Key Terms (See related pages) AAAA   See American Association of Advertising Agencies. AAF   See American Advertising Federation. ABC   See Audit Bureau of Circulations. account executive (AE)   The liaison between the agency and the client. The account executive is responsible both for managing all the agency's services for the benefit of the client and for representing the agency's point of view to the client. account planning   A hybrid discipline that bridges the gap between traditional research, account management, and creative direction whereby agency people represent the view of the consumer in order to better define and plan the client's advertising program. action advertising   Advertising intended to bring about immediate action on the part of the reader or viewer. action programs   See tactics. actual consumers   The people in the real world who comprise an ad's target audience. They are the people to whom the sponsor's message is ultimately directed. ad networks   The Internet equivalent of a media rep firm, ad networks act as brokers for advertisers and Web sites. Ad networks pool hundreds or even thousands of Web pages together and facilitate advertising across these pages, thereby allowing advertisers to gain maximum exposure by covering even the small sites. ad request   An opportunity to deliver an advertising element to a Web site visitor. AdSense   Google program that allows Web sites to share space with the search engine in exchange for a portion of ad revenue. advertising   The structured and composed nonpersonal communication of information, usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature, about products (goods and services) or ideas by identified sponsors through various media. advertising agency   An independent organization of creative people and businesspeople who specialize in developing and preparing advertising plans, advertisements, and other promotional tools for advertisers. The agency also arranges for or contracts for purchase of space and time in various media. advertising allowance   Either a percentage of gross purchases or a flat fee paid to the retailer for advertising the manufacturer's product. advertising impression   A possible exposure of the advertising message to one audience member; see opportunity to see (OTS). advertising message   An element of the creative mix comprising what the company plans to say in its advertisements and how it plans to say it—verbally or nonverbally. advertising plan   The plan that directs the company's advertising effort. A natural outgrowth of the marketing plan, it analyzes the situation, sets advertising objectives, and lays out a specific strategy from which ads and campaigns are created. advertising research   The systematic gathering and analysis of information specifically to facilitate the development or evaluation of advertising strategies, ads and commercials, and media campaigns. advertising response curve   Studies of this indicate that incremental response to advertising actually diminishes—rather than builds—with repeated exposure. advertising specialty   A promotional product, usually imprinted with an advertiser's name, message, or logo, that is distributed free as part of a marketing communications program. advertising strategy   The methodology advertisers use to achieve their advertising objectives. The strategy is determined by the particular creative mix of advertising elements the advertiser selects, namely: target audience; product concept; communications media; and advertising message. Also called the creative mix. advertising strategy research   Used to help define the product concept or to assist in the selection of target markets, advertising messages, or media vehicles. advertorial   An ad that is half advertising, half editorial, aimed at swaying public opinion rather than selling products. advocacy advertising   Advertising used to communicate an organization's views on issues that affect society or business. AdWords   Google program that allows advertisers to bid on search terms in an effort to secure high sponsored listings. affidavit of performance   A signed and notarized form sent by a television station to an advertiser or agency indicating what spots ran and when. It is the station's legal proof that the advertiser got what was paid for. affiliate marketing program   A contractual advertising program, often used in e-commerce, under which a seller pays a manufacturer, marketer, or other business a percentage of the sale price of an item sold. This payment is compensation for services or cooperation in making the sale. For example, a site devoted to music reviews may have a banner link to an online music retailer. When consumers use that link to buy music, the music seller pays the owner of the music review site a percentage of the sale as consideration for the banner link. affirmative disclosure   Advertisers must make known their product's limitations or deficiencies. agricultural advertising   See farm advertising. ambush marketing   A promotional strategy utilized by nonsponsors to capitalize on the popularity or prestige of an event or property by giving the false impression that they are sponsors, such as by buying up all the billboard space around are an athletic stadium. Often employed by the competitors of the property's official sponsor. American Advertising Federation (AAF)   A nationwide association