Below are the key terms and concepts you will encounter when advertising with Universal Ads. If you have additional questions, please refer to the Business Help Center articles linked to each item or reach out to us through our Chat.
Universal Ads Set Up and Navigation
| Term | Definition | More Information |
| Organization (Universal Ads Manager) | The primary business entity within Universal Ads where campaigns, billing, audiences, and users are managed. |
Creating a Universal Ads Account
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| Ad Account | The central container within a Universal Ads Manager Organization where advertisers create, manage, and track campaigns. An ad account contains budgeting, billing, audience targeting, creative assets, user permissions, and reporting, enabling advertisers to reach TV viewers across Universal Ads premium inventory. | |
| Manage Ads Dashboard | The homepage of Universal Ads Manager where users view ad account activity and reporting. The dashboard displays performance trends through a line graph and detailed results in a reporting table, with data broken out by Campaign, Ad Set, or Ad. | Manage Ads Dashboard |
Ad Structure and Delivery
| Term | Definition | More Information |
| Campaign | The highest level of the advertising structure that defines the campaign objective, budgeting approach, and performance measurement. A campaign contains one or more ad sets. |
Create a Performance+ Campaign |
| Ad Set | A grouping of ads that share targeting, budget, flight dates, and delivery settings. Audience targeting and pacing controls are configured at the ad set level. | |
| Ad | The individual creative unit delivered to viewers. The defining element of an ad is the video asset. | Ad Creation Overview |
| Performance+ | A campaign optimization approach that uses Universal Ads machine learning to automatically allocate budget across available inventory to maximize efficiency. Performance+ is designed for advertisers focused on reach and performance outcomes. | Create a Performance+ Campaign |
| Content Select | A campaign optimization approach that allows advertisers to select the types of content their ads appear alongside, such as networks or major events. Content Select is ideal for advertisers who prioritize brand‑safe environments and greater contextual control. | Create a Content Select Campaign |
| Campaign Objectives | The primary goal selected when creating a campaign, such as reach, site visits, purchases, or video completion. The objective informs delivery and optimization decisions. | Campaign Objectives |
| Awareness Objective | Designed to increase brand visibility and generate interest in an advertiser’s brand, products, or services. | Campaign Objectives |
| Conversions Objective | Designed to drive purchases or other high‑value actions. This objective requires inclusion of the Universal Ads Pixel at the ad set level. | Campaign Objectives |
| Daily Budget | The amount an advertiser chooses to spend per day on an ad set or campaign. Daily budgets are typically set at the ad set level and can also be applied at the campaign level to ensure total daily spend across all ad sets does not exceed a defined limit. | Setting Budgets |
| Lifetime Budget | The total amount an advertiser chooses to spend over the full duration of an ad set or campaign. Lifetime budgets are set at the ad set level and can also be applied at the campaign level to keep total spend within a defined cap across the entire flight. | Setting Budgets |
| Flight Dates | The start and end dates during which a campaign or ad set is eligible to deliver impressions. Flight start and end times align with the time zone settings configured at the ad account level. | |
| Impressions | The total number of times an ad is delivered to viewers. | |
| Reach | The number of unique households or devices exposed to a campaign, based on the best available identifier. | |
| Frequency |
The average number of impressions delivered per household or device during a campaign. Frequency = Impressions ÷ Reach |
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| Frequency Cap | A control that limits how many times a viewer can see ads within a defined time period. Advertisers set a maximum number of impressions per viewer per day or per week. Frequency caps are configured at the ad set level and can also be applied at the campaign level to enforce a shared limit across ad sets. | |
| Dayparting | An ad scheduling feature that allows advertisers to specify the days of the week or hours of the day when ads are eligible to run. Dayparting is used to align ad delivery with peak viewing, shopping, or business hours. | Dayparting |
Audience Targeting
| Term | Definition | More Information |
| Genre Targeting | A targeting option that allows advertisers to choose the specific content genres their ads appear alongside, such as drama, sports, news, or entertainment. Genre Targeting helps advertisers align ads with relevant, brand‑safe content environments and is available when using the Performance+. | Genre Targeting |
| Viewership Behavior Targeting | A targeting option that reaches viewers based on how they consume content. Viewership Behavior targeting uses Comcast first‑party data to reach audiences associated with specific content genres. | Viewership Behavior |
| Custom Audience | A user‑defined audience created from first‑party data such as website visitors, customer lists, or approved third‑party partner integrations. Custom audiences are commonly used for CRM‑based targeting and retargeting. |
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| Retargeting | A targeting strategy that reaches viewers who have previously interacted with a brand, such as visiting a website or completing a defined action. Retargeting uses pixel data to deliver relevant ads across streaming TV inventory. |
TV Advertising
| Term | Definition | More Information |
| CTV (Connected TV) | Television content delivered through internet‑connected devices such as smart TVs, streaming devices, or gaming consoles. CTV enables advertisers to reach audiences watching streaming and on‑demand video through apps and digital platforms. | |
| Linear TV | Traditional television programming delivered through scheduled broadcasts or cable networks, where content airs at set times rather than on demand. Linear TV advertising reaches viewers during live or scheduled programming. |
Measurement and Reporting
| Term | Definition | More Information |
| Pixel | A tracking tool placed on an advertiser’s website to measure user actions such as site visits, conversions, and cart events. Pixel data is used for campaign measurement, optimization, and audience creation. | The Universal Ads Pixel |
| Pixel Event | A specific user action captured by the Universal Ads Pixel, such as page view, product view, add to cart, or purchase. Pixel events allow advertisers to measure how ad exposure influences website behavior and conversions. | Pixel Events |
| Conversion | A completed desired action following ad exposure, such as a purchase, sign‑up, or form submission. Conversions are tracked using Pixel Events and attributed to campaigns based on the selected attribution window. | |
| Attribution | The process of connecting an ad exposure to a downstream user action, such as a website visit or purchase, to understand the impact of advertising on business outcomes. | |
| Attribution Window | The period of time after a viewer sees an ad during which a conversion can be credited to that exposure. Universal Ads supports 7‑day, 14‑day, and 30‑day post‑view attribution windows by default. | |
| Purchase Revenue | The total dollar value of purchases attributed to a campaign, based on revenue values passed through pixel‑tracked purchase events. | |
| Cost per Conversion |
A metric that calculates the average amount spent to generate a specific conversion event. Cost per Conversion helps advertisers evaluate campaign efficiency across different actions. Cost per Conversion = Spend ÷ Attributed Conversions |
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| