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Media Terms

Media Terminology and How FC Media Brokers Can Help

The media industry is huge as we all know and has a jargon of its own. Some of our unique array of terms, such as, initials, acronyms, new words and words with special meanings, may be intelligible to fellow media professionals but are quite baffling to those outside of the industry.

Our glossary is a genuine effort to provide user a way through the maze of new and strange terminology used on a day to day basis in television stations, advertising agencies, advertisers, broadcast networks, cable networks, cable systems, internet companies, and syndicators.

Please feel free to call us at 212-251-0021 or sales@fcmediabrokers.com should you have any questions or concerns regarding our exhaustive list of terms. Please also feel free to contact us if you have additional terms that you would like us to add or if you would like us to revise any of the listed terms.

Glossary of Media Terms

A.C. Nielsen Company A firm that offers research and marketing information, particularly for television media. Nielsen's Television Index and Station Index measures and reports on audience size and demographics for national and local television programs.

Account A client of an advertising agency.

Account executive The advertising agency executive who maintains client relationships and helps develop advertising plans for clients.

Account supervisor The advertising agency executive who supervises the account executives and who may interact with the clients.

Added value In advertising sales, services or opportunities offered by a publisher to give extra marketing power to an advertising page buy. Added value can include directory listings, inclusion in postcard decks, classified advertising and other marketing tools. Added value can also be offered as an incentive to close a sale. See alsoMerchandising.

Additions and removals Changes to a magazine's circulation file that are counted in an audit report. Order received before the end of the current subscription term.

Advertised price The advertised subscription price for a publication.

Advertiser copies Current copies of a publication provided to advertisers who are running ads in it. Alsochecking copies.

Advertising agency A firm that contracts with advertisers to develop and manage their advertising. The agency works for a fee or commission derived from a standard media discount on the advertiser's spending. Alsoagency.

Advertising allowance Payment made by the manufacturer of a product, or that manufacturer's representative, to a wholesaler or retailer who advertises the manufacturer's product or brand.

Advertising budget The detailed breakdown of costs involved in advertising a product, including agency expenses and time charges as well as cost of advertising media, such as magazine pages or broadcast time.

Advertising contract A detailed agreement between an advertiser and a publisher (or other media company) regarding advertising in that publication or media. The details of the contract, including schedules, frequency, costs and other considerations, are usually negotiated by an advertising agency.

Advertising director The executive at a magazine who directs and coordinates all advertising sales.

Advance renewals A subscription renewalAdvertising/editorial ratio In a publication, the percentage of advertising space to editorial pages. An ad/edit ratio of 60/40 would mean that 60% of a publication's pages are advertising; 40% are editorial material.

Advertising impression One person exposed to a single advertisement. On a gross basis, the sum of all impressions to the ads in a schedule, including duplication. A billboard, for example, may register 100,000 impressions a week, though most would be duplicate impressions by people seeing the billboard more than once. In some instances, advertising impression refers to those persons or homes exposed to a media vehicle, such as a magazine or TV show. Impressions are calculated by multiplying the audience of each vehicle (on a household or person basis) by the number of advertisements or commercials. A magazine reaching 500,000 readers and carrying

100 ads would register 50 million advertising impressions, for example.

Advertising linage The amount of advertising carried by a magazine or newspaper during a given period. Usually expressed in page totals.

Advertising manager The company executive who reviews and approves advertising plans. The ad manager usually oversees advertising execution and sometimes sales promotion plans as well. Typically reports to a marketing director. On a magazine staff, the advertising manager manages the ad sales effort and reports to the advertising director.

Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) A foundation whose purpose is to advance advertising research methodology and maintain research standards. ARF also audits and endorses research projects that meet its standards. The foundation is sponsored by advertisers, advertising agencies, advertising media, and researcher associations; ARF publishesthe Journal of Advertising Research.

Advertorial A special advertising section of a magazine that includes informative editorial style copy and display ads relating to a particular subject.

Affinity studies In advertising research, studies that reveal how readers see themselves and their relationship to the magazine. The higher readers score in affinity to a magazine, the more likely their interest in that magazine's advertising.

Agency SeeAdvertising agency.

Agency commission A commission paid by a publication, TV or radio station to an advertising agency, usually in the form of a 15% discount on the total advertising rate billed to a client by the agency.

Agency of record The advertising agency that purchases media time or ad pages for another agency or a group of agencies that serve the same client.

Agency sold In subscription sales, refers to subscriptions sold by independent agents, primarily large "stampsheet" direct mass mailers such as American Family Publishers and Publishers Clearing House.

Aided recall In advertising research, a method of testing a respondent's recall of an ad or series of ads by having a researcher provide clues.

American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA, or the Four As) A national association of advertising agencies whose purpose is the promotion of advertising, the improvement of the advertising business, and service to member agencies and their employees.

American Business Press, Inc. (ABP) An association of business publishers that promotes, conducts research for and serves business- to-business magazine publishers.

