Definition

The helpful little key at the bottom of a map or chart that explains what all those mysterious symbols and colors actually mean. Without it, you're just staring at meaningless squiggles and wondering if the purple blob is a lake or a category error.

Example Usage

The map's legend indicated that the red lines represented highways and the blue lines represented rivers.

Source: Merriam-Webster

Related Terms

Intermediate

frequency capping

Limiting how many times the same person sees your ad, based on the radical notion that showing someone the same message 47 times in one day might be counterproductive. It's the marketing equivalent of knowing when to stop talking.

📣 Marketing / Advertising
Beginner

competitive analysis

The systematic evaluation of competitors' strategies, strengths, and weaknesses to inform your own marketing approach. It's professional stalking with PowerPoint deliverables.

📣 Marketing / Advertising
Beginner

search engine marketing

Paid advertising on search engines, primarily Google, where you bid on keywords to appear when people search for things. It's the practice of paying to skip the line in search results, assuming you can outbid your competitors.

📣 Marketing / Advertising
Intermediate

makegoods

Compensatory advertising inventory provided when campaigns underdeliver on promised impressions or performance. The media equivalent of 'sorry we ruined your wedding, here's a gift card.'

📣 Marketing / Advertising
Intermediate

bidding

In digital advertising, the competitive auction process where advertisers throw money at platforms like Google and Facebook for the privilege of showing their ads to eyeballs. It's capitalism at its most caffeinated, with algorithms determining in milliseconds who pays what for each ad impression. The highest bidder usually wins, unless the platform's complex quality score decides otherwise—because even ad auctions need participation trophies.

📣 Marketing / Advertising
Advanced

share of wallet

The percentage of a customer's total spending in a category that goes to your brand, measuring loyalty in dollars rather than sentiment. The ultimate relationship status metric.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

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