of advertising people. The AAF helped to establish the Federal Trade Commission, and its early "vigilance" committees were the forerunners of the Better Business Bureaus. American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA)   The national organization of the advertising business. It has members throughout the United States and controls agency practices by denying membership to any agency judged unethical. ANA   See Association of National Advertisers. analog proof   See Chromalin proof. animatic   A rough television commercial produced by photographing storyboard sketches on a film strip or video with the audio portion synchronized on tape. It is used primarily for testing purposes. animation   The use of cartoons, puppet characters, or demonstrations of inanimate characters come to life in television commercials; often used for communicating difficult messages or for reaching specialized markets, such as children. answer print   The final print of a filmed commercial, along with all the required optical effects and titles, used for review and approval before duplicating. aperture   The opening in a camera that determines the amount of light that reaches the film or videotape. To a media planner it refers to the place and time that a target audience is ready to attend to an ad message. art   The whole visual presentation of a commercial or advertisement—the body language of an ad. Art also refers to the style of photography or illustration employed, the way color is used, and the arrangement of elements in an ad so that they relate to one another in size and proportion. art direction   The act or process of managing the visual presentation of an ad or commercial. art director   Along with graphic designers and production artists, determines how the ad's verbal and visual symbols will fit together. art studio   Company that designs and produces artwork and illustrations for advertisements, brochures, and other communication devices. Artist role   A role in the creative process that experiments and plays with a variety of approaches, looking for an original idea. Association of National Advertisers (ANA)   An organization composed of 400 major manufacturing and service companies that are clients of member agencies of the AAAA. These companies, which are pledged to uphold the ANA code of advertising ethics, work with the ANA through a joint Committee for Improvement of Advertising Content. attention value   A consideration in selecting media based on the degree of attention paid to ads in particular media by those exposed to them. Attention value relates to the advertising message and copy just as much as to the medium. attitude   The acquired mental position—positive or negative— regarding some idea or object. attitude test   A type of posttest that usually seeks to measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign in creating a favorable image for a company, its brand, or its products. audience   The total number of people exposed to a particular medium. audience composition   The distribution of an audience into demographic or other categories. audience objectives   Definitions of the specific types of people the advertiser wants to reach. audio   The sound portion of a commercial. Also, the right side of a script for a television commercial, indicating spoken copy, sound effects, and music. audio console   In a sound studio control room, the board that channels sound to the appropriate recording devices and that blends both live and prerecorded sounds for immediate or delayed broadcast. audiovisual materials   Slides, films, filmstrips, and videocassettes that may be used for training, sales, or public relations activities. Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC)   An organization supported by advertising agencies, advertisers, and publishers that verifies circulation and other marketing data on newspapers and magazines for the benefit of its members. author   In Stern's communication model, a copywriter, an art director, or a creative group at the agency that is commissioned by the sponsor to create advertising messages. autobiographical messages   A style of advertising that utilizes the first person "I" to tell a story to the audience, "You." avails An abbreviated term referring to the TV time slots that are available to an advertiser. average quarter-hour audience (AQH persons)   A radio term referring to the average number of people who are listening to a specific station for at least 5 minutes during a 15- minute period of any given daypart. average quarter-hour rating   The average quarterhour persons estimate expressed as a percentage of the estimated population. average quarter-hour share   The radio station's audience (AQH persons) expressed as a percentage of the total radio listening audience in the area. awareness advertising   Advertising that attempts to build the image of a product or familiarity with the name and package. Ayer   No. 1 See poster-style format. banner   Part of a Web site reserved for an advertising message. Clicking a banner normally redirects an Internet user to the advertiser's Web site. barter syndication   Marketing of first-run television programs to local stations free or for a reduced rate because some of the ad space has been presold to national advertisers. base art   The first image on an artboard on which an overlay may be placed. baseband   A type