Ancillary products In advertising sales, products, other than magazine pages, that a publisher provides to enable advertisers greater marketing reach. Ancillary products can include postcard decks, directories, marketplace sections and other advertising opportunities. Publishers sometimes also sell ancillary products to readers as a way of extending their affinity with the magazine. Such products can include books, videos or T-shirts with a magazine logo.

Annual discount A discount given to an advertiser based on the number of advertising insertions or units purchased during a contract year. Seealso frequency orvolume discount.

Arbitrary In advertising sales, refers to a budget-setting process in which advertising expenditures are decided on arbitrary benchmarks. Example: A company's sales increased

3%, so it will spend 3% more on advertising.

Arrears Unpaid subscription orders that continue to be fulfilled after a paid subscription has run out. It is standard practice for publishers to drop arrears from circulation files after three months. Also known asgrace copies.

Association subscription A subscription sale of a publication to members of an association

in which the membership fee includes the cost of a subscription.

Audience The number of people or households exposed to a publication or another medium.

Audience composition A classification of individuals or households by various demographic factors, such as age, education, sex or income.

Audience, pass-along Individuals other than newsstand buyers or subscribers who are exposed to a publication.

Audience, potential The total potential audience for an issue of a publication, including pass-along.

Audience, primary All readers who live in households where someone purchases a magazine. Alsoprimary readership.

Audience profile The characteristics of the people who make up a magazine audience, in terms of age, family size, location, education, profession, income, and other factors.

Audience, secondary Pass-along readers who read a publication they did not purchase.

Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) An independent organization of publishers, advertising agencies and advertisers whose purpose is to verify circulation figures. ABC is mostly known for auditing consumer magazines and newspapers. ABC distributes audits by request to any member. All ABC member publishers issue a publisher's statement of circulation every six months, which is verified by an audit report.

Audit, circulation An audit bureau's review of a publication's circulation file. Primarily ensures that a magazine actually reaches the number of newsstand buyers and subscribers it claims to reach, and (in a business publication circulation audit) that the magazine reaches the audience described in its publisher's statement. Most circulation audits are performed by recognized circulation audit bureaus, such as the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) or BPA International (formerly Business Publications Audit of Circulation).

Performed yearly A circulation audit typically includes the original source documents that support the names currently on the mailing list. Other supporting documents, such as printers' invoices and postal statements, are used to confirm mailing dates and the number of subscribers.

Audit report The statement usually provided annually by auditors as the result of reviewing a publication's circulation files.

Average Frequency The number of times the average home (or person) is exposed to ads that are part of a media schedule. This is measured over a specific period, such as six issues.

Average paid circulation The average paid circulation of a publication per issue. The average is established by dividing the total number of copies sold for the period by the number sold per issue. So, if in three months a magazine sells 115,000 copies, 165,000 copies and 127,000 copies, the average paid circ for the period is 135,666.

BPA International An independent organization that audits the circulations of paid and controlled/nonpaid, publications. The primary audit bureau used by business/trade magazines.

Back start A new subscription order that begins with an issue, or issues, prior to the current issue. Back starting, while not looked on favorably by advertisers, is sometimes used to pump circulation figures if a publication has been having trouble meeting its rate base.

Base rate SeeOpen rate.

Basic price (or rate) The cost of a subscription as stated by the publisher in the magazine's masthead. Subscriptions sold above basic price arepremium priced. Those sold below arediscount priced.

Benefit/feature In sales presentations, the correspondence of a prospect's needs and goals to the magazine's specific features. Example: For a beef distributor,Magazine As strong circulation among metropolitan restaurants (feature) would give the distributor access to the top New York steakhouses (benefit).

Billboard An upright structure to display outdoor advertising; usually a panel of 24 or 30 poster-size sheets. Billboard can also refer to a brief television or radio announcement that identifies the sponsor of a program.

Bind-in card An insert card in a magazine that is bound in with the printed pages and is often used to sell subscriptions. Bind-ins can also be used by advertisers as coupons. A bind-in card is called abingo card orreader service card when used as a request form for information on products and services advertised in the publication.

Binding The finishing process in printing a magazine, involving folding, collating, stitching, gluing or stapling and trimming printed pages.

Bingo card A card printed or bound into a magazine that a reader can mark up, tear out and mail back to the publisher for advertiser information. Alsoreader service card.

Black and white (B&W, BAY) Refers to the printing process that includes only black ink on white paper. Sometimes calledmonotone.

Bleed To print an illustration or photograph to the very edge of a page on one or more sides, running beyond the typical border or margin. Bleed ad pages are usually sold to advertisers for a 5-15% premium.

Blueline A proof of offset printing work, made on photosensitive paper, that is typically printed

with blue ink. Also calledblue orblues.

Bonus circulation Circulation delivered above and beyond the circulation on which an advertiser's rate is based.

Bottom line Net profits or losses, usually before taxes.

Brand differentiation The degree to which a brand has succeeded in establishing an image

as unique, especially when its unique attributes are perceived as beneficial.

Brand extension A line extension or item marketed under a single brand name.

Brand image The feelings, associations, and ideas held by the general public in regard to a specific brand. Alsobrand personality.

Brand loyalty The loyalty of a customer to a particular brand of goods.

