more than one ad network via a single software development kit (SDK).

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Mobile RTB: the app marketers guide to the real-time bidding ecosystem

 

See also: Ad network 

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Mobile ad fraud

False actions taken on a mobile ad such as fraudulent clicks, installs, or impressions. Usually conducted to fraudulently take an advertiser’s budget.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Mobile ad fraud taxonomy

   

See also: Ad stacking, Click fraud, Click injection, Click validation 

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Mobile ad network

A marketplace that facilitates the sale of mobile ad inventory. Mobile networks consolidate advertising impressions from multiple mobile app developers and make them available to advertisers for purchase.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: DSP vs. SSP: understanding the advertising supply chain  

See also: Ad exchange, Ad network, Mediation platform 

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Mobile app user acquisition

A type of advertising campaign in which the goal is to get consumers to install and use a mobile app. Often these campaigns seek a multi-step conversion (e.g. install a crypto-wallet app, link to a bank, fund the wallet and make a trade).

For more information, visit: 

Moloco for User Acquisition   

Blog: Mobile user acquisition 101: A beginner’s guide

See also: Conversion, In-app advertising, In-app event, In-app purchase, Multi-touch attribution  

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Mobile attribution

Assesses the role of a mobile ad in the conversion journey. The goal is to calculate the value of the mobile ad spend in the engagement or installation of an app. 

For more information, visit: 

Moloco for User Acquisition   

Blog: Mobile user acquisition 101: A beginner’s guide

See also: Ad revenue attribution, Attribution, Attribution modeling, Attribution window, Conversion 

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Mobile measurement platform (MMP)

Solution that helps advertisers measure campaign performance across channels and attributes that mobile data to campaigns.

For more information, visit: 

Moloco for User Acquisition   

See also: Attribution, Campaign, Mobile attribution 

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Mobile measurement platform (MMP) bundle ID

Identifier that is the same as an app's Play Store ID (package name).

For more information, visit: 

FAQ: What’s MMP Bundle ID 

See also: Mobile measurement platform (MMP) 

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Mobile rich media ad interface (MRAID)

An application programming interface (API) to run rich media ads on mobile apps.

For more information, visit: 

IAB Mobile Rich Media Ad Interface Definitions (MRAID) 

  

See also: Application programming interface (API), Rich media 

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Monthly active user (MAU)

The number of users who actively engage with an app over the course of a month.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Mobile user acquisition 101: A beginner’s guide   

See also: Active user, Average revenue Per daily active user (ARPDAU), Daily active user 

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Multi-touch attribution

An attribution model that seeks to calculate and highlight the value (or impact) of every touchpoint on the conversion journey (as opposed to giving all the credit to the first or last touch). 

For more information, visit: 

​​Nielsen: Methods & Models: A Guide to Multi-Touch Attribution   

See also: Attribution, Conversion, Mobile app user acquisition 

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N

Native ad

A type of ad that is shown with the same form and function of the app it is shown on.

For more information, visit: 

Resources: Image Creative Guide

   

See also: Creative, Dynamic product ad, Interstitial ad, Playable ad, Rich media 

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O

Offerwall 

A form of in-app advertising in which the user selects which ad to view in exchange for something of value, such as in-game currency or access to additional content or functionality.

For more information, visit:

Blog: Hyper casual gems development: the complete checklist 

 

See also: In-app advertising  

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Opt-in rate

The percentage of users who agree to opt into a form of marketing. It is calculated by dividing total users who opt-in by total users who visited the opt-in page.

See also: Landing page 

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Optimization

The process of making adjustments to an advertising strategy with the goal of maximizing the effectiveness of the campaign (considering time AND money) to achieve a company's target goals.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Targeting, throttling and tips  

Blog: App changes and privacy are upending campaigns. How are marketers adapting? 

Blog: Weekly Budget Optimizer delivers 29% higher ROAS for e-commerce apps

See also: Ad revenue attribution, Return on ad spend (ROAS), Return on investment (ROI) 

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Organic traffic

Traffic that comes from non-paid sources. It is the opposite of paid media traffic which comes from paid advertisements.

See also: Paid media traffic 

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Over the top (OTT)

Content that’s offered directly to consumers via the internet (bypassing cable and broadcast TV). OTT providers include Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and Disney+.

For more information, visit: 

Blog What this unconventional Super Bowl ad means for the future of TV advertising  

See also: Connected TV  

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Owned Media

All of the media properties (apps, catalogs, newsletters, blogs) that are controlled by a publisher.

See also: Publisher 

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P

Paid media traffic 

Traffic that comes from paid media, such as search engine ads, social media ads, or other forms of online advertising, promotions, or campaigns. 

