Australian Advertising Rate and Data Service.

The highest socio-economic classification group.

Australian Broadcasting Authority.

Audit Bureau of Circulations : Audits and publishes 'net paid' circulation estimates for member publications (newspapers and magazines).

Is generally a paid segment on television or space in magazines which talks about a particular product within the program or magazine / newspaper.

Advertising Federation of Australia. The association representing advertising agencies.

Stands for 'Amplitude Modulation'. It is a radio broadcasting system in which the amplitude of the radio wave is modulated to produce the broadcast. It is generally mono (as opposed to FM's stereo), and consequently is used mainly by 'talk radio' formats. AM radio signals travel further than FM, and consequently, can be broadcast over greater distances with less power.

A method of conveying information by way of a continuous signal

Potential or expected number of persons who are exposed to an advertising medium.

The audience movement in electronic broadcast media (TV and radio) from station to station. This is also known as Ebb & Flow and is usually measured in 15 minute blocks. The measured audience has three alternatives (i) stay on the station already selected (ii) change to another station (iii) turn off or turn on. Also see Media Gardens.

In media research terms normally means an (independent) assessment as to the technical validity of a specified survey.

Magazine and newspaper audits involve the verification of 'net paid' circulation estimates.

In media terms this refers to independent auditing of media buying. This is generally done by 'pooling' buys of similar demographics and then comparing buying efficiency (CPM) to the pool.

Refers to the estimated audience (according to survey data) for a particular program over a stated period of time. In television (and radio) average audiences generally refer to estimates for a particular quarter-hour or group of quarter-hours.

The average number of times an audience is potentially exposed to an advertising message over a given period.

An average issue reader of a given publication is a person who conforms to a stated readership qualification. For example, an average issue reader of New Idea may be defined as a person who reads or 'looks into' any issue of New Idea within the seven days immediately prior to being interviewed by the survey company.

Various readership surveys define the concept of an 'average issue reader' in different ways. In interpreting readership survey data, the basis of this definition should be borne in mind.

Specific advertising spaces on a given web page

Is the sample, population or value from which percentages are derived in a survey report.

Abbreviation for "Brand Development Index". A BDI study analyses brand performance (sales) in a given market relative to the share of the total population living in that market. A BDI analysis is used to determine the geographic (or demographic) areas of strength or weakness in a product's sales distribution across the country.

A BDI is calculated by dividing a brand's percentage share of sales in a given market by the percentage of the population living in that market.

In print media - to extend the illustration or copy to the edge of the page so there is no white border.

A software program that is used to look at various kinds of Internet resources.

In television, refers to the short (usually ten second) sponsor identification announcements scheduled immediately before and after a sponsored program.

Refers to television scheduling and is when high levels of support are scheduled over a short period of time.

Circulation Audit Bureau. Similar to the ABC, but specialising in trade and free publications.

Is the system by which television signals are picked up off-air by a mast antenna, and distributed to individual sets via cable, usually for a specified monthly fee.

Is the period outside which airtime may be cancelled without incurring a cost penalty, eg; a 'delete and charge'. Television stations are not obliged to cancel airtime within the stated cancellation deadline, however may do so with, or without, penalty depending on the circumstances involved.

The cancellation deadline on television is usually 6-10 weeks from air-date.

Similar rules apply to the cancellation of magazine and newspaper advertising. However, the period prior to the appearance date when the advertisement can be cancelled varies from 1 to 8 weeks, depending on the frequency and print process of the publication.

Column Centimetres

Abbreviation for "Category Development Index". A CDI study analysis a product category's performance (sales) in a given number relative to the share of the total population living in that market. A CDI analysis is used to determine the geographic (or demographic) areas of strength or weakness in a product category's sales distribution across the country.

A CDI is calculated by dividing a category's percentage share of sales in a given market by the percentage of the population living in that market.

The total net paid sales of a specific publication. Most publications in Australia have their circulations independently audited by either the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) or the Circulation Audit Bureau (CAB). Circulations of non-audited publications are reported as "Publishers Claim".

The number of times a specific ad is physically "clicked on" by users as they browse a particular web page.

Is the amount of airtime available to be sold by television stations to prospective advertisers.