of digital data transmission in which each wire carries only one signal, or channel, at a time. basic bus   In transit advertising, all the inside space on a group of buses, which thereby gives the advertiser complete domination. behavioristic segmentation   Method of determining market segments by grouping consumers into product-related groups based on their purchase behavior. benefit headline   Type of headline that makes a direct promise to the reader. benefits   The particular product attributes offered to customers, such as high quality, low price, status, speed, sex appeal, good taste, and so on. benefit segmentation   Method of segmenting consumers based on the benefits being sought. Better Business Bureau (BBB)   A business-monitoring organization funded by dues from more than 100,000 member companies. It operates primarily at the local level to protect consumers against fraudulent and deceptive advertising. big idea   The flash of creative insight—the bold advertising initiative—that captures the essence of the strategy in an imaginative, involving way and brings the subject to life to make the reader stop, look, and listen. billboards   See 30-sheet poster panel. bleeds   Colors, type, or visuals that run all the way to the edge of the page. blinking   A scheduling technique in which the advertiser floods the airwaves for one day on both cable and network channels to make it virtually impossible to miss the ads. blueline   A proof created by shining light through the negatives and exposing a light-sensitive paper that turns from white to blue; it helps reveal scratches and flaws in the negatives. board   See audio console. body copy   The text of an advertisement that tells the complete story and attempts to close the sale. It is a logical continuation of the headline and subheads and is usually set in a smaller type size than headlines or subheads. boldface   Heavier type. booths   At trade shows, a major factor in sales promotion plans. To stop traffic, it must be simple and attractive and have good lighting and a large visual. bottom-up marketing   The opposite of standard, topdown marketing planning, bottom-up marketing focuses on one specific tactic and develops it into an overall strategy. brainstorming   A process in which two or more people get together to generate new ideas; often a source of sudden inspiration. brand   That combination of name, words, symbols, or design that identifies the product and its source and distinguishes it from competing products—the fundamental differentiating device for all products. brand development index (BDI)   The percentage of a brand's total sales in an area divided by the total population in the area; it indicates the sales potential of a particular brand in a specific market area. brand equity   The totality of what consumers, distributors, dealers, and competitors feel and think about a brand over an extended period of time; in short, it is the value of the brand's capital. branding   A marketing function that identifies products and their source and differentiates them from all other products. brand interest   An individual's openness or curiosity about a brand. brand loyalty   The consumer's conscious or unconscious decision—expressed through intention or behavior—to repurchase a brand continually. This occurs because the consumer perceives that the brand has the right product features, image, quality, or relationship at the right price. brand manager   The individual within the advertiser's company who is assigned the authority and responsibility for the successful marketing of a particular brand. brand trains   An advertising program under which all the advertising in and on a train is from a single advertiser. This advertising concept was first used in subway trains in New York City and is being used on the Las Vegas monorail. broadband   A type of digital data transmission that enables a single wire to carry multiple signals simultaneously. broadcast   TV Television sent over airwaves as opposed to over cables. broadside   A form of direct-mail advertisement, larger than a folder and sometimes used as a window display or wall poster in stores. It can be folded to a compact size and fitted into a mailer. brochures   Sales materials printed on heavier paper and featuring color photographs, illustrations, typography. See also folders. budget buildup method   See objective/task method. bulk discounts   Newspapers offer advertisers decreasing rates (calculated by multiplying the number of inches by the cost per inch) as they use more inches. bursting   A media scheduling method for promoting highticket items that require careful consideration, such as running the same commercial every half-hour on the same network in prime time. business advertising   Advertising directed at people who buy or specify goods and services for business use. Also called business-to-business advertising. business magazines   The largest category of magazines, they target business readers and include: trade publications for retailers, wholesalers, and other distributors; industrial magazines for businesspeople involved in manufacturing and services; and professional journals for lawyers, physicians, architects, and other professionals. business markets   Organizations that buy natural resources, component products, and services that they resell, use to conduct their business, or use to manufacture