PR and Marketing Jargon Buster
Confused by the jargon and terminology used by PR and Marketing companies at times?
Here is our no-nonsense PR and Marketing Jargon Buster guide
Above the Line (ABT)
Advertising that delivers brand messages to the consumer that doesn’t aim to start a dialogue with (see Below the Line) the consumer and is not interactive. Examples include: billboards, TV, radio and print ads.
Activation
Bringing a marketing campaign to life.
B2B
Business-to-business (providing products/services between businesses).
B2C
Business-to-consumer (as above but products/services are between business and the end consumer).
Below the Line (BTL)
Advertising that encourages the consumer to respond or interact somehow (also known as starting a dialogue with). i.e. getting them to click a link, post something back or make a call. Examples include direct mail, response forms and internet advertisements.
Brand
A product or service that has been refined and given a registered name to distinguish it from other products/services.
Braindump / Brainstorm
The act of throwing down all thoughts and ideas very quickly with no rationalisation or quantification.
Brief
The outline of what needs to be done on a project.
Call to Action
A marketing message that includes a focused and specific appeal to the consumer to take action following the receipt of the message.
Concept
An idea.
Copy
Written material for printing, the text of an advertisement, a press release or an article that is being written (before it has been published).
Copywriting
The production of text for marketing materials, such as advertising leaflets, publications and websites.
Corporate Identity
The ways in which companies identify and brand themselves. This can be through logos, house style and uniforms.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Makes companies responsible for their use of resources, both environmentally and socially.
CPC (Cost Per Click)
Many search ads, and contextually targeted ads, are sold in auctions where the advertiser is charged a certain ‘price per click’. For instance, Google AdWords’ pay per click ad program, allows you to buy search and contextual ads.
CPI (Costs per inquiry)
See ROI
CPP (Cost per Rating Point)
How much it costs to buy advertising space (in any medium) per 1% of the target audience.
CPM (Cost per Thousand)
How much it costs to buy advertising space (in any medium) per 1,000 people within the target audience.
Crisis Management
Used within the PR industry, this term refers to the development of plans that can be effectively implemented when something goes wrong as part of a campaign for an organisation.
Digital Marketing
The promotion of brands, products and services using on-line, mobile and other interactive channels.
Elevator Pitch
An Elevator Pitch is a short snippet of prepared text/words about your business. It should quickly summarise what your business does, who for and with what result. For example; ‘BlueFlameDesign offer straightforward and responsive graphic design, branding and print management solutions to businesses, organisations and individuals’.
Evaluation
Measuring the impact of an advertising/marketing/PR campaign. This process is typically linked with planning and research.
Execution
How well a marketing campaign was carried out.
Experimental
A type of marketing that creates an experience (such as an event) that the customer takes part in, with the purpose of creating a stronger emotional connection with a brand.
Fees
The charges agencies/consultancies make for the time spent working on client accounts. This is often invoiced in regular monthly installments or quarterly in advance.
Fundraising / Sponsorship
Sourcing of partners/organisations to provide financial support or support ‘in kind’ for an event or activity where both parties will benefit.
In-house
Staff within a company or organisation responsible for marketing or PR functions.
Integrated
A mixture of different advertising types, working together, for one campaign.
Internal Communications
Use of communication to promote messages within an organisation in order to achieve corporate objectives.
News / Press Release
Written information that is deemed to be newsworthy. Often sent out to journalists and/or other interested parties.
Out to Tender
Where companies looking for an agency to work on a brand or project will invite various agencies to indicate their formal interest in the project demonstrating how they will meet requirements and proposed costs.
PPC (Pay per Click)
Pay Per Click ads only charge advertisers if a potential customer clicks on an ad. An example of which would be Google AdSense.
Pitch
A presentation where an agency outlines a mock campaign for a particular brand or project to an organisation. The best proposal wins the account.
Press Office
Handles all media enquiries and puts out all company messages to the media on behalf of a particular organisation.
Print Production
The process of producing printed material such as brochures, posters and leaflets.
Public
Audiences important to the organisation.
ROI (Return on Investment)
Results compared to what they cost. Can be measured in number of sales, number of website hits, number of inquiries, and so on. Decide how you’re going to measure it before a campaign starts! See CPI, CPP and CPM for examples.
Social Media
User-generated content that allows the general public to publish and share information and opinions. Examples of social media include blogs, facebook, delicious, YouTube, Twitter and Flickr.
Spokesperson
The PR person authorised to speak on behalf of an organisation/individual.
Stakeholders
Can also be referred to as public; audiences important to the organisation.
Target Market
The audience(s) an organisation has chosen to be the recipient of key messages and communication.
Through the Line (TTL)
A mix of ‘Above the Line’ and ‘Below the Line’ advertising.