Decoding marketing jargon

Marketing can feel like everyone is speaking in another language sometimes, especially when you’re new to the industry. Trust me, I’ve been there nodding along at something that was said, only to Google it once the meeting has ended.

The good news is that once you get familiar with the language of marketing, everything else starts to click into place. You begin to understand conversations better, you feel more confident sharing ideas and you stop worrying about asking what might feel like silly questions. Spoiler alert: they are never silly questions, it’s all part of the learning process.

So, let’s break down some of the most common acronyms and phrases you will come across whilst working in marketing with simple explanations and real examples to help you build a solid foundation.

Key marketing terms

Campaign

Think of a campaign as your roadmap. It’s a planned set of marketing activities all working towards one specific goal, usually this is something defined by what the business wants to achieve.

That might be boosting brand awareness, promoting a new product or driving sign ups. The key is knowing exactly what you want the outcome to be, and who your audience is before you start.

Example: A skincare brand wants to increase sales across December, so the marketing team runs a winter hydration campaign by using influencer collaborations on TikTok, organic Instagram posts, and email newsletters.

Audience

Your audience is the group of people you want to get in front of. These are the people who are most likely to be interested in your product or service. Understanding your audience and where they spend their time (this may be digitally or in-person) helps you plan activities that actually resonate rather than guessing what they might like.