See also: Organic traffic 

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Performance marketing

A marketing campaign that seeks to prompt users to take specific actions, such as installing an app, placing an order, funding a crypto wallet, etc.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: What is performance marketing? 4 tips for app marketers 

Blog: Mobile user acquisition 101: A beginner’s guide 

See also: Campaign, Conversion, In-app event, In-app purchase 

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Playable ad

An interactive ad that shows a preview of what an app offers by allowing users to experience the app through the ad itself.

See also: Creative, Dynamic product ad, Interstitial ad, Native ad, Rich media 

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Postback

In-app event data that is sent back from mobile measurement platforms (MMPs) to demand side platforms (DSPs) like Moloco. This data is often later used to optimize ad campaigns.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: SKAdNetwork: testing through the lens of a DSP

   

See also: In-app event, Mobile Measurement Platform (MMP), Demand Side Platform (DSP), Optimization 

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Private marketplace

Invitation-only programmatic deals in which there is one buyer (the advertiser) and one seller (the publisher).

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Programmatic media buying - what app marketers need to know

See also: Programmatic, Publisher 

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Probabilistic attribution

A method to speculate attribution based on information such as an IP address when an Advertiser ID (ADID) is not collectable from a user device.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Dr. Sechan Oh explains Moloco’s machine learning

  

See also: Advertiser ID (ADID), Attribution, Device ID 

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Programmatic

The automated, real-time buying of ad space via multiple ad exchanges.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Programmatic media buying - what app marketers need to know

Blog: Mobile RTB: the app marketers guide to the real-time bidding ecosystem

Moloco for Enterprise: Programmatic ad platform solutions for enterprises 

See also: Ad exchange, Brand safety, Header bidding, Private marketplace 

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Publisher

Sometimes known as the sell side of the programmatic ecosystem, publishers sell ad inventories and advertisers use DSPs, ad networks, and ad exchanges to buy those ad inventories to display their ads. Publishers own and operate media sources like apps.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: DSP vs. SSP: understanding the advertising supply chain

Forbes: “Advertising Is Flourishing Beyond The Garden”

See also: Ad exchange, Ad Network, Demand Side Platform (DSP), Publisher, Supply Side Platform (SSP) 

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R

Real time bidding (RTB)

A method of automating the buying of ad space where the bid price per impression is determined in real time.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: RTB Software: How does real-time bidding actually work? 

Blog: Programmatic media buying - what app marketers need to know

Blog: Mobile RTB: the app marketers guide to the real-time bidding ecosystem

See also: Bid floor, Bid price, Bid request, Bid response, Bidstream data, Impression,  

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Recommendation engine

A machine learning data-filtering tool that seeks to display content, images, or products most relevant to individual users, based on their likely interest. Recommendation engines calculate user interest based on a variety of attributes, including current viewing behavior on a site, past behaviors, device type, time of day, etc.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Dr. Sechan Oh explains Moloco’s machine learning 

Moloco’s Machine Learning Engine

See also: Behavioral data, Cohort, Cohort analysis, Machine learning, Target audience 

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Re-engagement

Targeting users who have already downloaded an app but haven't engaged with it recently in order to reactivate them.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Dynamic retargeting: how to reconnect with lapsed users and drive revenue 

Blog: Weekly Budget Optimizer delivers 29% higher ROAS for e-commerce apps

The Tinder marketing strategy unpacked: 4 lessons for dating app marketers 

See also: Retargeting 

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Retargeting

Targeting ads to users who have visited the app and/or engaged with an advertiser’s marketing messaging previously.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Dynamic retargeting: how to reconnect with lapsed users and drive revenue 

See also: Dynamic retargeting, Re-engagement 

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Retention rate

The percentage of users who continue to engage with an app over a specified period of time. 

See also: Active user, Monthly active user (MAU), Re-engagement, Session 

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Return on ad spend (ROAS)

A performance metric, displayed as a percentage, determined by calculating the overall business or revenue value of an advertising campaign.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Weekly Budget Optimizer delivers 29% higher ROAS for e-commerce apps

Blog: Targeting, throttling and tips 

Moloco Cloud DSP 

Case Study: GameHive exceeds ROAS target by 20% with data-driven user acquisition from Moloco 

See also: Key performance indicator (KPI), Optimization, Return on investment (ROI) 

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Return on investment (ROI)

The measure of profit or loss generated on a campaign’s efforts. A positive ROI means that a campaign is making more money than what was spent—and vice versa for negative ROI.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Weekly Budget Optimizer delivers 29% higher ROAS for e-commerce apps

Blog: Targeting, throttling and tips 

Moloco Cloud DSP 

Blog: Conversion values vs user quality: driving impactful results post iOS 14.5

See also: Key performance indicator (KPI), Optimization, Return on ad spend (ROAS) 

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Rewarded video ads

Ads that offer the user some kind of value in exchange for watching a video ad.

