Jargon Buster - F to L

Facing matter
An advertisement which faces a page or part of a page of editorial.

Firewall
Internet software that provides security for a computer or local network by preventing unauthorised access. It sits as a barrier between the web and your computer in order to prevent hacking, viruses or unapproved data transfer.

Fixed day
Used in connection with daily newspapers and refers to an advertisement which is booked to appear on a certain day.

Flash
Website design software that creates animation and interactive elements which are quick to download.

Flighting
Planned periods of advertising ( bursts or drips) separated by gaps of inactivity.

Four colour / full colour
These terms are used to describe a full colour advertisement. Technically, the page is printed in four colours, each one over the other, in order to arrive at the finished product.

Frequency
The average number of times a target audience has an opportunity to see the advertisement or the entire campaign. Usually expressed as an opportunity to see, OTS, figure (OTH for radio).
For example : 500 TVR's = 75% cover @ 6.7 OTS

Frequency Distribution
Target audience broken down by a number of advertisement exposures, e.g. 10% had 5 opportunities-to-see the advertisement , 15%-4, 25%-3, etc.

Frequency Of Insertion
The number of times the advertisement appears.

Gross rating points (GRP's)
A way of expressing (in short hand) the total number of impressions (or impacts) achieved by an advertisement or a campaign. One GRP represents 1% of the universe. This is calculated by multiplying the cover by the frequency, or the total impressions divided by the universe x 100.

Guidelines Design
Internet design guidelines produced by the IAB for effective use of Rich Media technologies in all forms of internet advertising. They aim to protect user experience by keeping them in control of the experience eg: encouraging clearly labelled close, sound and video buttons.

Gummed insert
A card or product sample glued to a page of advertising so that it can be easily removed by the reader. Sometimes called "tip-ons".

Head on
A poster site that is facing head on to traffic or pedestrians

Heavy User
People who buy or use above-average quantities of given products or services.

Hit
A single request from a web browser for a single item from a web server.

Illumination
Lighting a poster

Index
The index measures the efficiency of a particular time period/programme/commercial break in reaching a certain sub-category audience.

Impacts
Impacts (sometimes termed gross impressions or messages) are the total number of separate occasions when a commercial or programme is viewed / heard by a specific audience and are usually measured in thousands. One impact is one person's viewing of one particular spot. These impacts are then added together to give total impacts for an advertising campaign, or total impacts for all commercial airtime on a certain station. For example, if a campaign achieved 15 million adult impacts on Central Television, this means that overall it was seen 15 million times by adults living in that TV region. There may have been 15 spots, each seen by an average of 1 million adults, or 150 spots each seen by an average of 100,000 adults - in both cases, and other permutations are possible, the result is 15 million impacts. As well as for individual campaign assessment, total monthly impacts, regardless of brand, are used to assess the performance of television stations in reaching target audiences - both by making year on year comparisons, and by using the impacts to calculate a cost per thousand for different audience categories. The impacts total may be weighted

Impression
The metric used to measure views of a webpage and its elements- including the advertising embedded within it. Ad Impressions are how most online advertising is sold and the cost is quoted in terms of the cost per thousand impressions (CPM).

Impressions
(See impacts above)

In Charge Date
The date when the campaign poster sites are officially on display, i.e. the beginning of the charging period.

ISBA
Incorporated Society of British Advertisers - Represents the interests of advertisers on matters political, media and related. Main activities are lobbying for the freedom of commercial communication and offering practical advice and consultations to members on marketing communications.

Instant messaging
Sending messages and chatting with friends or colleagues in real-time when you are both online via a special application.

Interruptive formats.
Online advertising formats that appear on users' screens on top of web content (and sometimes before web page appears) and range from static, one-page splash screens to full-motion animated advertisements. See also overlay, pop-up

Interstitial
Ads which appear between two content pages. Also known as splash pages and transition ads. See also Rich Media

IP address
The numerical internet address assigned to each computer on a network so that it can be distinguished from other computers. Expressed as four groups of numbers separated by dots.

IPTV (Internet Protocol TV)
The use of a broadband connection to stream digital television over the internet to subscribed users.

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)
High-speed dial-up connections to the internet over normal phone lines.

ISP (Internet Service Provider)
A company which provides users with the means to connect to the internet. Eg: AOL, Tiscali, Yahoo!

LAN (Local Area Network)
A group of computers connected together, which are at one physical location.

Lead time
The available period prior to the copy date.

Lifestyles
Adspeak for Psychographic Groups that have been created with advertisers needs in mind. Most are based on Cluster Analysis of quantitative Attitude Research.

Line by line
A system of buying by individual poster site.

Log files
A record of all the hits a web server has received over a given period of time.