Free To Air Television

Current airtime inventory allowances (as decreed by the Australian Broadcasting Authority) are:

Pay TV

Pay TV is self regulated and varies station by station. However the maximum amount of advertising across Foxtel & Austar is 5 minutes per hour.

A percentage of an advertising rate paid to an approved booking agency by the media for booking an advertisement. It is usually 10% in Australia.

A statistical term applied to sample sizes to describe the probability that a true statistic will fall within a given range. Confidence levels are expressed in terms of 'standard errors'.

The most common meaning of "cookie" on the Internet refers to a piece of information sent by a Web Server to a Web Browser that the Browser software is expected to save and to send back to the Server whenever the browser makes additional requests from the Server. Cookies might contain information such as login or registrations information, online "shopping cart" information, user preferences, etc.

In print media is the date set by a publication for receipt of material for an advertisement to appear in a forthcoming issue. Copy close is also referred to as material deadline.

The relationship between a medium's (or a media schedule's) audience and the cost of using that medium (or media schedule) to reach a specific audience.

For broadcast media, 'Cost per TARP' (CPT) is the most common measure of cost efficiency. For print, 'Cost per Thousand' (CPM) - circulation or readership - is most often used to measure cost efficiency.

Refers to the date of publication of a magazine as noted on the front cover. The cover date may be quite different to the on-sale date which is usually the date that a particular issue of a publication appears on the news stands.

At its simplest means the geographic extend of a medium within an area. 'Coverage' is also used to describe the extent of a medium reach into a particular target group.

The term 'coverage' is also used to describe the performance of an advertising schedule. This means the proportion of the target audience having an opportunity to see the advertisement.

Refers to the geographic area surrounding a television station (or transmitting point) within which people are capable of receiving adequate reception. Coverage areas are defined by the government under broadcast legislation. In some cases distinction is made, based on signal strength, between 'primary' and 'secondary' coverage areas. Your OzTAM (metropolitan) and Nielsen (regional) survival kits have maps of both the television and radio coverage areas.

Consumer Price Index. A measure of inflation complied by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Cost Per Thousand. The cost of advertising to reach 1,000 people within the target audience. The 'M' is the Roman numeral for one thousand.

Using print as an example, CPM is calculated by dividing the advertising cost (cost per insertion) by a publication's circulation or readership (in thousands), ie:

Example: A magazine reaches 820,000 Women aged 14+. The cost of a full page colour advertisement in this magazine is $14,550, therefore:

=$17.74

Cost Per TARP. The cost of advertising to reach 1% of the target audience.

CPT is calculated by dividing the advertising cost (cost per spot) by the number of TARPs generated by that spot. ie:

Example: A TV program achieves a Women 18-24 TARP of 18. A 30 second spot in the program cost $5,220, hence:

=$290.00

Note : CPTs can NOT be compared across market as they are based on different population potentials whereas CPMs can as they are expressed as costs per thousand head of population.

Is a synonym for 'sample' and refers to the scientifically selected and representative group of households or individuals used in any given sample survey.

The number of different people reached at least once by an advertising message.

Abbreviation for "Digital Audio Rapid Transfer". Method of distributing radio commercials via the technology of ISDN or On Ramp (broadband).

Abbreviation for 'Delete and Charge'. Occurs when you have unavoidable cancellation of airtime time within the non-cancellable period - for example, if the product is out-of-stock or not available. The airtime is invoiced and paid for, and the credit taken up at a later date.

Will change the way the TV set is used and make it a far more valuable device by bringing the interactive world from the personal computer into the television. It will deliver a range of new content and services to television, from text and graphical information to still pictures, sounds and some video.

Data fusion uses common variables to match individual respondents in one survey to those in another. This allows inferences to be made on a rational basis about aggregates of individuals. For example, ACNielsen's Panorama data collects all information from a single source - with the exception of television and radio data which is 'fused onto' the single source data using the industry currency ratings data.

Refers to a selected time zone on television. Key dayparts are:

Is a term used in media to describe the composition of an audience in terms of characteristics such as age, sex, etc.

A data collection method used for radio and solus television, whereby respondents write down their own listening or viewing habits in a log book.

