Glossary of Marketing Terms and Definitions

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Marketing is a very diverse industry involving any activity associated with buying or selling a product or service. Marketing professionals can work for large or small companies as in-house marketing professionals or work for one of the thousands of marketing companies nationwide. The goal is to get the attention of a target audience by using slogans, packaging design that promotes a brand image, celebrity endorsements, social apps with enticing videos or photographs, and general media exposure. Even the small task of writing a thank-you letter or playing golf with a prospective client falls under the category of marketing.

A Marketing Dictionary Keeps You Up to Date

A marketing dictionary can be a helpful resource for marketing professionals because there are numerous terms used in the industry. Many terms have variations, and new terms are added daily, so it's important to stay current. Marketing terms should be approached with the following questions in mind:

  • What is the term?
  • What does it mean?
  • Why does it matter to marketing professionals?
  • Are there similar terms marketers also should know?
  • Are there relevant examples that help in understanding the term?

A

Accordion Insert

Ad Copy

Advertising Allowance

Advertising Budget

Advertising Elasticity

Advertising Plan

Advertising Research

Ad Specialty

Advertorial

Affiliate

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Directory

Affiliate Network

B

Banner Ad

Brand

Brand Identity

Brand Image

Brand Manager

Business-to-Business Advertising

C

Card Rate

Circulation

Classified Advertising

Comparative Advertising

Competition-Oriented Pricing

Cooperative Advertising

Copyright

Corrective Advertising

Cost Per Inquiry

Cost Per Rating Point (CPP)

Cost Per Thousand (CPM)

Counter Advertising

Creative Strategy

Creatives

D

Deceptive Advertising

Demographics

Direct Marketing

Direct Response

E

Earned Rate

Equal Time

Exposure

Eye Tracking

F

FCC (Federal Communications Commission)

Fixed-Sum-Per-Unit Method

Flighting

Focus Group Interview

Four Ps

Full Position

Full-Service Agency

G

Galvanometer Test

Generic Brand

Gross Audience

Gross Impressions

Gross Rating Points (GRPs)

H

Hierarchy-Of-Effects Theory

Holding Power

Holdover Audience

Horizontal Discount

Horizontal Publications

House Agency

I

Image Advertising

Industrial Advertising

Infomercial

Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)

J

Jingle

Jumble Display

K

Keeper

Key Success Factors

L

Leave-Behind

Lifestyle Segmentation

List Broker

Loss Leader

Loyalty Index

M

Macromarketing

Marginal Analysis

Market Profile

Market Share

Marketing Firm

Marketing Mix

Materiality

Media Strategy

Motivation Research

N

NAD

Narrowcasting

National Brand

Net Unduplicated Audience

Nominal Scale

Nonprofit Marketing

O

Objectives

Observation

P

Parity Products

Patronage Motives

Payment Threshold

Penetrated Market

Per Inquiry

Perceived Risk

Percent-of-Sales Method

Potential Market

Product Differentiation

Product Life Cycle

Product Positioning

Promotion

Promotional Mix

Psychological Segmentation

Psychographics

Publicity

Pupillometrics

Q

Quality Control

Quantitative Research

R

Range

Rate Card

Reach

Reference Group

Referral Premium

S

Selling Orientation

Slogan

Strategic Market Planning

T

Tag line

Target Audience

Target Market

Target Market Identification

U

Unique Selling Proposition

V

Values and Lifestyles (VALS) Research

Vehicle

Vision Statement

W

Word-of-Mouth-Advertising

Wear Out

Word Painting