Mobile Marketing Glossary
Plain-language definitions for every metric, term, and concept in mobile marketing and ad creative from ROAS to SKAdNetwork.
Browse all glossary terms
Ad Frequency
Ad frequency is the average number of times a single user sees a specific ad within a given time period.
Learn moreMobile User AcquisitionAverage Revenue Per User (ARPU)
ARPU measures the average revenue generated per user over a specific time period, reflecting monetization efficiency across your user base.
Learn moreMobile AttributionAttribution Window
An attribution window is the time period after an ad interaction within which an install or in-app event is credited to that ad.
Learn moreMobile AttributionApp Tracking Transparency (ATT)
ATT is Apple's iOS framework requiring apps to get explicit user permission before tracking activity across other companies' apps and sites.
Learn moreAd PlatformsApple Search Ads
Apple Search Ads (ASA) places app ads in App Store search results and browse placements, reaching high-intent users actively searching for apps.
Learn moreAnalytics & StrategyA/B Testing
A/B testing is a controlled experiment comparing two variants of an ad, landing page, or experience to see which drives better performance.
Learn moreCreative PerformanceAd Creative
An ad creative is any image, video, or copy asset used in a paid advertising campaign to communicate your product's value and drive a user action.
Learn moreMobile User AcquisitionApp Store Optimization (ASO)
ASO is the practice of optimizing your App Store and Google Play listing to rank higher in search results and convert more profile visitors into installs.
Learn moreAd PlatformsAd Mediation
Ad mediation is a technology layer that manages multiple ad networks and runs real-time auctions to fill each impression with the highest bid.
Learn moreCreative Fatigue
Creative fatigue occurs when an ad audience has seen the same creative too many times, causing performance metrics like CTR and ROAS to decline.
Learn moreCreative PerformanceClick-Through Rate (CTR)
Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of ad impressions that result in a click, measuring how effectively your creative drives intent to act.
Learn moreCreative PerformanceCost Per Mille (CPM)
CPM is the cost to serve 1,000 ad impressions, reflecting both audience demand and creative quality score from the platform.
Learn moreCreative PerformanceCreative Refresh
Creative refresh is the practice of introducing new ad creative variations to replace fatigued ads and maintain consistent performance over time.
Learn moreCreative PerformanceCreative Testing
Creative testing is the structured process of running controlled experiments on ad creatives to find which concepts, formats, and elements perform best.
Learn moreCreative PerformanceCreative Brief
A creative brief is a document defining the objective, audience, messaging, format, and benchmarks for a new ad creative before production begins.
Learn moreMobile User AcquisitionCost Per Install (CPI)
CPI is the average amount spent in advertising to generate one app install. It's the most common efficiency metric in mobile user acquisition.
Learn moreMobile User AcquisitionCost Per Acquisition (CPA)
CPA measures the average cost to acquire a user who completes a specific in-app action, providing a deeper efficiency metric than CPI.
Learn moreMobile User AcquisitionCustomer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
CAC is the total cost to acquire one paying customer, including all marketing and sales expenses. It's a broader measure than CPI or CPA.
Learn moreMobile User AcquisitionConversion Rate
Conversion rate is the percentage of users who complete a desired action at each funnel stage, from impression to install to in-app event.
Learn moreMobile AttributionClick-Through Attribution
Click-through attribution credits an ad for a conversion when a user clicked the ad and then completed the action within the attribution window.
Learn moreAd Creative TypesCarousel Ads
Carousel ads show multiple images or videos in a swipeable format, letting advertisers showcase several products, features, or story steps in one unit.
Learn moreAnalytics & StrategyCreative Analytics
Creative analytics measures ad performance at the element level to reveal which visual, audio, and copy components actually drive results.
Learn moreAnalytics & StrategyCreative Tagging
Creative tagging labels ad elements (hook type, visual style, emotion, characters, CTA) so you can correlate those attributes with performance data.
Learn moreAnalytics & StrategyCreative Intelligence
Creative intelligence uses data and AI to understand which creative patterns and elements drive performance, and to prescribe what to make next.
Learn moreCreative PerformanceCost Per Click (CPC)
CPC is the average amount you pay each time a user clicks on your ad, measuring the cost efficiency of driving traffic from paid campaigns.
Learn moreDynamic Creative Optimization (DCO)
DCO is automated ad tech that assembles and tests many creative combinations in real time, serving each user the version most likely to convert.
Learn moreMobile User AcquisitionDaily Active Users (DAU)
DAU is the number of unique users who open and engage with an app on any given day, a primary metric for measuring app health and engagement.
Learn moreMobile AttributionDeterministic Attribution
Deterministic attribution matches an ad click to an install using a unique device ID, giving a certain (not estimated) answer on which ad drove it.
