The Encyclopedia
Every term, plain English.
A working reference for the whole creative-and-content discipline — strategy, copywriting, visual and video craft, formats, testing, metrics, SEO, branding, and operations.
50+
terms defined
10
disciplines covered
A–Z
cross-linked, no jargon
Browse the terms
Search, filter, or jump to a letter.
A
Attribution
Attribution is the analytical process of identifying which marketing touchpoints or channels contribute to a desired outcome, such as a conversion or sale.
Metrics & AnalyticsAverage Order Value (AOV)
Average Order Value (AOV) is the average dollar amount spent each time a customer places an order on a website or app.
B
Benchmark (Performance)
A performance benchmark is a standard or reference point used to evaluate the effectiveness of creative content against industry norms or past campaigns.
Metrics & AnalyticsBlended ROAS
Blended ROAS is a metric that calculates total revenue from all marketing channels divided by total ad spend, providing a holistic view of campaign profitability.
Metrics & AnalyticsBottom-of-Funnel Metrics
Metrics that measure user actions closest to a purchase or conversion, indicating readiness to buy.
Metrics & AnalyticsBounce Rate
Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page, without interacting further.
Metrics & AnalyticsBrand Lift
A metric measuring the positive shift in consumer perception, awareness, or preference for a brand after exposure to advertising.
C
Churn Rate
Churn rate measures the percentage of customers who stop using a product or service over a given period.
Metrics & AnalyticsClick-Through Rate (CTR)
The percentage of people who click on a link or ad out of the total who see it, measuring initial engagement.
Metrics & AnalyticsCohort Analysis
Cohort analysis groups users by a shared characteristic or event (e.g., sign-up date) and tracks their behavior over time to reveal retention, engagement, and conversion patterns.
Metrics & AnalyticsConversion Rate
The percentage of users who complete a desired action out of the total number of visitors or interactions.
Metrics & AnalyticsConversion Window
The time period after a user interaction (e.g., click) during which a conversion is attributed to that interaction.
Metrics & AnalyticsCost Per Acquisition (CPA)
Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) is the total cost to acquire a customer who completes a desired action, calculated as total campaign cost divided by number of conversions.
Metrics & AnalyticsCost Per Click (CPC)
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the price an advertiser pays each time a user clicks on their ad in a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign.
Metrics & AnalyticsCost Per Mille (CPM)
Cost Per Mille (CPM) is the cost an advertiser pays for 1,000 impressions of an ad, used in brand awareness campaigns.
Metrics & AnalyticsCustomer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is the total cost of acquiring a new customer, including marketing and sales expenses.
F
First-Click Attribution
First-click attribution assigns 100% conversion credit to the first touchpoint a customer interacts with in their journey.
Metrics & AnalyticsFrequency (Metric)
Frequency measures how often an individual is exposed to an ad over a given period, indicating repetition intensity.
Metrics & AnalyticsFunnel Metrics
Funnel metrics are quantitative measures tracking user progress through marketing funnel stages (awareness, interest, decision, action).
H
L
Lagging Indicator
A metric that confirms past performance after the fact, used to validate outcomes rather than predict them.
Metrics & AnalyticsLast-Click Attribution
A model that assigns 100% of conversion credit to the last touchpoint a user interacted with before converting.
Metrics & AnalyticsLeading Indicator
A leading indicator is a predictive metric that signals future performance or outcomes before they occur, used to guide proactive decisions.
Metrics & AnalyticsLifetime Value (LTV)
Lifetime Value (LTV) is the predicted total revenue a customer generates over their entire relationship with a brand.
Metrics & AnalyticsLift Study
A lift study measures the incremental impact of an ad campaign by comparing outcomes between exposed and unexposed groups.
M
Marginal Return on Ad Spend
The incremental profit generated from each additional dollar of ad spend, measuring efficiency at the margin.
Metrics & AnalyticsMedia Mix Modeling
Media Mix Modeling (MMM) is a statistical analysis technique that measures the impact of various marketing channels on sales or KPIs to optimize budget allocation.
Metrics & AnalyticsMulti-Touch Attribution
Multi-touch attribution (MTA) is a marketing measurement model that assigns credit to multiple touchpoints across the customer journey, rather than just the last click.
N
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
A metric measuring customer loyalty by asking how likely they are to recommend a brand, scored 0-10, classifying promoters, passives, and detractors.
Metrics & AnalyticsNorth Star Metric
A single, actionable metric that best captures the core value your product delivers to customers, guiding company-wide decisions and growth.
P
Payback Period
Payback Period is the time it takes for revenue from a customer to recoup the initial cost of acquiring them.
Metrics & AnalyticsPerformance Marketing
A data-driven advertising approach where advertisers pay only for measurable outcomes like clicks, leads, or sales.
Metrics & AnalyticsPixel Tracking
Pixel tracking uses a small piece of code (pixel) on a website to collect data on user actions, enabling ad attribution and retargeting.
Metrics & AnalyticsPlatform-Reported ROAS
ROAS as reported by an ad platform (e.g., Meta, Google), typically using last-click attribution and platform-tracked conversions, not full-funnel or offline revenue.
Metrics & AnalyticsPost-Purchase Survey Attribution
A method of attributing conversions to marketing touchpoints by asking customers about their purchase journey in a post-purchase survey.
R
Reach
Reach is the total number of unique users who see your content or ad within a given period.
Metrics & AnalyticsRetention Rate
The percentage of users who continue to use a product or service over a given period, measuring customer loyalty and engagement.
Metrics & AnalyticsReturn on Ad Spend (ROAS)
ROAS measures revenue generated per dollar spent on advertising, indicating campaign profitability.
Metrics & AnalyticsReturn on Investment (ROI)
A metric that measures the profitability of an investment by comparing the gain or loss relative to its cost, expressed as a percentage.
T
Thumb-Stop Rate
The percentage of viewers who stop scrolling to watch a video ad, typically measured in the first 2-3 seconds.
Metrics & AnalyticsTop-of-Funnel Metrics
Top-of-funnel metrics measure brand awareness and initial engagement, tracking how many people are exposed to or discover your content.
V
Vanity Metric
A metric that looks impressive on a report but doesn't correlate with meaningful business outcomes like revenue or retention.
Metrics & AnalyticsView-Through Rate
View-Through Rate (VTR) is the percentage of ad impressions that result in a view-through conversion, typically measured within a specific attribution window after a user views an ad without clicking.
Put the creative process into practice.
Generate high-quality static ads at scale with CO8 — the system behind every term in this reference.
No demo gate. Transparent pricing. Cancel any time.