A method of producing, broadcasting and receiving television signals using digital (computer) technology to convert sound and pictures into a series of digits in much the same way as a PC stores data. It allows the broadcast of widescreen, cinema quality pictures with surround sound. It produces clearer, sharper pictures without interference and ghosting. It also allows multiple images on the screen, as well as digital storage for playback or manipulation. It also enables the provision of a range of different types of services including data services.

Distress space is offered at a reduced rate when a magazine or newspaper is either not full or when another advertiser cancels a booking at the scheduled time of printing.

Refers to the practice of placing two, or more, commercials for a brand in a given program.

Double spotting is often used as a means of building high levels of frequency within a short period of time. This is particularly so when double spotting is used in combination with Media Gardens analysis.

Refers to television scheduling and is when lower levels of weight is spread over a long period of time.

The physical copy of the advertisement that is sent to each television or radio station.

A consortium of leading suppliers involved in the television commercial post production and dubbing industry. It allows television commercials to be delivered directly to stations via satellite and digital compression.

Is the number of individuals (or homes) exposed to more than one advertising message through a given media schedule.

Ebb and flow refers to the movement in audience from station to station or program to program at a given point in time.

Ebb and flow studies involve tracking the audience achieved by a program in the quarter-hour immediately before the point in question through to the quarter-hour immediately following. The first quarter-hour audience has three alternative flows:

It can stay tuned to the program already selected.

It can move to another program on another station or,

It can switch off.

Similarly, the audience in the quarter-hour immediately after the point of time in question can be described as coming from the three sources:

It can be the audience remaining tuned to the selected program,

It can come to the program from another program on another station or,

It could be new 'switch-on' audience.

The theory of Effective Frequency proposes that an advertisement needs to be seen by a consumer a certain number of times in order for effective communication to take place, and therefore for the advertising to elicit the desired consumer response. The desired consumer response may range from gaining attention, through building awareness and understanding, to prompting direct consumer action.

The effective frequency level for a particular campaign will be determined by an analysis of a number of factors including, a brand's purchase and usage cycle, brand share, competitive activity, consumer attitudes towards the brand, creative impact and the medium to be used

The number, or percentage of individuals reached at, or above the effective frequency level.

Abbreviation for "Early General News"

Or 'Unduplicated Audience' is the number, or percentage, of a given target audience that is reached only by a nominated media vehicle (or television program) but not by competitive media vehicles.

For example, the ABC may have a relatively high exclusive audience, i.e. people who will only watch the ABC and not the commercial networks. Exclusive audience studies are more relevant to radio and print media.

Is when an advertiser is given a guarantee that they will be the only advertiser in their product category appearing in a particular magazine, television program etc.

Federation of Australian Commercial Television Stations. It is the industry association representing the commercial TV stations. FACTS are also responsible for monitoring the content of commercials before they go to air, hence the FACTS number. FACTS also give all commercials an intended audience classification, i.e. 'AO', 'G', 'C' etc.

Abbreviation for "Frequently Asked Questions"

Stands for 'Frequency Modulation'. It is a broadcasting system, relatively free from static, in which the frequency of the transmitted wave is modulated or varied in accordance with the amplitude and pitch of the signal.

Abbreviation for 'Full Page Colour'

Abbreviation for 'Full Page Mono'

See "Average Frequency" and "Effective Frequency"

Displays how the cumulative audience for a schedule has built in percentage terms - once, twice, three times etc.

In the above example;

Reading across the first line - 'Reach':

10.0% of Men aged 25-39 saw the commercial once

23.8% of Men aged 25-39 saw the commercial twice

8.0% of Men aged 25-39 saw the commercial three times, etc, etc.

Reading across the second line - 'Total Reach':

10.0% of Men aged 25-39 saw the commercial once

33.8% of Men aged 25-39 saw the commercial once or twice

41.8% of Men aged 25-39 saw the commercial up to three times

57.2% of Men aged 25-39 saw the commercial (ie the schedule reached a total of 57.2%)

Reading across the third line - 'Plus Reach':

57.2% of Men aged 25-39 saw the commercial one or more times

47.2% of Men aged 25-39 saw the commercial two or more times

23.4% of Men aged 25-39 saw the commercial three or more times, etc, etc.

