[ Glossary ]
Mobile advertising glossary
The key terms behind programmatic user acquisition, explained simply.
- Ad Exchange
- A marketplace where publishers' ad impressions are auctioned to DSPs in real time.
- Attribution
- Assigning credit for an install or in-app action to the ad that drove it, typically via an MMP.
- Bid Request
- The message an exchange sends to DSPs describing an available impression, so they can decide whether to bid.
- CPI (Cost per Install)
- A pricing model or metric based on the cost of each app install.
- CPA (Cost per Action)
- The cost of each defined in-app event, such as a purchase or registration.
- CPM (Cost per Mille)
- The price of one thousand ad impressions.
- CTV (Connected TV)
- Television sets connected to the internet that stream content, where video ads can be bought programmatically.
- DSP (Demand-Side Platform)
- Software that lets advertisers buy ad impressions automatically across many exchanges with targeting and bidding controls.
- eCPM
- Effective cost per thousand impressions, calculated as spend divided by impressions times 1,000.
- eCPI
- Effective cost per install, calculated as spend divided by installs.
- eCPA
- Effective cost per action, calculated as spend divided by in-app actions.
- End Card
- A static or interactive screen shown after a video ad ends, usually with a call to action.
- IDFA / GAID
- Device advertising identifiers on iOS and Android used for targeting and measurement, subject to user consent.
- IPM (Installs per Mille)
- The number of installs per thousand impressions, a key creative performance metric.
- LTV (Lifetime Value)
- The total revenue a user is expected to generate during their time in the app.
- MMP (Mobile Measurement Partner)
- A third-party platform that attributes installs and events across ad sources.
- Native Ad
- An ad that matches the look and feel of the app it appears in, often built from app store assets.
- Playable Ad
- An interactive HTML ad that lets users try a mini version of an app or game before installing.
- Programmatic Advertising
- The automated buying and selling of digital ad inventory through software and real-time auctions.
- Retention
- The share of users who return to an app after a given number of days.
- ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
- Revenue generated divided by advertising spend.
- RTB (Real-Time Bidding)
- The auction process in which each impression is bought individually in milliseconds.
- SKAN (SKAdNetwork)
- Apple's privacy-preserving framework for attributing iOS app installs.
- SSP (Supply-Side Platform)
- Software publishers use to sell their ad inventory to exchanges and DSPs.
- User Acquisition (UA)
- Paid marketing activity focused on bringing new users into an app.
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