Learn moreMobile AttributionDeep Linking
Deep linking routes users directly to a specific screen inside an app from an ad or link, rather than dropping them on the app's home screen.
Learn moreInstalls Per Mille (IPM)
IPM measures app installs generated per 1,000 ad impressions, combining click-through and conversion efficiency into one creative performance metric.
Learn moreAd Creative TypesInterstitial Ads
Interstitial ads are full-screen ads that appear between content transitions in apps, capturing attention at natural pause points in the experience.
Learn moreAnalytics & StrategyIncrementality Testing
Incrementality testing measures the true causal lift of advertising by comparing outcomes between users exposed to ads and a holdout control group.
Learn moreMobile AttributionInstall Fraud
Install fraud manipulates mobile attribution data to generate fake installs, clicks, or conversions, stealing ad budget without delivering real users.
Learn moreMobile User AcquisitionIn-App Purchases (IAP)
In-app purchases are transactions inside an app for virtual goods, features, or subscriptions, the main revenue model for free-to-play apps.
Learn moreLifetime Value (LTV)
LTV is the total net revenue a user is expected to generate over their lifetime with your app, guiding how much you can profitably spend to acquire them.
Learn moreMobile AttributionLast-Click Attribution
Last-click attribution gives 100% credit for a conversion to the final ad click before the user completed the action.
Learn moreAd PlatformsLookalike Audience
A lookalike audience is a targeting tool that finds new users who share traits with your existing high-value users, enabling scaled prospecting.
Learn moreMonthly Active Users (MAU)
MAU measures the number of unique users who engage with an app at least once in a 30-day period, providing a broader engagement baseline than DAU.
Learn moreMobile AttributionMobile Measurement Partner (MMP)
An MMP is an independent third-party platform that attributes app installs and in-app events to the advertising sources that drove them.
Learn moreAd PlatformsMeta Ads
Meta Ads is the ad platform spanning Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and the Audience Network, the largest social advertising ecosystem for app UA.
Learn moreMobile AttributionMulti-Touch Attribution (MTA)
Multi-touch attribution spreads conversion credit across all the ad interactions a user had before converting, not just the last click.
Learn moreProbabilistic Attribution
Probabilistic attribution assigns conversion credit to ad exposures based on statistical likelihood rather than deterministic device identifiers.
Learn moreAd Creative TypesPlayable Ads
Playable ads are interactive ads that let users try a mini-version of a game or app before downloading, significantly improving install quality.
Learn moreAd PlatformsProgrammatic Advertising
Programmatic advertising is the automated buying and selling of digital ad inventory in real time through software, replacing manual insertion orders.
Learn moreAnalytics & StrategyPerformance Marketing
Performance marketing is a model where advertisers pay based on measurable outcomes, installs, purchases, or leads, rather than impressions or reach.
Learn moreReturn on Ad Spend (ROAS)
ROAS measures revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising, serving as the primary efficiency metric for paid user acquisition.
Learn moreMobile User AcquisitionRetention Rate
Retention rate is the percentage of users who return to an app on a given day after install, with D1, D7, and D30 the most critical benchmarks.
Learn moreAd Creative TypesRewarded Ads
Rewarded ads are opt-in video ads where users watch a full ad in exchange for an in-app reward like extra lives, currency, or premium content.
Learn moreAd PlatformsRetargeting
Retargeting serves ads to users who previously engaged with your app or website, re-engaging lapsed users or nudging near-converters to convert.
Learn moreSKAdNetwork (SKAN)
SKAdNetwork is Apple's privacy-preserving iOS attribution framework, reporting campaign-level installs and conversions without identifying users.
Learn moreAd Creative TypesStatic Ads
Static ads are single-image advertisements, the simplest and most scalable ad format, effective for offers, promotions, and direct-response messaging.
Learn moreThumb Stop Rate
Thumb stop rate measures the percentage of people who pause their scroll to watch your video ad, indicating how compelling your hook is.
Learn moreAd PlatformsTikTok Ads
TikTok Ads is the platform for TikTok's short-form video, known for high organic reach, creator-native formats, and strong results with young users.
Learn moreUGC Ads
UGC ads are ads styled to look like organic user-generated content, real people speaking to camera about a product, designed to feel native to feeds.
Learn moreAnalytics & StrategyUser Acquisition (UA)
User acquisition is the process of attracting new users to a mobile app through paid advertising, organic marketing, and app store optimization.
Learn moreVideo Completion Rate
Video completion rate (VCR) is the percentage of video ad views watched to the end, measuring how well the full creative holds viewer attention.
Learn moreMobile AttributionView-Through Attribution
View-through attribution credits an ad for a conversion when a user saw (but did not click) the ad and then converted within the attribution window.
Learn moreAd Creative TypesVideo Ads
Video ads are the dominant format in mobile advertising, using motion, sound, and narrative to communicate product value within 6–60 seconds.
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