In television refers to the evening hours that precede and follow prime time, usually 5.00-6.00pm and 10.30pm - 12.00 Midnight.

Abbreviation for "Free To Air" television.

Extra pages in a magazine that fold out

Refers to the analysis of audience measurement data by geo-graphic sub-regions.

For example, OzTAM are able to provide an analysis of Sydney television ratings (All People only) across five geographic areas:

South and South West

West

North

North Shore

City

Similar analyses are available for the other metros.

Abbreviation for "Graphic Interchange Format". A common format for image files, especially suitable for images containing large areas of the same colour. GIF format files of simple images are often smaller than the same file would be if storing in JPEG format, but GIF format does not store photographic images as well as JPEG.

See GRPs

Abbreviation for 'Gross Rating Points'. The sum of individual TARP percentages for a TVC campaign. GRPs indicate the total weight of a schedule or gross audience (ie including duplications)

Example:

The above television schedule accumulates 150 Gross Rating Points. Gross Rating Points could also be refered to as Total TARPS.

Is the audience that is (potentially) exposed to all appearances of a commercial media schedule.

Refers to that proportion of 'all users' of a specified product or brand who use more of the product or brand than other users. The term is usually used in triptile analysis where all users are ranked by weight of usage and the divided into three equal sized groups.

Generally refers to a period of non-activity between bursts or flights or advertising.

The total number of times any and all individual elements of a web page are downloaded to a browser (may include text, pictures, buttons, bars etc)

A web page used as the starting point for users to obtain information regarding products or services

Abbreviation for 'Half Page Colour'

Abbreviation for "HyperText Markup Language". The coding language used to create Hypertext documents for use on the World Wide Web.

Abbreviation for "HyperText Transfer Protocol". The protocol for moving hypertext files across the Internet.

Abbreviation for 'Homes Using Television'

HUT is the percentage of homes in a market where at least one television set is switched on at a given time of day. That is, it measures total television usage across all stations.

Formula:

Refers to the advertisement break which is placed between two programs

Total Impacts / Impressions are the total number of advertising exposures estimated to have been received by the target audience within a given media schedule. Impacts / Impressions allow for the fact that individuals are exposed to an advertising message with varying degrees of frequency.

Impacts / Impressions are the same as GRPs but are expressed in terms of numbers (usually thousands) of individuals, or homes, rather than as a percentage, thus:

Example: A schedule on Canberra television reaches 83.0% of Men aged 25-39, with an average frequency of 2.9 times. The Men 25-39 population of Canberra is 52,400, therefore 83.0% represents 43,492 Men aged 25-39. Therefore:

Abbreviation for 'Inside Front Cover'

A percentage which relates numbers to a given base. It is used to demonstrate quickly what is average, above average, or below average in terms of concentrations of people, ratings, sales data etc, etc, within predefined categories. Indices are usually rounded up or down to the nearest whole number.

The Advertising Federation of Australia (A.F.A.) represents the interests of advertising agencies and others whose main business is producing advertising for the main media.

The Advertising Standards Council (A.S.C.) addresses complaints concerning the content of advertising in terms of the provisions of the M.C.A. advertising codes. When the council upholds a complaint, the offending advertisement is prevented from further publication or broadcast.

The Federation of Australian Radio Broadcasters (F.A.R.B.) is the industry association representing the Australian commercial radio stations.

The Newspaper Advertising Bureau (N.A.B.) is the association established by the Australian newspaper publishers to promote the use of newspapers.

The Radio Marketing Bureau (R.M.B.) is the industry marketing arm for Australian commercial radio stations. It's role is to market the medium on their behalf to advertisers and agencies. The bureau is not associated with any particular radio station and therefore can offer unbiased advice about radio to potential advertisers and agencies.

The Federation of Australian Commercial Television Stations (F.A.C.T.S.) is the industry association of the commercial television stations. It is responsible for monitoring the contents of commercials, issuing FACTS numbers and audience classification codes.

The Television Bureau of Advertising (T.V.B.) is the promotional arm of F.A.C.T.S.

The Internet Industry Association (IIA) is responsible for the Internet Industry Code of Practice.

