Advertising glossary

Plain definitions of the advertising terms used in India, from ATL and BTL to unipoles, release orders, INS accreditation and GRPs, written by our team in Lucknow.

Updated 7 October 2026. Written by the MM Advertising team, Lucknow.

ATL (above the line)

Advertising in mass media such as television, radio, newspapers and cinema, reaching many people at once.

BTL (below the line)

Marketing that reaches people directly and in person: activations, sampling, roadshows, in-store branding and events.

TTL (through the line)

A campaign that combines ATL and BTL and links them, for example a newspaper ad that sends people to an activation.

360° campaign

A campaign planned across every relevant medium at once, with one plan, one calendar and one message.

Activation

An in-person brand experience in a market, mall, campus or society, where people can see, try or ask about a product.

Sampling

Giving people a product to try, usually through trained promoters at activations or in stores.

Roadshow

A campaign that moves from place to place on a planned route, often with an LED van or branded vehicle.

Canopy

A branded tent or shade used as the base of an activation.

Kiosk

A small branded stall used at activations, in malls or in stores.

Standee

A free-standing printed display, often life-size, used in stores and at events.

POP / POS

Point-of-purchase or point-of-sale material: displays and branding where people buy.

Dealer branding

Shop boards, displays and signage installed at a brand’s dealers and retailers.

Haat

A weekly market in a village or small town, a common place for rural activations.

Mela

A fair, religious or seasonal, that draws large crowds.

OOH (out of home)

Advertising people see outside the home: hoardings, transit, airports, malls and street furniture.

DOOH (digital out of home)

Outdoor advertising on digital screens, which can show video and change creative by time of day.

Hoarding

A large printed advertising board beside a road; called a billboard in some countries.

Unipole

A hoarding mounted on one tall pole, visible from far away on highways and wide roads.

Gantry

An advertising structure that spans the road, seen head-on by traffic.

Backlit

A display lit from behind, through a translucent print.

Front-lit

A display lit by lamps in front of it.

Flex

Printed PVC sheet used for hoardings and banners.

Vinyl

A printed adhesive film used for vehicles, glass and smooth surfaces.

LED van

A vehicle fitted with a large LED screen and a sound system that carries video advertising on planned routes.

Airport media

Advertising in airport terminals, at gates, in baggage halls, on trolleys and on approach roads.

Display ad

A newspaper or magazine ad placed among the editorial pages, priced by area and position.

Classified ad

A small newspaper ad grouped by category, as text or a small box.

Column centimetre

A unit of newspaper space one column wide and one centimetre deep, used to price display ads.

Rate card

A publisher’s or media owner’s published prices for its advertising.

Release order (RO)

The agency’s written order to a publication or media owner to run an ad on given dates, at given rates.

Supplement

A special section of a newspaper built around a theme, an event or an advertiser.

Advertorial

Paid content written in the style of an article, marked as advertising.

Jacket

A newspaper page that wraps the front of the paper, sold to one advertiser.

Insert

A leaflet placed inside newspapers for chosen areas.

Tear sheet

A copy of the published page, given as proof that a print ad ran.

INS

The Indian Newspaper Society, the body of newspaper and periodical publishers in India, based in New Delhi, which accredits advertising agencies.

INS accreditation

Recognition of an advertising agency by the Indian Newspaper Society, giving access to facilities such as credit from member publications under the Society’s rules.

CBC

The Central Bureau of Communication, the Government of India’s media unit for government advertising, formed in 2017 from the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) and other units.

Telecast certificate

A channel’s record of when an ad was broadcast, given as proof for television advertising.

Reach

The number or share of people who see a campaign at least once.

Frequency

How many times, on average, each person reached sees a campaign.

GRP (gross rating point)

A measure of television weight: reach multiplied by frequency, expressed in rating points.

Impressions

The number of times an ad is shown, counting repeat views.

CPM

Cost per thousand impressions, a way to compare the price of media.

Lead

A person who has shown interest and shared contact details.

QR code

A square code a phone camera can scan to open a page or a chat, used to make print and outdoor ads measurable.

Proof of execution

Evidence that booked advertising ran as agreed, such as dated photographs, published copies and broadcast logs.

Media plan

The choice of media, formats, places, dates and budget for a campaign.

Read next

• BTL marketing in Uttar PradeshWhat BTL is, the formats that work in UP, how to plan, time and measure an activation.
• Newspaper advertising and INSHow booking works, how rates are set, and what INS accreditation means.
• Outdoor advertising in LucknowFormats, who gives permission, how to plan routes and creative, and how to check it ran.