Jargon Buster

Carbon dioxide equivalent is used to measure and compare emissions from greenhouse gases based on how severely they contribute to global warming, i.e. how much a particular gas would contribute to global warming if it was CO2. Gases other than the carbon dioxide are generally expressed in terms of carbon dioxide equivalents.

There are six greenhouse gases listed in the greenhouse gas protocol (see below). 

• Carbon dioxide (CO2)
• Methane (CH4)
• Nitrous oxide (N2O)
• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
• Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
• Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)

The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) is the sister organisation of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), and is responsible for writing and updating and rules on advertising in the UK, via the CAP Code (for non-broadcast media) and BCAP Code (for broadcast media). These Codes are maintained by two different Committees - the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP Code) and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP Code). The ASA administers and enforces these Codes. The CAP Executive and Copy Advice teams also provide advice and guidance on how to create campaigns that comply with the rules. IAB UK maintains a seat on CAP, representing digital advertising.

Also referred to as 'double opt-in'. This process double-checks the desire to be included on an email list after a primary registration occurs. This is typically managed via an email asking the subscriber to click on a confirmation link, which also serves as a method of positively confirming the validity of the email address.

Software tools or web services for creating and amending website content. Typically, CMS are browser-based web applications running on a server. All enable users to readily add new pages within an existing page template. One of the most common CMS systems is Drupal. 

Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract a clearly-defined audience.

A trend in which different hardware devices such as televisions, computers and telephones merge and have similar functions.

A measure of success, or metric, of an online ad when compared to the click-through rate. What defines a ‘conversion’ depends on the marketing objective. It can be defined as a sale or request to receive more information. Ten 'click-throughs' might provide one conversion, for example.

A descriptor encompassing a user who is browsing online converting to a paying user, or a user that performs an action of some sort.

Refers to the overall costs associated with acquiring one user. This can be calculated by dividing total marketing costs by total number of new users.