Broadcast media Radio and television.

Budget In advertising sales, money earmarked for planned spending on marketing activity, such as advertising, during a certain time period.

Bulk distribution Distribution of a publication via bundles placed in high-traffic locations (such as campus student centers) for the public to pick up free of charge. For business publications, also refers to distribution of more than one free copy to the same individual (also known asduplication). In an ABC audit report, bulk circulation is reported separately from

subscriptions or single-copy sales. Alsobulk sales.

Bulk discount The discount offered by a media company to advertisers who place large orders.

It is measured by the number of pages or total linage placed by one advertiser in a given magazine. Seealso frequency orvolume discount.

Bulk mailing A mailing of third-class matter (also calleddirect mail), usually in quantities of thousands of pieces or more.

Business classification A code to describe the primary business activity that takes place at a magazine reader's place of business. This is a necessary classification for business/trade magazines, normally referred to in ABC and BPA audit statements. SeeStandard Industrial Classification.

Business magazine A non-consumer publication that serves the interest of a particular industry or profession. Alsotrade magazine. See alsohorizontal andvertical publications.

Business plan An outline prepared by the publisher of a new magazine describing its editorial content, staff, market and financial projections.

Business Publications Audit of Circulations (BPA) See BPA International.

Business reply card (BRC) Generally, a card addressed to the sender and sent with a thirdclass

solicitation (such as a subscription solicitation) to be used as a response device. Business reply cards are generally postpaid by the sender.

CPM SeeCost per thousand

Cable television Television paid for by subscription and transmitted by cable to a subscriber's home.

Call report The daily or weekly reports submitted by sales representatives that convey the results of a particular sales call with an advertiser or prospect.

Camera-ready In production, material suitable for photographic reproduction on film or printing plate.

Campaign A program of coordinated advertisements and promotional materials designed to achieve a specific sales objective.

Campaign tracking In advertising research, a study that determines whether a particular campaign boosted reader awareness of a product and service.

Cancellation date The final date for canceling a planned advertisement. This can also be the final date for supplying printing material for advertisements. Also calledclosing date.

Card deck SeePostcard deck.

Card rate The advertising rates printed on a rate card. These are the official charges for

purchasing ad pages and do not take into consideration special agreements or discounts.

Cash discount A deduction allowed by a publisher to an advertiser (usually 2% of the net) for prompt payment (within 15 to 30 days). Generally passed along by the agency to the advertiser to encourage collections.

Category In advertising sales, refers to any general grouping of types of advertisers. Typical

categories are beauty, health, fashion, direct response, food, high tech and so on.

Category discount In advertising sales, a discount granted to certain advertising categories, such as real estate, retail or direct response.

Center spread The two facing pages at the center of a publication. Desired by advertisers who want a continuous image with little or no visual interruption at the gutter.

Charter rate The reduced rates offered by a new magazine to potential subscribers and advertisers.

Checkerboard The placement of portions of an ad in a checkerboard arrangement, alternating with the editorial content of a page.

Checking copies SeeAdvertiser copies.

Circulation The total number of distributed copies of a publication, including subscriptions and newsstand sales. AlsoDistribution.

Circulation director Publishing executive responsible for maintaining and increasing the

level of subscriptions and newsstand sales.

Circulation, effective The part of a publication's circulation that is received by individuals or companies that an advertiser desires to reach.

Circulation grantee The minimum total circulation of a magazine offered to its advertisers.

Circulation, nonpaid The circulation of a publication that is sent free to qualified recipients. Alsocontrolled circulation.

Circulation, paid The circulation of a publication that is paid for via subscription or newsstand sales.

Circulation, qualified That circulation, either paid or nonpaid, for which the mailing address, conformance to the field served, recipient qualification, and the correct business and/or occupational classifications are able to be audited and verified. Example: If a publication claims to reach 43,000 muffler shops, and an audit shows 2,000 recipients have either bad addresses or are in different businesses, the qualified circulation would be 41,000. Qualified recipients must also receive every issue of the publication, subject to normal removals and additions.

Circulation, request Recipients on a publication's circulation list who have completed a questionnaire in order to receive the publication.

Circulation statement The publisher's report of circulation data for a six-month period. Although the statement may be unaudited when it is issued, the information contained is verified during an annual audit. For consumer publications, this statement is called apink sheet; for business publications, it's known as aBPA (after the auditing agency).Mso publisher's statement.

City magazines Sometimes referred to asmetropolitan orregional magazines, these publications cover the special interests of readers in a particular city or area.

Classified advertising A type of small-space advertising subdivided according to products or services offered to or sought by readers, such as real estate, employment opportunities, special health products, and so on.

Client An account or advertiser.

Close-ended question A question to which the answer is generally yes or no. Often used in surveys, or in closing a sales presentation. Example: "Would you be interested in reaching this market?"

Closing date SeeCancellation date.

Clutter Excessive amounts of advertising in print and broadcast media.

Collapsing In magazine research, combining totals from several study responses to create a single response. Example: In a survey, 70% of respondents rate a service as "good"; 5% as "excellent." By collapsing the data, the following statement results: "75% of respondents rate the service from good to excellent."