See also: Creative, Offerwall 

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Rich media

A type of ad format that provides a more engaging and dynamic experience for users, such as video or playable ads, rather than text or static display ads.

For more information, visit: 

Resources: Image Creative Guide

 

See also: Creative, Dynamic product ad, Interstitial ad, Native ad, Playable d 

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S

Second-party data 

Information that a company didn't collect itself but is acquired from a trusted partner. 

For more information, visit: 

AdExchanger: AdExplainer: What is First-Party Data? 

  

See also: First-party data, Third-party data 

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Self-serve DSP

A platform that provides advertisers with complete control over their ad buying, rather than leaving the media acquisition for their campaigns to a media agency. With a self-serve platform, advertisers have the ability to directly set up, manage, and analyze their campaigns. 

For more information, visit: 

Moloco for Agencies 

See also: Demand Side Platform (DSP), Publisher 

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Sellers.json

An IAB standard which promotes transparency in the advertising ecosystem by allowing the buyer to identify the final seller in a programmatic bid request.

For more information, visit: 

IAB Tech Lab: Sellers.json 

See also: Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), Bid floor, Bid price, Bid request, Bid response, Bidstream data 

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Session

The length of time a user engages with an app. 

See also: Active user, Monthly active user (MAU), Re-engagement, Retention rate 

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SKAdNetwork

Apple's attribution framework that helps advertisers measure ad performance, and attributes based on aggregate level data, as opposed to device- or user-level data, in order to abide by Apple's ATT and Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) privacy policy.

For more information, visit: 

iOS14: your SKAdNetwork checklist 

Blog: Conversion values vs user quality: driving impactful results post iOS 14.5

See also: Attribution, Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) 

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Supply path optimization (SPO)

The process by which advertisers audit their existing advertising plans and seek to find the most direct path between the buyer and the seller. SPO seeks to cut down on the number of intermediaries involved in a programmatic transaction.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Conversion values vs user quality: driving impactful results post iOS 14.5

 

See also: Ad exchange, Ad network 

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Supply Side Platform (SSP)

An advertising technology that consolidates inventory from multiple publishers and offers it to buyers in an automated fashion.

For more information, visit: 

Blog: DSP vs. SSP: understanding the advertising supply chain

See also: Ad exchange, Demand Side Platforms (DSP), Inventory, Publisher 

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Suppression list

A list of users a brand doesn’t want to target for a specific ad for a variety of reasons (e.g. to suppress an ad to install an app for users who have already installed it). 

See also: Contextual signaling, Dynamic retargeting, Retargeting 

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T

Target audience 

A group of users that has a propensity to buy a company’s products or services and often shares common traits and/or attributes. 

For more information, visit: 

Blog: Targeting, throttling and tips 

The Tinder marketing strategy unpacked: 4 lessons for dating app marketers 

See also: Cohort, Cohort analysis, Contextual signaling, Dynamic retargeting, Retargeting 

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Third-party data

User data that is acquired from outside sources that are not the original collectors of that data.

For more information, visit: 

AdExchanger: AdExplainer: What is First-Party Data? 

See also: First-party data, Second-party data 

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Tracking link

A URL that is set at the campaign or creative group level to track specific parameters in order to understand where a conversion comes from. 

For more information, visit: 

What is a Tracking Link & How to Create Them 

See also: Campaign, Creative, Conversion, Tracking parameter 

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Tracking parameter

Dynamic or manual fields that the advertiser wants to track within a tracking link, such as campaign ID, creative ID, etc.

For more information, visit: 

How to Use UTM Parameters

See also: Campaign, Creative, Tracking link 

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U

Unattributable traffic

Visitor traffic that is from unknown sources due to privacy policies, or not being able track a user with a cookie.

See also: Cookie, Do not track (DNT), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Paid media traffic, Organic traffic 

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User acquisition (UA)

An optimization goal focused on acquiring new users.

For more information, visit: 

Moloco for User Acquisition

Blog: The Instacart advertising strategy is simple yet effective 

Blog: Mobile user acquisition 101: A beginner’s guide 

See also: Active user, Daily active user (DAU), Monthly active user (MAU) 

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User-level attribution

The percentage of users who install an app after seeing an ad for it.

See also: Attribution, In-app advertising, Deterministic conversion rate 

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V

View-through

When a conversion occurs after a user has viewed an ad view but didn’t click. 

See also: Click, Click-through, Conversion 

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W

Walled gardens 

Any closed platform or closed ecosystem where the technology provider has significant control over the hardware, applications, and/or content. Sometimes also known as self-attributing networks.

For more information, visit: 

Forbes: “Advertising Is Flourishing Beyond The Garden”

  

See also: Publisher

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