The public network of computer networks known by that name which enables the transmission of information between users or between users and place on the network.

Advertising information, usually a web page, which is downloaded and displayed to users while they wait for other web based material to download

Abbreviation for "Integrated Services Digital Network". Basically a way to move more data over existing regular phone lines. Used for sending print and radio ads from production departments/ companies to the media.

Abbreviation for "Internet Service Provider". ISP's can provide connectivity to the Internet, host Web Pages for users, or be "carriage service providers" who provide access to the Internet.

The date printed on the cover of a magazine. This is also referred to as the 'Cover Date'. See also 'On-Sale Date'.

Abbreviation for 'Junior Page Colour'.

Abbreviation for "Joint Photographic Experts Group". It is most commonly mentioned as a format for image files. JPEG format is preferred to the GIF format for photographic images as opposed to line art or simple logo art.

Words specific to a web site which can be registered with a search engine to ensure identification with users looking for information via a "key word search"

See 'Heavy Users'.

The definition of who is a listener is based on a 'rule of dominance'. That is, if a person spends 8 minutes or more of a specified quarter-hour tuned to a particular radio station they are defined as a listener to that station for that entire quarter-hour.

Usually occurs on radio. An announcer either reads or ad-libs a piece of information about your product. Generally a live read is based on a script provided by the creative agency.

Extra cost ($ or %) that you pay for a premium position such as Outside Back Cover, Inside Front Cover etc.

Media Federation Of Australia

Magazine Publishers Association of Australia

Usually refers to a free commercial given by a television station in lieu of a commercial incorrectly telecast, or not telecast at all, due to the fault of the station.

Is a description of the people/households as likely buyers of a product. It usually includes such things as the geographic location of the market and the demographic description of the likely purchases, or of the market as a whole.

A company or brand's share of the total industry or category sales volume (or value).

Is a phrase referring to an individual's usage or consumption of specified or a media vehicle.

Any of the 5 Metropolitan TV markets - Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth.

Abbreviation for 'Morgan Media Index'.

Term for black and white printing. Abbreviation of the word 'monochrome'.

The number of different individuals (or homes) exposed to an advertising message at least once within a given period of time. Nett reach is usually expressed as a percentage.

Refers to the size of the newspaper i.e.

-         Tabloid (Daily Telegraph)

-         Broadsheet (Sydney Morning herald)

Abbreviation for 'Outside Back Cover'.

Abbreviation for 'Occupational Group'.

The date a publication actually goes on sale (hits the stands). Also see 'Issue Date'.

Abbreviation for 'Out Of Zone'. An ad may be booked in an agreed zone eg 10.30pm-12.00 midnight, but may be broadcast after midnight.

An abbreviation for 'Opportunities To See'.

OzTAM television ratings from the previous night. HUTs and PUTs are released at 9am (for metro markets). Full elemental data is also released at 9am (ie person-by-person, minute-by-minute data). Quarter-hour data for standard demographics is also released at this time

The number of times a particular web page is downloaded to a browser.

Also known as 'Pass Along' readership. It relates to readership of a given publication by persons other than the original purchased. Also called secondary (and tertiary) readership.

Subscription based television available via cable or satellite depending on market and supplier.

Abbreviation for 'Publisher's Claim'. Used in lieu of audited circulation figures.

Penetration is used in media to describe the coverage of a particular medium. In marketing terms it relates to the proportion of people who use or buy a product.

An electronic device for measuring television viewing. It consists of three components (i) a 'probe' installed in every television, VCR and cable decoder box to measure the signal and time of watching (ii) an eight-button unit placed on top of each television to allow viewers to log-on and register their viewing (iii) a microprocessor to store and transmit the raw data.

Usually used as a marketing term to describe a Website that is or is intended to be the first place people see when using the Web. Typically a "Portal site" has a catalogue of web sites, a search engine, or both. A Portal site may also offer email and other service to entice people to use that site as their main "point of entry" (hence "portal") to the Web.

The total target audience i.e. the maximum number of people in a demographic. Can be sub-classified by (i) demography - age, sex, income etc (ii) psychography - lifestyle, culture, social class, (iii) geography - place of residence etc

The readership of a given publication by the person who purchased the publication. Total readership combines primary and pass-on readers.