Collateral Advertising material other than that presented through communications media.

Examples are brochures, wall posters and so forth.

Collection stimulant An action that urges subscribers to pay for their orders.

Color print In production, a positive full-color reproduction, on photographic paper or in printed form.

Color proof In production, a proof made from color plates, printed separately or in combination.

Color separations In production, a set of photographic color negatives made with color filters for the creation of color printing plates.

In four-color printing, three different color separations—yellow, magenta, cyan—are combined with a black plate to create full-color images.

Column in production An area of print composed of lines of equal width that runs down the page of a publication. Column also refers to the typical or standard width of such an area of print, used as a measure of size.

Column inch The unit of space one standard column wide and one inch deep in a publication.

Combination rate A rate, often discounted, for purchasing advertising space in two or more magazines that are usually owned by the same company.

Commission The compensation to a sales representative or agent, as a percent of sales.

Commodity In advertising refers to a product category in which it is difficult to distinguish a particular brand from its competition.

Comp A complimentary subscription to a publication.

Comp letter A sales letter bound into a magazine that is sent to its complimentary subscribers, most of whom are advertising prospects.

Comp list The list of a publication's complimentary subscribers.

Company size For circulation auditing purposes, company size codes are usually based on different measurements (annual sales volume, square footage or office space, number of employees and so on) for each publication.

Competitor In advertising sales, a rival in business and advertising.

Composition The percentage of a medium's total audience that is part of a specific demographic group. Example: If 3 million women readWoman Today, and 1.5 million are 18-34, then 50% of the total audience is composed of women 18-34.

Consumer An end user of a product or service; a person who purchases goods.

Consumer advertising Advertising directed at end users rather than at the members of a particular profession or industry.

Consumer magazine A magazine for the general public rather than for a trade or profession.

Consumer profile The demographic, geographic, and psychographic characteristics of the users of a product, especially as they differ from the total population.

Continuity A method of scheduling advertising so that its messages appear at regular intervals. Continuity patterns can range from daily advertising to monthly to quarterly.

Continuous circulation The number of qualified readers who continuously receive a publication for a minimum of six consecutive months. All audited circulation is continuous.

Contract In advertising sales, an agreement as to terms of purchase between an advertiser or agency and an advertising medium, such as a publication. A contract can also be an agreement between an advertiser and an advertising agency or other advertising supplier with specific terms of service and compensation.

Contract year A contractual relationship of one year between a publication and advertiser. The contract year begins when the first ad is placed.

Controlled circulation Refers to business publications distributed free of charge to a select, targeted audience. Alsononpaid circulation.

Controlled Circulation Audit (CCA) An audit service bureau for controlled circulation publications.

Conversion The first renewal on a paid subscription order. The subscriber converts from new subscriber to renewing subscriber.

Conversion factor Refers to the number of subscription leads that are converted to actual or renewing subscribers.

Cooperative advertising Advertising run by a local advertiser in cooperation with a national

advertiser. A typical coop ad may feature a local department store—say, Saks Fifth Avenue—and mention of a national brand product sold there, such as Gucci watches. The national advertiser usually supplies the copy, plates, or reproduction materials; the two share the cost of the advertising.

Copy The written portion of an advertisement. Copy can also refer to the text and graphic material for reproduction on a printing plate.

Cost efficiency The effectiveness of an advertising medium calculated by the cost of reaching an actual or potential audience. Example: If one publication offers a rate of $8.50 to reach 1,000 marketing professions, and another offers a rate of $10.50 to reach 1,000 of the same audience, the first publication is more cost-efficient in reaching marketing professionals than the other—even if the second publication has a lower overall card rate.

Cost per inquiry The cost of obtaining an inquiry from prospects through the use of ad media, computed by dividing the media cost by the number of inquiries received. Example: If a $10,000 ad receives 150 inquiries, the cost per inquiry would be $67.

Cost per order A measure of the effectiveness of mail-order advertising in terms of the sales received divided by the cost of the advertising.

Cost per thousand (CPM) The advertising cost required to reach 1,000 persons, homes or other audience units. In publishing, the advertising page rate is divided by the circulation to reach a

CPM. Example: A publication with a $6,000 page rate and 24,000 circulation would have a CPM of $4. With television and radio, CPM refers to the rate charged for commercial placement divided by the average number of persons or homes tuned in.

Counties, A-B-C-D Demographically and geographically defined areas for target marketing purposes. Defined by A.C. Nielsen Company, A counties belong to the 25 largest metropolitan areas, including the largest cities and consolidated areas in the United States. B counties are those smaller than A counties but are in metropolitan areas with over 150,000 population. C counties have populations that fall between 40,000 and 150,000. D counties are classified as rural.

Coupon A certificate issued by an advertiser that offers a discount on the purchase price of an item.

Cover The outer pages of a magazine.First cover refers to outside front cover;second cover is inside front cover;third cover is inside back cover; andfourth cover is outside back cover. Advertising is often sold on the second, third and fourth covers, seldom on the first cover.

