Glossary: S
- sales call
- A face-to-face meeting between a salesperson and a customer or prospective customer.
- sales promotion
- A tactic intended to generate increased sales in a specified amount of time. The goal is usually a strong and rapid response from consumers.
- scan
- A process that captures an image in a format that can be used and manipulated electronically. The term "scan" also refers to the resulting file and/or proof of the file.
- search advertising
- An advertiser pays for the chance to have their ad displayed when a web user searches a given keyword using a search engine (e.g., Google). These are usually text ads which are displayed above or to the right of the algorithmic (organic) search results.
- search engine
- A program that indexes websites, then attempts to match sites relevant to the user's search requests. Search engines can refer to the program on an individual site or those on broader websites such as Google, Yahoo! or Bing.
- search engine marketing (SEM)
- Search engine marketing covers a variety of aspects of website promotion via search engines, including pay-per-click and search engine optimization.
- search engine optimization (SEO)
- The process of refining a site for the purpose of improving search engine rankings.
- search query
- The word or phrase a searcher types into a search field, which initiates search engine results.
- self-mailer
- A printed, folded mailing piece that reserves space for addressing, postage, etc. and eliminates the need for an envelope.
- service mark
- A mark (SM) used in the sale or advertising of services to identify and distinguish them. (See trademark.)
- share
- For broadcast media, the percent of a particular audience using a specific medium and tuned to a particular station during a defined time period.
- share of voice (SOV)
- A competitive analysis of a product's advertising exposure within a specific category or market. Analyses commonly are based on the number of printed pages or the dollar amount spent.
- shrink wrap
- A thin plastic film heat-sealed around a product. Printers often are requested to shrink-wrap pieces in smaller quantities rather than bulk cartons.
- sidebar
- A short section of copy focusing on a single issue and used to augment or summarize key points of the main article.
- sig lines/signatures
- An advertiser's name/address/phone/fax/email/URL information, typically displayed in a consistent location on ads or collateral pieces.
- SKU (stock keeping unit)
- Part of a standardized inventory management system in which each product is given a unique number that can be tracked.
- skyscraper ad
- Vertical website banner ad, usually measuring 120 pixels wide by 600 pixels tall.
- slim jim
- A brochure, typically four to six panels, that is folded to fit in a No. 10 envelope.
- space closing
- Deadline date for written confirmation of a client's commitment to run an ad in a specific issue of a publication.
- space reservation
- Notification to a media vendor, either written or verbal, of intentions to run an ad.
- spam
- Unwanted, unsolicited email, typically of a commercial nature.
- spec work
- Work done with no guarantee of remuneration but with the hope of landing a client's account and, subsequently, the opportunity to recapture the investment made in creating the spec work.
- specialty
- An item offered to a customer or prospect, usually free or at a nominal price, as an inducement.
- spider
- A term used to describe search engines because of the way they search the web to find information.
- splash page
- A branding page which appears before the home page of a website.
- spot color
- The use of a specific ink color on a printed piece. Also used as "two spot colors" or "three spots" to distinguish from four-color process. Spot colors are sometimes used in addition to process colors, usually to print a specific color in a logo.
- spread
- Two facing pages of a magazine or brochure, typically with related content on both pages.
- statement stuffer
- A small, printed piece designed to be inserted into an envelope carrying a customer's invoice or other business communications.
- stickiness
- The amount of time spent at a website over a given time period. A variety of techniques can be used to influence stickiness, such as frequently updated content, games and interaction.
- stitched/saddle-stitched
- A binding method, suitable for brochures and short booklets, that uses staples to attach sheets to the cover through the centerfold.
- strategy
- Strategy establishes a marketplace position in order to communicate what a company, product or service does and who it's for. For marketing/advertising campaigns, strategy leverages current marketplace conditions.
- subhead
- A secondary heading, usually in smaller type than the main heading or headline and designed to guide the reader's attention to specific details or to help organize issues presented in the body copy.
- supplement
- A special, preprinted section of a newspaper or magazine that is then inserted during the regular printing process for the publication. Supplements usually contain both editorial content and ads.