Refers to the time when the largest numbers of people consume electronic media. For example: television is 6.00pm-10.30pm (also called Zone 1 of the ratecard), radio is 5.30am-9.00am.

Shows the proportion of a medium's total readership or listeners that fall into your target audience. This can then be compared to the profile of other titles/stations. The higher the proportion, the more attuned your target audience is likely to be to that publication/station. For example, in December

1998, Women's Weekly, Cosmopolitan and Dolly all had similar Women aged 14-24 readerships. However, Women aged 14-24 represented 12%, 48% and 71% respectively of each magazine's total readership, emphasising Dolly's strength with Women aged14-24.

Profiles can also be done of product consumption. For example, you could profile the age distribution of premium beer drinkers and compare it to the population's age distribution. This is often best shown as a line graph of the index between the product profile and the population profile, where indices greater than 100 show a greater propensity to consume the product.

Short commercial announcements on television of upcoming programs.

Is a term that describes peoples psychological (as distinct from physical) characteristics. Psychographics identify personality characteristics and attitudes that affect a person's lifestyle and purchasing behaviour.

Refers to a commercial message or station announcement that appears as a continuous stream of type super-imposed over live action. Pull-throughs usually appear at the bottom of the TV screen.

Is a flighting technique that calls for a continuous base of advertising support augmented by intermittent bursts of heavy pressure.

Abbreviation for 'People Using Television'. The number using TV as a percentage of All People.

... or research is concerned with the understanding processes that underlie various behavioural patterns. 'Qualitative' is primarily concerned with 'Why'.

... or research is primarily concerned with the tabulation or numeric relevance of various kinds of behaviour. 'Quantitative' is primarily concerned with 'What' or 'How Many'.

Is used to examine frequency of (media or product consumption) activity. Viewers, listeners, readers or consumers of a particular product etc. are ranked according to their usage and then divided into five equal groups, or quintiles, ranging from the heaviest to the lightest in media exposure, or product consumption.

Is the listing of data in either ascending or descending order, eg; program rankings by rating, CPM or Relevance Index.

Refers to the price that you pay for an advertisement i.e.

Print: Rates are based on size and colour

Television: Different rates apply for commercial duration, program and market.

Radio: Rates are generally based on session placement and commercial duration.

The percentage of the potential audience (usually households) that is tuned to a particular station at a particular time. See also TARP.

The number of different people in the target audience reached at least once by an advertisement.

See also "Nett Reach", "Effective Reach" & "Impacts/Impressions"

The total number of people who read a particular publication. It is made up of those who purchase (and read) the publication, plus those that they pass their copy onto.

Refers to a payment to an advertiser by a television station when the advertising schedule exceeds the contractual commitments originally agreed to and the advertisement earns a lower rate.

Rebates may be in the form of cash, or bonus airtime to the value of the rebate.

In marketing or audience research refers to the concept of a respondent being able to remember a particular event, advertisement or experience. Recall can be aided or unaided.

Is the name given to a method of audience research, usually relating to newspaper and magazines, which attempts to measure respondents' readership of specific publications by asking questions like... 'when did you last read an issue of...?'

Is a research technique to determine the extent of a respondent's ability to remember an advertisement, a publication or a program with the aid of a cue offered by the interviewer.

Also referred to as 'Aggregated' and 'Sub-Markets'. An aggregated market is served by more than one free-to-air commercial station. Aggregated markets can be further split into component sub-markets, which are defined by broadcasting signals.

Regional markets can be bought by each aggregated market as a whole, or by individual sub-markets. We are able to run different commercials in each sub-market even if we buy the airtime at an aggregated market level.

There are 5 aggregated markets - Qld, Nthn NSW, Sthn NSW, Vic and Tas. These are further broken down into 20 sub-markets.

See also 'Solus' markets, which are also 'Regional' markets, but not with 3 commercial stations.

Means readership by the same person, of the same issue of a particular publication within the period of the survey.

Refers to the person being interviewed for research purposes.

Is the geographic area around a store or shopping centre from which most of the store's or centre's trading is drawn.