another product. business reply mail   A type of mail that enables the recipient of direct-mail advertising to respond without paying postage. business-to-business (B2B) advertising   See business advertising. business-to-business agency   Represents clients that market products to other businesses; also called high-tech agency. bus-o-rama sign   In transit advertising, a jumbo roof sign, which is actually a full-color transparency backlighted by fluorescent tubes, running the length of the bus. button   In Internet advertising, buttons are small versions of a banner and sometimes look like an icon, and they usually provide a link to an advertiser's home page. Because buttons take up less space than banners, they also cost less. buyback allowance   A manufacturer's offer to pay for an old product so that it will be taken off the shelf to make room for a new product. cable modem   A system of connecting with the Internet that offers high-speed data transfer direct to the computer. cable   TV Television signals carried to households by cable and paid by subscription. camera-ready art   A finished ad that is ready for the printer's camera to shoot—to make negatives or plates—according to the publication's specifications. car-end posters   Transit advertisements of varying sizes, positioned in the bulkhead. CARU   See Children's Advertising Review Unit. casting brief   A detailed, written description of the characters' personalities to serve as guides in casting sessions when actors audition for the roles. catalogs   Reference books mailed to prospective customers that list, describe, and often picture the products sold by a manufacturer, wholesaler, jobber, or retailer. category development index (CDI)   The percent of a product category's total U.S. sales in an area divided by the percent of total U.S. population in the area. CD-ROM   Acronym for compact disk-read only memory; computer storage disk that offers a large amount of storage space and a high concentration of data, combined with fullmotion video and high-quality audio. cease-and-desist order   May be issued by the FTC if an advertiser won't sign a consent decree; prohibits further use of an ad. centers of influence   Customers, prospective customers, or opinion leaders whose opinions and actions are respected by others. centralized advertising department   A staff of employees, usually located at corporate headquarters, responsible for all the organization's advertising. The department is often structured by product, advertising subfunction, end user, media, or geography. central location test   A type of pretest in which videotapes of test commercials are shown to respondents on a one-to-one basis, usually in shopping center locations. central route to persuasion   One of two ways researchers Petty, Cacioppo, and Schumann theorize that marketers can persuade consumers. When consumers have a high level of involvement with the product or the message, they are motivated to pay attention to the central, product-related information in an ad, such as product attributes and benefits, or demonstrations of positive functional or psychological consequences; see elaboration likelihood model. cents-off promotion   A short-term reduction in the price of a product designed to induce trial and usage. Cents-off promotions take various forms, including basic cents-off packages, one-cent sales, free offers, and box-top refunds. channel   Any medium through which an encoded message is sent to a receiver, including oral communication, print media, television, and the Internet. channels of distribution   See distribution channels. character-count method   A method of copy casting in which an actual count is made of the number of characters in the copy. Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU)   This entity, created by the Council of Better Business Bureaus, provides a general advisory service for advertisers, agencies, children, parents, and educators. Chromalin proof   This proof uses a series of four very thin plastic sheets pressed together; each layer's light-sensitive emulsion turns one of the process colors when exposed to certain wavelengths of light. cinema advertising   Advertising in movie theaters. cinematographer   A motion picture photographer. circulation   A statistical measure of a print medium's audience; includes subscription and vendor sales and primary and secondary readership. circulation audit   Thorough analysis of circulation procedures, distribution outlets, and other distribution factors by a company such as the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC). circus layout   A layout style filled with multiple illustrations, oversized type, reverse blocks, tilts, or other gimmicks to bring an ad alive and make it interesting. Claritas   Large secondary research company specializing in geographics. classified ads   Newspaper, magazine, and now Internet advertisements usually arranged under subheads that describe the class of goods or the need the ads seek to satisfy. Rates are based on the number of lines the ad occupies. Most employment, housing, and automotive advertising is in the form of classified advertising. Classified Advertising Network of New York (CANNY)   A statewide affiliation of daily newspapers that enables advertisers to place classified ads in daily newspapers throughout the state easily and inexpensively. classified ad   Web