Ad-hoc Publicity

The compulsory communications made by a publically owned company, which must occur within a specific timeframe.

AdSense

A Google service which places content-related advertising on the websites of members.

Advertorial

A combination of the terms ‘advertisement’ and ‘editorial’. It is paid advertising that is designed to look like it contains editorial content.

AdWords

An advertising service from Google with placements, defined by search terms, displayed either above, below or to the side of the search results.

Affiliate Marketing

A sales concept whereby sales partners advertise other suppliers on their own websites, and receive commission when they deliver paying clients.

AIDA

A model developed by Elmo Lewis (1989) to insight purchasing decisions in advertising: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.

B2B

A business relationship between companies (Business to Business, instead of Business to Consumer). B2B PR is the public relations work undertaken by companies to speak to their business clients.

B2C

A business relationship between companies and individuals (Business to Consumer, instead of Business to Business). B2C PR is the public relations work undertaken by companies to speak to consumers.

Banner

Internet advertising that is inserted as a graphic or animation into a website. It is typically linked to the website of the advertiser.

Blog

Short form of Weblog. An online journal that is normally open to the public, is regularly updated and creates possibilities for an exchange between blogger and reader.

Blogosphere

The collective of blogs and their connections. It can also be a journalistic concept and communications strategy.

Brand Identity

The visible elements of a brand (logo, name, color, design) that together identify and distinguish the brand in the consumer’s mind.

Branding

Professional development of a brand (name, design etc.) including how they are perceived.

Campaign

Multiple communications activities across specified channels within a specific timeframe.

Campaigning

Conception and implementation of deliberately dramatic communications campaigns through the use of multiple channels.

Change Management

Adaptation of company strategies and structures due to changes in circumstances.

Claim

A short statement describing the positioning of the company, sometimes in the form of a promise.

Clickstream Analysis

The behavioral analysis of website visitors, where the individual clicks are tracked and measured.

Click-through Rate (CTR)

The number of clicks on a banner or button, in proportion to the number of visitors on the site that an advertiser receives.

Clipping

An article out of a newspaper, magazine or online media that has appeared as a result of PR activities.

CMS (Content Management System)

Software used to design, modify and organize content, often on a website (Web CMS or WCMS).

Competitive Analysis

Research and evaluation which provides comprehensive information about the competitors of a particular company, in order to uncover weaknesses.

Corporate Affairs

Management of current internal and external topics that hold meaning for companies.

Corporate Behavior

The behavior of a company as a part of their corporate identity.

Corporate Brochures

Thoroughly designed brochures that contain information about a company and above all convey their image.

Corporate Communications

A uniform appearance and consistent communications as a part of a company’s corporate identity.

Corporate Culture

The beliefs and behaviors that determine how a company’s employees and management interact and handle outside business transactions.

Corporate Design

The external identity of a company, from the logo and design of communications elements through to the architecture of the company premises.

Corporate Governance

Regulation framework with legally binding and voluntary rules. These vary from country to country and are the guidelines from which a company is run.

Corporate Identity

The collection of all characteristics of self-expression a company has, both internally and externally.

Corporate Image

The public image of a company (how the company is seen from outside), not to be confused with corporate identity.

Corporate Publishing

The process and outcome of planning, producing and organizing coprorate publications.

Corporate Social Responsibility

A company’s voluntary engagement to develop a sustainable set of activities with regards to society and the environment.

Corporate Wording

The definition and use of a consistent corporate language, for example through the use or avoidance of specific words.

Cost per Click (CPC)

The amount an advertiser pays to the hosting site when their advertising is clicked on by a visitor.

Counter Statement

Changes to, or an individual account of, facts by the parties involved when the reputation of an individual or a company has been damaged through a report.

Cross Media

Communication of the same content through various, though often inter-linked channels.

Direct Marketing

Marketing action that speaks directly and individually to potential and existing clients, often providing them with an opportunity to establish contact with the sender.

Direct PR

PR that is used, particularly in the online communications sphere (for example discussion forums and social networking), to directly reach target audiences.