Cover position Refers to the four various cover options. SeeCover.

Coverage The geographical area reached by a publication or other communications medium.

Creative Refers to the process of conceiving, developing and executing advertising ideas.

Creative director The advertising agency executive responsible for managing the operations and personnel of a creative group or department.

Cumulative audience The net audience of a campaign, either in one medium or a combination of media. Alsocume.

Current subscription order The subscription order with a start and end that includes the current issue. A reader may have a current subscription order and one or more previous and future orders—each with start and end dates that do not usually overlap.

Database Electronically stored information that can include lists of individuals or companies.

Each record (or group of linked records) contains all relevant information pertaining to a specific person or company or subscription order. Example: A typical database subscriber record may contain name, address, subscription duration, payment record, company name and size, and so forth.

Dealer listing A listing of local dealers who carry an advertiser's product. Dealer lists are added to advertisements that cover geographical areas. For national ads, dealer listings can be altered by city, state or region.

Decision maker In advertising sales, that person or group of people on the client side who ultimately makes the decision about whether to buy advertising.

Demographic edition An edition of a publication intended for a specific demographic group. Advertisers generally pay premium rates to run in demographic editions.

Demographics Identifying data gleaned from studying a group. Demographic details might include job title, family size, age, income and sex.

Derived demand In marketing, demand for a product that depends on demand for related products. Example: Demand for cellular phone cases is derived primarily by demand for cellular phones.

Direct mail Advertising that is sent through the mail (usually third-class mail) to prospective buyers of a product. Direct mail can include catalogs, credit card offers, financial advertisements and other materials sent to either a wide or targeted audience. Direct mail is also used by a magazine's circulation department to recruit potential magazine subscribers.

Direct-response advertising Advertising that allows prospects to respond directly to the advertiser rather than going through a retailer or other middleman. Direct-response ads can take many forms: third-class distributed mail, such as catalogs; magazine print ads with a coupon or toll-free order number; or television commercials with an advertised address or tollfree line. In magazines, direct-response advertisers often receive a discount off the standard page rate.

Direct request For business publications, refers to a request made by a recipient to receive a controlled-circulation publication. To qualify, the recipient must meet the magazine's "field served" requirements and adhere to audit rules about how the request should be made. Most direct requests are submitted in writing.

Directory advertising Space advertising that appears in a directory of products or services regularly consulted by consumers or businesses.

Discount Any reduction from a stated price or rate of payment. Magazine publishers almost always grant discounts for frequent or volume advertisers.

Display advertising Print advertising that often uses illustrations as well as type. Display ads also appear in standardized formats on a page, such as a quarter-page, half-page, junior page and so on.

Distribution Used in some instances as another word for circulation.

Distributors In newsstand circulation, the national organizations that distribute magazines to local wholesalers.

Dollar-volume discount A discount to an advertiser (or other purchaser) who buys above a certain dollar volume. Example: Advertisers who spend more than $100,000 on advertising space might receive a 10% discount from the publisher. Generally, the greater the amount purchased, the greater the dollar-volume discount.

Double postcard A postcard in the form of a folded and perforated double-sized sheet. Often used for subscription solicitations, the double postcard features one leaf addressed to the recipient, the other addressed to the sender as a business reply card. Double postcards are often mailed bulk rate.

Double spread Two facing pages in a periodical. Alsodouble page spread, double truck or simplyspread.

Duplication The amount of exposure of a known magazine audience to another magazine carrying the same advertising. Example: Duplication happens when an advertiser runs the same ad in the same issue of two competing magazines with similar audiences, or in successive issues of the same magazines. See alsoReadership duplication.

Duplication audit An audited report of the extent of duplication between the circulation of two or more publications.

Earned rate The actual rate for advertising space charged to an advertiser, taking into account all discounts for volume and frequency.

Editorial environment The standard content and tone of a publication.

Efficiency The effectiveness of an advertising buy, expressed by comparing audience size with the cost of placing advertising. SeeCost efficiency.

Estimated revenue projection form In ad sales management, this form, used for managing time and territory, enables sales reps to analyze the value and estimated future value of each account.

Exclusivity In advertising sales, an agreement by a publisher to run an advertiser's message without competing advertising messages in the same issue. Example: Pepsi may negotiate for soft-drink exclusivity in an issue, precluding other soft-drink advertisers from buying space. For the privilege, such advertisers usually pay a major premium.

Expire date or expiration date The date of the last issue a subscriber will receive as part of a paid subscription. Copies sent after this date aregrace copies or arrears.

Expire inventory SeeRenewal inventory.

Exposure In print media, the presentation of a magazine ad to an audience, expressed in terms of the total number of people who may see it. Exposure can also refer simply to opening a magazine page to an advertisement.

Extrapolate In magazine research, to estimate unknown data from projections of known data. Example: Six hundred of 1,000 subscriberrespondents say they are pet owners. A researcher may extrapolate that 60% of the magazine's 600,000 subscribers are pet owners.

Fifth color In production, refers to an ink color used in addition to the standard four color process. Fifth colors generally command a premium.

