The Numetrix Glossary
Ad impact measurement terms
Absolute lift
Category: Ad impact measurement
The simple percentage-point difference between the test group and the control group, calculated by subtracting the control group's result from the test group's result.
Example: If 40% of people exposed to a campaign remember the brand, compared with 30% of the control group, the absolute lift is 10 percentage points. In other words, it is the straightforward difference between the two groups' results.
Ad recall question
A survey question that asks if a person remembers seeing a specific brand or ad following potential exposure.
Example: A researcher asks respondents, "Do you recall seeing an advertisement for Brand X on the display screen today?" to assess whether the creative left a memorable impression.
Control group
A baseline cohort of research respondents who match the demographic and behavioral traits of the test group, but were isolated from exposure to the campaign.
Example: A study compares survey results from venue visitors exposed to an ad campaign against an unexposed control group from similar locations to isolate the true impact of the media.
Directional data
Analytical findings that show a general trend or pattern but lack the mathematical strength to achieve statistical significance.
Example: A campaign shows a slight upward shift in brand favorability following its launch. While this signals a positive trend, the sample size is not large enough to serve as standalone proof.
Relative lift
The percentage of growth or improvement caused by an ad, measured relative to the baseline performance of the control group.
Example: If control group awareness is 30% and test group awareness reaches 40% (a 10-percentage-point absolute lift), dividing 10% by the 30% baseline yields a 33% relative lift.
Scalar attribute question
A quantitative survey question that asks respondents to rate their sentiment, attitude, or perception on a sliding rating scale.
Example: A survey asks respondents to rate their likelihood of purchasing a product on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, capturing precise levels of consumer sentiment.
Statistical significance
A mathematical confirmation indicating that the measured variance between test and control groups is reliable and highly unlikely to be the result of random chance.
Example: An analyst runs a confidence test to verify that a measured 10% increase in brand awareness was driven by the campaign rather than random sampling variation.
Test group
The designated cohort of research respondents who were actively exposed to the subject advertising campaign.
Example: Researchers survey venue visitors who were present while an ad was playing on screens to evaluate changes in their brand perception against an unexposed control group.
Audience measurement terms
Audience composition
The demographic breakdown (such as age or gender) of the viewing audience for a given location, screen, or timeframe.
Example: An analytics report shows that an audience viewing a screen network is 55% female and 45% male, helping advertisers verify demographic alignment with their target audience.
Equivalent and Similar Terms: Demographic parameters, Percent composition
Average frequency of visits
The average number of times an individual visitor returns to a network location within a specified timeframe.
Example: An audience report indicates that a typical customer visits a venue location an average of 3.2 times over a standard 28-day campaign period.
Equivalent and Similar Terms: Frequency
Average minute impressions
The estimated number of people near a screen who are actively engaging with the media during any given minute of the reporting period.
Example: Metrics estimate that during a typical minute of operation, an average of 15 people are in physical proximity to and actively engaged with a display.
Equivalent and Similar Terms: Average ad impressions, Impressions, Eyes on Impressions (EOI), Multiplier
Average reach
The estimated total number of unique, unduplicated individuals who visited a network location during a specified timeframe.
Example: If 5,000 unique individuals visit a venue over a month, the average reach is 5,000, regardless of how many repeat visits individual consumers made.
Equivalent and Similar Terms: Reach, Audience, Cumulative/unduplicated persons
Gross minute impressions
The total estimated impressions generated across a complete advertiser schedule over the reporting period.
Example: An advertiser sums all estimated viewing opportunities across every ad play in a schedule over a 28-day period to measure total campaign volume exposure.
Equivalent and Similar Terms: Gross impressions, Total impressions
Impressions per visit
The average number of ad impressions delivered to a single visitor during one visit, based on dwell time and ad loop duration.
Example: A visitor who stays in a venue for 12 minutes while a 4-minute ad loop plays receives an average of 3 impressions during that visit.
