Glossary of Industry Terms

A - C

Terms	Definitions
Allotment	The number of units required to achieve a desired GRP level in a specific market.
Alternative OOH Media	Alternative media is used to create customized solutions for advertisers, and generally targets specific consumer groups and includes Aerial, Cinema Screens, Clings/Decals, Consumer Products/Packaging, Events/Sponsorships, Guerilla/Street Teams, Projections, Venue Based Signage, Wireless/Mobile Devices and other unique forms.
American Advertising Federation (AAF)	A trade association that protects and promotes the well-being of advertising.
American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA)	A trade association that represents the advertising agency business in the United States.
Association of National Advertisers (ANA)	A trade association that champions, promotes, and defends marketing interests.
Audited Circulation	The certification of traffic circulation. The Traffic Audit Bureau (TAB) independently audits records and circulation data for outdoor advertising according to established national procedures approved by the buyer and seller community.
Availability	The available media space for sale at any given time in a market.
Backlit Units	Advertising displays that allow illumination of copy from the back to make it more visible.
Bar Coding	Similar to Universal Products Code (UPC) systems in retail stores. This system allows for scanning to track date, times, location posted, etc.
Calibration	Measuring and adjusting both line color and the intensity of individual pixels to ensure image consistency across the entire display.
Campaign Period	The length of an out of home campaign usually measured in days or weeks.
Cancellation Period	A specified period of time when a contract can be terminated.
Candela (CD)	A measurement of directional light intensity from a point source.
Center-to-Center Spacing	The distance between the center point of one pixel and the center of an adjacent pixel on a video or message center display. Also known as pitch.
Character Height	Height of the largest letter that can be displayed on a message center; height of a seven-pixel high character according to center-to-center spacing.
Charting	The process of selecting and scheduling individual unit locations to maximize outdoor advertising objectives.
Circulation	A measurement of traffic volume in a market.
Cluster	A grouping of LEDs that act as a single pixel.
Code of Industry Principles	In addition to external laws and regulations, the outdoor advertising industry adopted a set of voluntary principles; issued to adhere to community standards.
Color Accuracy	Conformity or exactness of color match, clarity, and accuracy within the individual primary color groups of green, red, and blue.
Color Shift	The angle of viewing off axis where the slightest change in pixel coloration occurs.
Color Temperature	The degree of hotness or coolness of a color, measured in degrees Kelvin. Low color temperatures have a shift toward red, and high color temperatures have a shift toward blue. The standard white for NTSC in the United States is 6,500 degrees Kelvin.
Continuity	The elimination of gaps in a media schedule by maximizing the duration of a campaign, ideally 52 weeks.
Contrast Ratio	Ratio between the brightness or intensity measurement taken when the screen is displaying a blank video signal and a full white video signal. This ratio determines the readability of the display so as to measure "depth" of an image or as a measure of how well the image can be seen in high ambient light.
Controller	Computer or computer-type device used to program and operate digital displays.
Co-op	The sharing of advertising costs between a manufacturer and distributor or dealer.
Copy	Artwork displayed on an outdoor unit.
Copy Area	The viewing area on an outdoor unit.
Cost Per Point (CPP)	The cost of advertising exposure opportunities that equal one gross rating point in a market or one percent of the population.
Cost Per Thousand (CPM)	The cost of reaching one thousand advertising exposure opportunities in a market.
Coverage	The boundaries of a market, the percentage of a market exposed to an outdoor advertising campaign or the reach of the panels purchased.
Creative	Advertising message design produced for out of home advertising.