Glossary of marketing terms from A-Z

Ever wondered what a “product drip” was? Or why they don’t just call it a tagline in the UK, France, Germany or Italy? Take a look at our glossary and discover a list of marketing terms that every global brand should have on their radar with examples of recent campaigns.

A

Acquisition

Attracting new customers to your brand to drive sales or grow your following on social media. One of the best ways of doing this is by offering incentives, featuring user-generated content on your platforms or using brand ambassadors like Lulu Lemon: https://www.instagram.com/p/B69aYXqFnXA/

Active/conscious consumer

Someone who engages with brands and often makes ethical choices, like sustainable fashion: https://buff.ly/2UGwnrJ

Advertising network

An advertising network, or ad network, connects businesses that want to run display ads with websites that wish to host them. The main purpose of an ad network is to gather inventories from multiple publishers and match them with the advertiser’s needs.

Augmented reality advertising

Creating virtual experiences that immerse your audience and capture their attention: https://buff.ly/2pl05EX

B

Brand activation

Promoting a brand through events and experiences, like the festive pop-up store created by Dolce&Gabbana in London, UK, in 2022: https://buff.ly/339W9oO

Brand awareness

Getting your brand noticed by tapping into trends or encouraging users to share their content, like L’Oréal Elvive’s #WonderWaterWhip: https://tiktok.com/tag/wonderwaterwhip

Brand voice

Creating a clear identity for your brand, like the US sustainable fashion brand Reformation. Love it or hate it, you can’t deny it’s pretty distinctive in what has become a very crowded market: https://milled.com/reformation/hands-on-NouqxFX69858vgii

C

Cultural adaptation

Adapting advertising campaigns in order to be sympathetic to the local culture – the opposite of the universally despised D&G Loves China campaign: https://buff.ly/35FmQTY

Customer journey

Every stage of the customer relationship from the first time they encounter your brand to becoming loyal fans, transformed during the pandemic by groups like Shiseido: https://buff.ly/38MuXF1

Customer with purchase intent

Customers with a clear need who intend to buy one of your products. Identifying them helps you to create ultra-targeted messages and boost sales online and in store.

H

Hook

A short phrase, description or slogan that grabs the audience’s attention, like Gillette’s “The Best Men” https://buff.ly/2ovBVY0

I

Incentive

Rewards-based marketing, like club cards, free gifts and 2-for-1 offers: https://buff.ly/2ll7iDh

Interactive advertising

Targeted ads based on interaction with the surrounding environment: https://buff.ly/2LybbOc

L

Loss leader

One of the most common loss leaders are free apps like CLEAN BEAUTY developed by French brand Laboratoire Officinea: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.officinea.cleanbeauty&hl=en_GB&gl=US

Loyalty building

A rewards program to keep customers coming back for more, like Sephora’s Beauty Insider scheme which doubles up as a community to drive engagement with the brand: https://www.sephora.com/rewards

M

Mailout/mailshot

Sending out promotional materials to a large number of people at the same time. Either by mail or email like this Valentine’s Day promo by Neom Organics: https://milled.com/neomorganics.com-gb/last-chance-to-receive-our-exclusive-bundle-of-love-wLdSqbnu_8ERUbub

Mentions

Keeping track of when and where your brand appears in the press, like the French luxury brand Pinel et Pinel:https://pineletpinel.com/parutions-presse

Muse

Someone who shares your values and embodies your brand, like Cindy Bruna, the French model and activist for women’s rights who has joined L’Oreal Paris’s We’re Worth It campaign: https://www.instyle.com/news/loreal-paris-spokesperson-cindy-bruna

N

Niche market

A niche market or market opportunity, like local grocery shopping for example, which exploded during the COVID pandemic in France, benefiting small supermarket chains like Casino: https://buff.ly/3iF8gFg

P

Path to purchase

The path to purchase is the customer’s journey right from their very first touchpoint with your business to the very last.

Peak periods

Seasonal marketing that focuses on peak times throughout the year, like the Coach Mother’s Day campaign “I Got It From My Mom”: https://buff.ly/38VW4NX

Piggyback mailing

Sending promotional materials and/or products in the same package as other products in order to recruit new customers: https://vimeo.com/236104109

POS activity

Promotional activity usually at the point of sale to drive sales during peak periods, like these Train LEGO DUPLO® and LEGO® Noël Christmas campaigns: https://buff.ly/2pIDhzw

Product drip

Unlike a drop or seasonal collection, this marketing strategy creates a constant flow of new products in order to build a relationship with the consumer: https://andjelicaaa.substack.com/p/drip-is-the-new-drop“

Product or SKU

A specific product or style in a collection, like this limited edition sustainable t-shirt for Pride by Stitch Fix: https://newsroom.stitchfix.com/blog/limited-edition-pride-tshirt/

Promotional materials

Printed materials, displays and signage to promote products or services in store. Increasingly made from recycled and/or sustainably sourced paper, cardboard or wood, like those created by L’Oréal for example: https://www.moodiedavittreport.com/with-size-comes-responsibility-loreal-travel-retail-puts-sustainable-beauty-centre-stage/

R

Reach

The total number of people that have seen your campaign (based on print circulation figures, TV ratings or online impressions). 

Referral campaign

A word-of-mouth marketing strategy to recruit new customers, like HelloFresh, which gave Belgian influencer @milkywaysblueyes a referral code to share with her followers on social media: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-aAcc2Ccfs/?igshid=1wwtxwk6n9v1a

S

Scan (QR codes)

Inviting people to scan a code on a product to give them access to special offers or more information about the brand or product. Natural cosmetics brands are using QR codes to allow customers to check their ingredients lists and certifications, for example. Find out more here: https://scanova.io/blog/qr-code-beauty-industry/

Sub-branding

When major brands branch out, like Glossier Play, the unicorn beauty brand’s line of “dialled up extras”: https://www.glossier.com/bd/glossier-play

Storytelling

Creating a narrative to engage customers and promote your brand’s values, like the Greek beauty brand Korres: https://uk.korres.com/pages/korres-full-circle-process

T

Tagline, also known as a strapline in the UK

A short phrase or slogan that sums up your brand’s key message. Known as a “signature” in France, a “payoff” in Italy and a “claim” in Germany. Find out more here: https://www.pixartprinting.co.uk/blog/brand-tagline/

Targeting

Creating campaigns for a specific audience based on age group, behaviour, location, etc. like Nike’s Nothing Beats a Londoner campaign: https://buff.ly/2PHBzrI

Transcreation

A fusion of the words “translation” and “creation.” It describes content in a source text that needs to be creatively adapted in a new language. Sometimes called creative translation.

U

Umbrella branding

When a single brand is used to market multiple products, like beauty disruptor DECIEM which sells different skincare and cosmetics ranges alongside each other in the same stores: https://deciem.com/en-gb/deciem-about.html

V

Vox pops

Short interviews with consumers in public places that can be used as testimonials or to gauge public opinion. Used in marketing research as well as advertising campaigns like Dove’s Campaign For Real Beauty: https://youtube.com/watch?v=MCvFAmcmqic

View rate

View rate measures how many people viewed your ad after seeing it online on social media platforms or other websites. It is calculated by taking the total number of paid views divided by the number of impressions.

W

Window stickers

Window clings or decals refer to printed stickers/images/graphics/letters (or a combination of these) adhered to a glass surface with adhesive backing. They are also known as window graphics or vinyl window stickers and are mainly used by businesses to promote the brand name or advertise their products, sales, or services.