Calculation data terms
Advertising loop length (minutes)
The total duration in minutes required for a full playlist of scheduled ads to play before repeating from the beginning.
Example: A digital signage playlist takes 4 minutes to play through every scheduled creative before restarting the cycle.
Dwell
The average amount of time a person spends in an area where they have an opportunity to see or hear the media.
Example: Visitors wait in a reception area for an average of 8 minutes, establishing an 8-minute dwell window available for potential ad exposure.
Equivalent and Similar Terms: Dwell time
Notice
The percentage of respondents who explicitly reported looking at, watching, or listening to the media while in the area.
Example: Survey results show that 40% of people passing through a venue actively noticed the media display, isolating active engagement from general foot traffic.
Equivalent and Similar Terms: Exposure, Likely-to-see
Spots/hour
The number of times a specific advertisement plays within a single hour, based on the length of the advertising loop.
Example: An ad plays 10 times per hour on a screen that operates on a 6-minute loop length.
Traffic
The aggregate volume of individuals who physically enter or pass through an area equipped with media screens during a reporting period.
Example: Venue operators measure total foot traffic through a concourse to establish the baseline audience pool before evaluating active screen engagement.
Equivalent and Similar Terms: Opportunity-to-see
Survey measurement terms
Banners
The primary column headers in a crosstab report that group and structure survey data into broad analytical categories.
Example: A survey table uses top-level headers like "Age," "Gender," or "Income" to categorize quantitative survey results.
Equivalent and Similar Terms: Cuts
Banner points
The individual column segments within a crosstab table that represent discrete sub-groups of data under a broader banner header.
Example: A crosstab table includes sub-columns labeled "18–24" and "25–34" nested beneath an overarching "Age" banner header.
Base descriptor
Text in a report that explicitly defines the qualified respondent sub-population that answered a specific survey question.
Example: A footnote beneath a chart reads "Base: Adults 18+" or "Base: Brand Aware" to clarify which specific sub-population qualified to respond.
Crosstab
A matrix table used to cross-analyze responses between two or more survey questions or demographic variables.
Example: A survey report uses a table to map brand recall scores across rows against age brackets across columns to evaluate performance across sub-groups.
Equivalent and Similar Terms: Cross-tabulation, Survey tables
Demographic question
A survey question used to collect socioeconomic and background information for respondent profiling and data segmentation.
Example: A questionnaire prompts respondents to select their age range, gender, or household income bracket.
Mean
The calculated arithmetic average for a set of numerical survey responses, derived by dividing the sum of all responses by the total respondent count.
Example: An analyst sums all rating scores given on a 1-to-10 scale and divides by the total number of answers to establish an overall average score.
Equivalent and Similar Terms: Average
Multiple response question
A survey question that permits respondents to select more than one answer option, resulting in aggregate response percentages that exceed 100%.
Example: A survey prompts respondents to select all brand options they have purchased in the past month, allowing them to choose multiple answers.
Question text
The exact, verbatim phrasing of a survey question as displayed to respondents during data collection.
Example: A report displays the exact prompt ("Which of the following brands do you recall seeing today?") above a data visualization to provide context.
Sample size
The total count of qualified respondents who provided a valid answer to a specific survey question.
Example: A chart displays the label "n = 500" to indicate that 500 qualified respondents completed that specific question.
Equivalent and Similar Terms: N value
Single response question
A survey question that restricts respondents to choosing only one mutually exclusive option, ensuring total response percentages equal 100%.
Example: A survey question asks respondents to select their single primary choice from a list of options, locking out all other choices.
Stubs
The vertical row labels on the left margin of a crosstab table that delineate the available response options.
Example: A crosstab matrix displays row titles on the left margin reading "Extremely Likely," "Moderately Likely," and "Not At All Likely".
Weighted data
Survey data statistically adjusted by applying numerical factors to individual responses to ensure the sample accurately reflects target population demographics.
Example: Analysts adjust an overrepresented demographic group in a survey sample so final metrics reflect true market proportions.
Equivalent and Similar Terms: Weight