E-Business

The handling of business processes with the help of digital information and communications technology.

External  Communications

The entire verbal and non-verbal communications that a company shares with the public.

Fact Sheet

A collection of the most important data relating to a company, product or process, normally on one single piece of paper.

Financial Relations

Branch of public relations specializing in corporate disclosure responsibilities, stockholder relations and relations with the professional investor community.

Full Service Agency

An agency that provides all communications aspects, from conception through to delivery, from within that company.

Gatekeeper

Editorial staff that decide if a specific article should be considered and published.

Giveaway

Freebie, typically without high material value, that visibly includes the logo or slogan of a company.

Guerilla Marketing

Unusual, original marketing activities that function on the surprise effect. They are typically able to achieve a large impact using a modest budget.

Halo Effect

The transfer of the beliefs about a good trait a person may have onto their other traits. This phenomenon may also apply to brands.

Homepage

The entry page to an internet presence.

Image

The subjective impressions that the public has of a company (a person, their products etc.), and that the company tries to influence.

Impression Management

To raise and steer the overall impression of a company or a person through public and external activities.

Imprint

Data relating to the responsible parties for the content and delivery of both print and online publications.

Infotainment

A combination of the terms ‘information’ and ‘entertainment’, an entertaining way to present news.

Initial Analysis

The objective summary of initial situation before, for example, a strategy is conceived.

Instant Messenger (IM)

Program that delivers and receives text notifications immediately (using Push technology) over a network.

Integrated Communication

Formal alignment of all communications activities and content in order to create a strong influence and consistent corporate image.

Internal Communications

The entire verbal and non-verbal communications that a company shares within an organization.

Intranet

A company’s own information network based on Internet technology, though only accessed by staff and used primarily to support internal processes.

Issue Management

Actively searching out potential points of contention for a company, relating to themes and issues within their environment, in order to have a chance of identifying risks early and reacting appropriately.

Kaizen

Originally a Japanese life and work philosophy, it has become a theoretical approach in business used to continually improve the skills and creative potential of all staff.

Long-Tail Marketing

Marketing of niche products, predominantly where target groups are reached through the Internet and the losses are minimized.

Marketing Instruments

Individual elements that form a part of the overall marketing strategy delivery.

Marketing Mix

The implementation of a marketing strategy with the help of four instruments: Product, Price, Place and Promotion, otherwise known as the Four P’s.

Mashup

New combinations of existing web content and usage, for example the inclusion of YouTube videos or Google maps in a website.

Measures of Success

The evaluation of the results in a campaign or individual activities, crosschecking them retrospectively against the defined targets.

Print Effectiveness

The effect of a print advert on a target group, albeit hard to quantify.

RSS

Work that at regular intervals is checked for updates and notifies subscribers to that particular RSS Feed of the new entries.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

The utilization of search engines in the Internet to gain visitors to an individual website.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Adjustments made to a website with the goal of not only being found by search machines, but to appear as high as possible in the list of results.

Social Bookmarks

Links and bookmarks, registered by numerous people, that are categorized and used on public internet platforms such as Delicious.

Social Media

General term for Internet-based media options where it is possible for the users to exchange ideas and create content either on their own or in groups (for example Facebook).

Specialist Journal

Regularly published magazines that distribute information from within a clearly defined subject area, addressing first and foremost readers interested on a professional level.

Tag Cloud

A visual representation for text data, typically used to depict keyword metadata (tags) on websites. The importance of each word is shown with font size or color.

Tagging

The indexing or description of content on the Internet (for example photos, blog updates, bookmarks) with keywords, often called tags.

Target Audiences

Defined groups of people that should be reached through communications activities with messages that are relevant to them.

Viral Marketing

A form of marketing that uses social networks, often with minimal financial risk, to achieve an ‘epidemic spread’ of the message.

Webinar

A seminar that is held over the Internet, enabling two-way communications.

WordPress

Originally a software to manage blogs, today often used as a Content Management System to design and administer a website.