Field served A clear statement from an audited, controlled-circulation publisher that precisely defines the recipients of a publication. This defines the limits of who may and may not may be "Licensed mechanics in the car, motorcycle and small truck repair business." This statement, and any changes to it, must be registered with the audit bureau.

Film In production, the transparencies used to transfer graphic information to a printing press, infilmlessproduction, digital information is used instead.

First cover SeeCover.

Focus group interview A research technique that employs small consumer group discussions led by trained moderators to obtain insight into consumer behavior and perceptions. Publications use focus groups when considering editorial changes; advertisers use them to gain marketing insight.

Format In production, the trim size of a book or publication, or the number of pages in a signature. Format can also refer to the general design of a book or magazine page, or piece of graphic art. (In radio, format refers to the type of programming.)

Four As SeeAmerican Association of Advertising Agencies

Four color (4/C) The combination of yellow, magenta (red), cyan (blue), and black, mixed in varying percentages, to give a complete range of hues and tonal values in a piece of magazine art. These standard four colors are used for virtually all magazine reproduction.

Four-color process The process of color printing using four-color separations to reproduce color artwork. To begin, full-color artwork is reduced to its basic four colors by a filtration and separation process, which produces four pieces of film. The film is used to engrave the printing plates and determine where the ink should be placed on the page.

Fourth cover SeeCover.

Fractional page space Advertising display receive the publication. Example: The field served for a BPA-audited publication space that consumes a percent of the page, such as 1/3 or 1/6.Also fractional.

Franchise position A specified position in a publication, such as back cover or inside front cover, for which a advertiser is granted a permanent right to use (or franchise). Some franchises are negotiated for specific issues, while others may be granted by frequency of use, such as six of 12 issues.

Free copies Copies of a publication mailed free of charge to a reader. Most free circulation is sent to qualified/controlled readers, but free copies can also include those sent to advertisers, potential advertisers, and business associates (also calledcomp copies). Some bulk-distributed copies are also free to readers, as on college campuses.

Frequency In advertising sales, the number of exposures of an advertisement to its readers over a given period of time. In magazine publishing, frequency refers to the number of times in one year a magazine is published. Example: A magazine publish with monthly frequency. In that magazine, an advertiser may appear with quarterly frequency.

Frequency discount A discount offered to advertisers who agree to run a certain number of ads within a specified period. See alsoQuantity discount.

Front of book The section of a magazine preceding the main editorial section.

Fulfillment The process of maintaining a subscriber database and sending magazines to subscribers.

Full-service agency An advertising agency offering clients a full menu of services, including marketing, planning and management, creative, media, research, accounting and often merchandising and advertising-related legal counsel as well.

Galley proof The proof of a page or of the type that will make up a page. Galley proofs are sent to a magazine's proofreading staff for checking and correction before shipping to the printer.

Gatefold A special two-part page in a magazine, with an outer part that folds over an inner part that is slightly narrower than the trim size of the magazine. Often appearing on inside front covers, gatefolds usually are used to expand a double spread into a three-page spread.

Geographic split run A print run that is split so that different ads appear in different regional editions of a publication. Example: An advertiser could run one type of ad for Northeast editions, another for Southwest, and a third for the Midwest. See alsoSplit run.

Grace copies Issues mailed to a "bill me" sub= scriber during the invoice process to encourage payment for the subscription.

Grace copies-renewal Issues mailed to a paid subscriber after the expire date to encourage a subscription renewal order.

Graphic A visual device of an informative, symbolic, or decorative nature used to illustrate or enhance information presented in the text.

Gross audience The combined audience of a combination of media or of a campaign in a single medium. If an advertiser buys a page in one magazine with an audience of 200,000 and a second page in a magazine with 400,000, it will reach a gross audience of 600,000. Gross audience, however, does not take duplication into account.

Gross billing An advertising cost billed to an advertiser, including charges for agency commission.

Gross billing can also refer to the charge for a one-time rate; or the total amount of advertisers' funds handled annually by an advertising agency.

Gross impressions The total audiences of all media used in a media plan. Example: If an advertiser in one week buys a page in a magazine with a total audience of 500,000 adds a TV spot with a total audience of 2.5 million, and places a billboard that receives 500,000 impressions per week, the ad will that week register 3.5 million gross impressions. This number represents themessage weight of a media plan, ortonnage, given that the number can be so large.

Gross rate The published rate for space quoted by a publisher (or other advertising media), without regard to agency commissions or discounts. SeeCard rate.

Gross rating point (GRP) A unit of measurement of audience size for television, radio, or outdoor advertising audience, equal to 1% of the total potential audience universe. Example: If a program scores 10.2 GRPs, the advertising on the program reaches 10.2% of the total potential audience. GRPs do not take into account multiple exposure of the same advertising to individuals.

Group subscriptions Subscriptions purchased in lots of five or more. Companies often purchase group subscriptions for employees. These may be mailed either to one address or to individual addressees furnished by the employer.

Guarantee A commitment from a publication (or other medium) assuring an advertiser of an agreed-upon rate, audience or circulation level.

