Words people actually use
A glossary for marketing.
Short, honest definitions of the terms thrown around in pitch decks, briefs and LinkedIn feeds — without the usual smokescreens.
Theme Nº 01
Brand & growth
The terms from the Ehrenberg-Bass school and growth research. Words that explain why brands grow — and why most don't.
- 01
Mental availability
The likelihood that your brand comes to mind for the buyer at the moment of purchase.
Read the definition - 02
Physical availability
How easy it is to actually buy the product once the thought has landed.
Read the definition - 03
Brand equity
The value the brand contributes beyond the product itself — measured or perceived.
Read the definition - 04
Brand distinctiveness / distinctive brand assets
The recognisable elements that make your advertising identifiable as yours.
Read the definition - 05
Brand salience
How readily the brand comes to mind in relevant situations.
Read the definition - 06
Category entry points
The triggers — needs, occasions, situations — that prompt a purchase in the category.
Read the definition - 07
Double jeopardy-lagen
Small brands have fewer buyers — who also buy less often.
Read the definition - 08
Penetration vs loyalty
New buyers make brands grow. Loyalty keeps them stable.
Read the definition - 09
Share of voice vs share of market
Share of voice predicts future market share — if you can keep it up.
Read the definition
Theme Nº 02
Growth marketing
Terms from B2B, SaaS and operational marketing. Measurable, sometimes too measurable.
- 01
ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)
The description of the customer most worth pursuing — not everyone you could sell to.
Read the definition - 02
TAM, SAM och SOM
Three levels of market: everything, what you can reach, what you can take.
Read the definition - 03
CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)
What it costs to acquire a new customer, in total.
Read the definition - 04
LTV (Customer Lifetime Value)
What a customer is worth over their entire lifetime with you.
Read the definition - 05
Product-market fit
When the market itself starts pulling the product harder than you can push it.
Read the definition - 06
Jobs to be Done (JTBD)
Customers don't hire products, they hire them to get a job done.
Read the definition - 07
North Star Metric
The one metric that best captures the value the product creates for its users.
Read the definition - 08
Growth loops vs funnel
Funnels lead into the top. Loops reinvest their own output.
Read the definition - 09
MQL och SQL
Marketing- and sales-qualified leads respectively. Overused, often misunderstood.
Read the definition
Theme Nº 03
Creativity & advertising
The advertising industry's vocabulary. Some of it is tools, some of it is smoke and mirrors — but all of it gets used for real.
- 01
Creative effectiveness
Creativity's actual contribution to business results, measured over time.
Read the definition - 02
Big idea
The central thought that holds a campaign — or a brand — together over time.
Read the definition - 03
Tone of voice
How the brand sounds — consistently, regardless of channel or writer.
Read the definition - 04
Positioning strategy
The chosen place in the customer's mind: for whom, against whom, why you.
Read the definition - 05
Insight (in an advertising context)
An observation about people that's true, tense and under-used enough to carry an idea.
Read the definition - 06
The 60/40 rule (Binet & Field)
Roughly 60% brand, 40% activation — as a starting point.
Read the definition - 07
Brand building vs activation
Two different jobs: creating demand over time, versus capturing it now.
Read the definition
Theme Nº 04
AI & marketing
New words for new problems. Mainly so we don't have to say “AI” one more time without meaning anything by it.
- 01
AI slop
Mass-produced AI content with no intent, quality or edge.
Read the definition - 02
Prompt engineering (in marketing)
The art of framing instructions so the AI produces something worth using.
Read the definition - 03
Human-in-the-loop
A human in the decision chain between the AI's output and what reaches the customer.
Read the definition - 04
AI as tool vs AI as decision-maker
The difference between AI helping you do the job — and AI becoming the job.
Read the definition
Missing a term? Drop me a line. The glossary grows whenever someone asks.
hej@axeltuvemo.se