site Web sites that specialize in providing classified advertisements, often provided for free. Many classified ad Web sites are supported by ad banners of other advertisers. classified display ads   Ads that run in the classified section of the newspaper but have larger-size type, photos, art borders, abundant white space, and sometimes color. clearance advertising   A type of local advertising designed to make room for new product lines or new models or to get rid of slow-moving product lines, floor samples, broken or distressed merchandise, or items that are no longer in season. click rate   In Internet advertising, the number of "clicks" on an advertisement divided by the number of ad requests. A method by which marketers can measure the frequency with which users try to obtain additional information about a product by clicking on an advertisement. Also called click-through rate. click-through   A term used in reference to when a World Wide Web user clicks on an ad banner to visit the advertiser's site. Some Web publishers charge advertisers according to the number of click-throughs on a given ad banner. close   That part of an advertisement or commercial that asks customers to do something and tells them how to do it—the action step in the ad's copy. closing date   A publication's final deadline for supplying printing material for an advertisement. clutter tests   Method of pretesting in which commercials are grouped with noncompetitive control commercials and shown to prospective customers to measure their effectiveness in gaining attention, increasing brand awareness and comprehension, and causing attitude shifts. cognition   The mental processes involved in perception, thinking, recognition, memory, and decision making. cognitive dissonance   See theory of cognitive dissonance. cognitive theory   An approach that views learning as a mental process of memory, thinking, and the rational application of knowledge to practical problem solving. collateral material   All the accessory nonmedia advertising materials prepared by manufacturers to help dealers sell a product—booklets, catalogs, brochures, films, trade-show exhibits, sales kits, and so on. color key   A color proof that is a less-expensive form of the Chromalin, with thicker plastic sheets that can be lifted up. color separations   Four separate continuous-tone negatives produced by photographing artwork through color filters that eliminate all the colors but one. The negatives are used to make four printing plates—one each for yellow, magenta, cyan, and black—for reproducing the color artwork. color strip   Samples of eye shadow, blush, lipstick, and other makeup inserted into magazines. column inch   The basic unit by which publishers bill for advertising. It is one vertical inch of a column. Until 1984, the column width in newspapers varied greatly. In 1984, the industry introduced the standard advertising unit (SAU) system, which standardized newspaper column width, page sizes, and ad sizes. Today, most newspapers—and virtually all dailies—have converted to the SAU system. A SAU column inch is 2 1/16 inches wide by 1 inch deep. combination offers   A sales promotion device in which two related products are packaged together at a special price, such as a razor and a package of blades. Sometimes a combination offer may be used to introduce a new product by tying its purchase to an established product at a special price. combination rates   Special newspaper advertising rates offered for placing a given ad in (1) morning and evening editions of the same newspaper; (2) two or more newspapers owned by the same publisher; or (3) two or more newspapers affiliated in a syndicate or newspaper group. combo layout   A layout style that combines two or more other layout types to make an ad look more interesting. command headline   A type of headline that orders the reader to do something. communication element   Includes all marketing-related communications between the seller and the buyer. communications media   An element of the creative mix, comprising the various methods or vehicles that will be used to transmit the advertiser's message. communications mix   A variety of marketing communications tools, grouped into personal and nonpersonal selling activities. community involvement   A local public relations activity in which companies sponsor or participate in a local activity or supply a location for an event. company conventions and dealer meetings   Events held by manufacturers to introduce new products, sales promotion programs, or advertising campaigns. comparative advertising   Advertising that claims superiority to competitors in one or more aspects. compiled list   A type of direct-mail list that has been compiled by another source, such as lists of automobile owners, new home purchasers, business owners, union members, and so forth. It is the most readily available type of list but offers the lowest response expectation. comprehensive layout   A facsimile of a finished ad with copy set in type and pasted into position along with proposed illustrations. The "comp" is prepared so the advertiser can gauge the effect of the final ad. conceptualization   See visualization. conditioning theory   The theory that learning is a trialand- error process. Also called stimulus-response theory. consent decree   A document advertisers sign, without admitting any wrongdoing, in