Guaranteed circulation The circulation level of a publication on which the advertising space rate is based. Although similar torate base, in guaranteed circulation no advertiser is assured of a rate reduction if the circulation level is not achieved.

Gutter In a publication, the margins at the crease formed by a pair of facing pages at the place where they are bound or folded.

Gutter bleed An ad that runs beyond the gutter of a magazine to the binding edge of the page. Gutter bleeds are typical for spreads.

Gutter position An advertising position beside the gutter on a magazine page.

Half-page spread A spread of advertising material that consists of the upper or lower halves of two facing pages.

Halftone The tonal variation used for the reproduction of black-and-white photographs. The original graphics are photographed through a halftone screen, which breaks down the image into a small, varied dot pattern that can be duplicated on press.

Hook Any device in a advertisement intended to stimulate an immediate response or inquiry. Example: The words "free," "this week only," "never offered before," or similar inducement are all advertising hooks. A hook may also be a premium, such as a clock radio offered with a new subscription.

Horizontal business publication A magazine for persons holding similar positions in different types of industries. A magazine for MIS engineers, for instance, would go to any business that employs managers of information systems, from publishing to warehousing. See alsoVertical business publications.

Horizontal half-page The upper or lower half of a publication page.

Horizontal selling Selling to all legitimate buyers regardless of their area of industry. Example: Tile manufacturers would sell to all users of tile, whether grocery stores, factories or convents.

House agency An advertising agency owned or controlled by an advertiser.

House organ A periodical published by a company with editorial content devoted to company activities. An internal house organ is edited for company personnel; an external house organ is for customers and readers outside the company.

Image In graphics, the visual composition of a photograph or illustration. Or, the impressions and opinions the public holds of a company or product.

Image advertising Advertising designed less to sell a specific product than to improve or upgrade opinions held by the public about the advertiser.

Impression A person's or household's exposure to an advertisement.

Impression studies Conducted primarily by Daniel Starch and Associates, these are studies of print ads that evaluate what kind of an impression the ad made on readers.

Impulse buy A consumer purchase motivated more by chance than plan.

Incremental spending Increased advertising or promotional expenditures for a product or

service.

Index In publishing, a directory of contents in a publication. In magazine research, the comparison between two quantities by using one quantity as the norm. Ratios with a 1:1 relationship are usually expressed as an index of 100. Example: Say the average height of an American male is 5'9". Males who are 5'9" would be indexed at 100. A man who is 6'4" would then index at 108.5, while a man of 5'6" would index at 94.9.

Indigenous/non-indigenous accounts In advertising sales, indigenous accounts are those

clients and prospects that have a direct, generic relationship with the magazine. Non-indigenous accounts have no obvious connection to the magazine, but can still reach a target audience. Example: For a medical news publication, pharmaceuticals would be indigenous accounts. For the same publications, airlines and travel agencies wishing to reach doctors would be non-indigenous. Such accounts may advertise only in, say, the magazine's annual travel issue.

Industrial advertising Advertising of capital goods, supplies, and services directed mainly to industrial or professional firms that require them in the course of manufacturing.

Industry classification Seebusiness classification

orStandard Industrial Classification.

Inquiry A request, usually for information on goods and services, from a potential consumer made in response to an advertisement. For publishers and advertisers, inquiries—which are generally noted on inquiry cards or "bingo" cards—are primarily useful in determining advertising effectiveness.

Inquiry card In publishing, a reader service card or "bingo" card returned to the publisher for processing. Inquiries are then passed onto respective advertisers for fulfillment.

Insert A separately printed section of a publication bound with or tucked into its regular pages. Printed either by the publisher or by an advertiser, an insert is usually printed on special stock so that it stands out from the rest of the magazine.

Insertion order The order an advertising agency sends a publication that contains information regarding advertising placement, including its size, rate, frequency, date and any other relevant information.

Installment billing In subscription sales, installment billing allows subscribers to pay for a subscription over a series of months.

Integrated marketing communications A coordination of an advertiser's total marketing efforts into a single, unified plan with one cohesive message. Integrated marketing may also involve reaching customers and prospects via a targeted message strategically placed in a mix of advertising, direct marketing, telemarketing, sales promotion, public relations, and/or retail marketing.

Interim statement A publisher's sworn circulation statement that is made quarterly to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. The interim circulation statement is issued un-audited, but is subject to a later audit. Interim statements are not the normal course of business; publishers make them in cases of dramatic circulation growth or if one magazine purchases and consolidates a competitor's circulation file into its own.

Invoice In publishing, a bill for advertising or for an ordered subscription. Invoices generally itemize goods purchased, along with quantity, price and size.

Issue All copies of a magazine published on a given date; hence carrying uniform editorial and advertising content within its various editions.

Issue life The period during which a given magazine issue is assumed to be read by the average reader. Weeklies typically have an issue life of three weeks; monthlies, three months.

Joint demand In marketing, demand for a product that depends equally on demand for related products. Example: Screws and nuts, guitar pegs and strings, or interlocking engine parts would all be products jointly demanded by manufacturers.