which they agree to stop objectionable advertising. consumer advertising   Advertising directed at the ultimate consumer of the product, or at the person who will buy the product for someone else's personal use. consumer advocates   Individuals and groups who actively work to protect consumer rights, often by investigating advertising complaints received from the public and those that grow out of their own research. consumer behavior   The activities, actions, and influences of people who purchase and use goods and services to satisfy their personal or household needs and wants. consumer decision process   The series of steps a consumer goes through in deciding to make a purchase. consumer information networks   Organizations that help develop state, regional, and local consumer organizations and work with national, regional, county, and municipal consumer groups. Examples include the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), the National Council of Senior Citizens, and the National Consumer League. consumerism   Social action designed to dramatize the rights of the buying public. consumer magazines   Information- or entertainmentoriented periodicals directed toward people who buy products for their own consumption. consumers, consumer market   People who buy products and services for their own, or someone else's, personal use. consumer sales promotions   Marketing, advertising, and sales promotion activities aimed at inducing trial, purchase, and repurchase by the consumer. Also called pull strategy. contest   A sales promotion device for creating consumer involvement in which prizes are offered based on the skill of the entrants. continuity   The duration of an advertising message or campaign over a given period of time. continuous schedule   A method of scheduling media in which advertising runs steadily with little variation. continuous tone   Normal photographic paper produces images in black and white with shades of gray in between. contract rate   A special rate for newspaper advertising usually offered to local advertisers who sign an annual contract for frequent or bulk-space purchases. controlled circulation   A free publication mailed to a select list of individuals the publisher feels are in a unique position to influence the purchase of advertised products. control room   In a recording studio, the place where the producer, director, and sound engineer sit, monitoring and controlling all the sounds generated in the sound studio. cookies   Small pieces of information that get stored in a computer's Web browser when one loads certain Web sites. Cookies keep track of whether a certain user has ever visited a specific site and allows the site to give users different information according to whether or not they are repeat visitors. cooperative (co-op) advertising   The sharing of advertising costs by the manufacturer and the distributor or retailer. The manufacturer may repay 50 or 100 percent of the dealer's advertising costs or some other amount based on sales. See also horizontal cooperative advertising, vertical cooperative advertising. copy   The words that make up the headline and message of an advertisement or commercial. copy cast   To forecast the total block of space the type in an ad will occupy in relation to the typeface's letter size and proportions. copy-heavy layout   A layout style used when the advertiser has a lot to say and visuals won't say it. Typically, a large dominant headline will run above or below the copy or even be framed by it. copy points   Copywriting themes in a product's advertising. copyright   An exclusive right granted by the Copyright Act to authors and artists to protect their original work from being plagiarized, sold, or used by another without their express consent. copywriters   People who create the words and concepts for ads and commercials. corporate advertising   The broad area of nonproduct advertising aimed specifically at enhancing a company's image and increasing lagging awareness. corporate identity advertising   Advertising a corporation creates to familiarize the public with its name, logos, trademarks, or corporate signatures, especially after any of these elements are changed. corporate objectives   Goals of the company stated in terms of profit or return on investment. Objectives may also be stated in terms of net worth, earnings ratios, growth, or corporate reputation. corrective advertising   May be required by the FTC for a period of time to explain and correct offending ads. cost efficiency   The cost of reaching the target audience through a particular medium as opposed to the cost of reaching the medium's total circulation. cost per rating point (CPP)   A simple computation used by media buyers to determine which broadcast programs are the most efficient in relation to the target audience. The CPP is determined by dividing the cost of the show by the show's expected rating against the target audience. cost per thousand (CPM)   A common term describing the cost of reaching 1,000 people in a medium's audience. It is used by media planners to compare the cost of various media vehicles. coupon   A certificate with a stated value that is presented to a retail store for a price reduction on a specified item. cover date   The date printed on the cover of a publication. cover paper   Paper used on soft book covers, direct-mail pieces, and brochure covers that are thicker, tougher, and more durable than text paper. cover position   Advertising space on the front inside, back inside, and back cover pages of a publication which is usually sold at a premium price. CPM   See cost per thousand. CPP   See cost per rating point. creative boutique   An organization of creative specialists (such as art directors, designers, and copywriters) who work for advertisers and occasionally advertising agencies to develop creative concepts, advertising messages, and specialized art. A boutique performs only the creative work. creative brief   A written statement that serves as the creative team's guide for writing and producing an ad. It describes the most important issues that should be considered in the development of the ad (the who, why, what, where, and when), including a definition and description of the target audience; the rational and emotional appeals to be used; the product features that will satisfy the customer's needs; the style, approach, or tone that will be used in the copy; and, generally, what the copy will say. creative director   Heads a creative team of agency copywriters and artists that is assigned to a client's business; is ultimately responsible for the creative product—the form the final ad takes. creative mix   Those advertising elements the company controls to achieve its advertising objectives, including the target audience, the product concept, the communications media, and the advertising message. See also advertising strategy. creative process   The step-by-step procedure used to discover original ideas and reorganize existing concepts in new ways. creative pyramid   A five-step model to help the creative team convert advertising strategy and the big idea into the actual physical ad or commercial. The five elements are: attention, interest, credibility, desire, and action. creatives   The people who work in the creative department, regardless of their specialty. creativity   Involves combining two or more previously unconnected objects or ideas into something new. crisis management   A company's plan for handling news and public relations during crises. culture   A homogeneous group's whole set of beliefs, attitudes, and ways of doing things, typically handed down from generation to generation. cume persons   The total number of different people listening to a radio station for at least one 15-minute segment over the course of a given week, day, or daypart. cume rating   The estimated number of cume persons expressed as a percentage of the total market population. current customers   People who have already bought something from a business and who may buy it regularly. customer lifetime value (LTV)   The total sales or profit value of a customer to a marketer over the course of that customer's lifetime. customers   The people or organizations who consume goods and services. See also centers of influence, current customers, and prospective customers. custom magazines   Magazine-length ads that look like regular magazines but are created by advertisers. They are sold at newsstands and produced by the same companies that publish traditional magazines. customer retention and relationship management (CRM)   A promotional program that focuses on existing clients rather than prospecting for new clients. Due to negative reaction to spam (unsolicited e-mail), e-mail programs are often focused on customer retention and relationship management (CRM) rather than prospecting. Customized MarketMail (CMM)   A class of mail, introduced by the United States Postal Service in 2003, that allows direct-mail advertisers to send pieces in unusual shapes without envelopes. CYMK printing   See four-color process. daily newspapers   Often called dailies, these newspapers are published at least five times a week, in either morning or evening editions. data access   Characteristic of a database that enables marketers to manipulate, analyze, and rank all the information they possess in order to make better marketing decisions. database   The corporate memory of all important customer information: name and address, telephone number, NAIC code (if a business firm), source of inquiry, cost of inquiry, history of purchases, and so on. It should record every transaction across all points of contact with both channel members and customers. database marketing   Tracking and analyzing the purchasing patterns of specific customers in a computer database and then targeting advertising to their needs. data management   The process of gathering, consolidating, updating, and enhancing the information about customers and prospects that resides in a company's database. daypart mix   A media scheduling strategy based on the TV usage levels reported by the rating services. decentralized system   The establishment of advertising departments by products or brands or in various divisions, subsidiaries, countries, regions, or other categories that suit the firm's needs, which operate with a major degree of independence. deceptive advertising   According to the FTC, any ad in which there is a misrepresentation, omission, or other practice that can mislead a significant number of reasonable consumers to their detriment. decline stage   The stage in the product life cycle when sales begin to decline due to obsolescence, new technology, or changing consumer tastes. decoding   The interpretation of a message by the receiver.