Joint venture A cooperative business enterprise involving two independently owned business firms, established on the basis of licensing, joint ownership, or contract. Many consumer magazines are launched as joint ventures between an entrepreneur and a wellheeled publishing company.

Junior page In advertising sales, typically refers to a standard-size ad that appears in a tabloidsize publication. This allows advertisers to run advertising in larger-format magazines without going to the expense of creating larger-format ads. In a tabloid publication, a junior ad is wrapped with editorial.Also junior unit.

Junior spread An advertising layout in which two junior ads occupy portions of a page spread.

Keycode In direct response promotions, a code printed on a mailing label or order form that identifies the list and type of package mailed. Analyzing orders by key code makes it possible for advertisers to discover which lists and packages received the best response.

Layout In production, any drawing intended to show the planned contents and visual appearance of printed page or advertisement.

Leading question An interview question worded to influence the answer. Leading questions, such as "You'd prefer a higherquality product, wouldn't you?" are generally considered unsound in conducting research, but may be used effectively in closing a sales presentation. Also calledbias questions.

Leave-behind In sales presentations, sales material left behind to summarize major sales points.

Letterhead Stationery, usually used in formal correspondence, with the name of a business firm printed or engraved. Other information, such as the address, telephone number, and principal executives, may also appear.

Libel A legal term in publishing relating to a written statement that is either: 1) defamatory, 2) conveys an unjustly unfavorable impression or 3) tends to expose an individual or group to public contempt. Libel is a criminal offense usually punished by fine.

Life cycle SeeProduct life cycle.

Light-bulb research Research conducted by binding a reader-survey card into the magazine itself. Results are not statistically valid, but the methodology is considered a good way to get "bright" ideas.

Limited distribution Distribution of a product or magazine to one or more specific geographical areas rather than nationwide. May also refer to less-than-complete distribution within an area. A magazine mailed only to Upper East Siders, for instance, would be considered limited distribution within Manhattan.

Line copy Artwork suitable for reproduction as a line illustration, as opposed to a halftone.

Line extension A new product or magazine marketed under an existing brand name, intended for use in the same category as the parent product line. Example:Sports Illustrated for Kids may be considered a line extension ofSI. Alsobrand extension.

List broker A firm that helps market a publication's circulation list, or that helps rent other companies' lists for promotion. The list broker is paid a commission by the list owner.

List seeding Inserting phony names with valid addresses into a mailing list in order to track unauthorized use of a mailing list.

Literature/product showcase The section of a magazine in which different advertisers can display products and services in the same category. These small display ads are usually grouped together, catalog-style, with a response device for information requests.

Live matter That part of a magazine ad page where copy and illustrations are placed in a fixed field in order to avoid being trimmed off in the publication's binding process.

Local media Media whose coverage and circulations are confined to or concentrated in their market of origin.

Loss leader A retail item advertised at an unusually low price in order to attract customers into a store. Loss leaders are generally unprofitable or only marginally profitable for the retailer.

MPA SeeMagazine Publishers of America

Magazine A periodical, often published on glossy paper stock, that offers comprehensive coverage of a subject area and is published with regular frequency.

Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) An organization of consumer magazine publishers dedicated to promoting magazines to both advertisers and readers. MPA also supplies member publishing companies with information and services. The Magazine Advertisers Bureau is its sales arm.

Magazine supplement A preprinted tabloid or standard-size consumer publication usually distributed in a newspaper's Sunday edition.

Mailing list A list of prospective buyers prepared for direct mail solicitation.

Mail-order advertising Advertising sent as third-class mail that solicits direct orders for a product or service. See alsoDirect mail.

Makegood In publishing, a rerun of an advertisement or other compensation for an advertisement incorrectly inserted or published in the magazine.

Make-ready The process of preparing a press for printing, particularly four-color printing.

Makeup The arrangement of type, illustrations and photographs of a printed advertisement or editorial page.

Market penetration The degree to which a service or product is used by the audience for which it is designed. Example: If a bicycle manufacturer has sold 10,000 mountain bikes among a measured group of 100,000 mountain- biking enthusiasts, it has penetrated 10% of the market.

Market potential The potential sales volume for a product or service. Example: The market potential for selling to all 100,000 mountainhiking enthusiasts, with an average product price of $600, Would be $60 million. Market potential is also influenced by category development: as mountain hiking grows, so does its market potential.

Market profile A summary of the characteristics of a market, including information on typical purchasers, competitors, economic factors, distribution patterns, suppliers, and so on. Market share The percentage of a category's sales, in terms of dollars or units, attributed to a specific brand. Example: If the total mountainhiking universe is measured at $6 million, and Best Bikes has $600,000 sales in that category, Best Bikes has a 1% market share.

Marketing director The company executive responsible for reviewing and approving marketing plans. In some companies, a marketing director may be responsible for sales management.

Marketing mix The levels and interplay of marketing efforts for a product or service. The marketing mix can including product features, pricing, advertising (whether print, broadcast or direct mail), merchandising, distribution, and spending.

Marketing plan A strategy for marketing a product or service; or a comprehensive document that details a marketer's goals, objectives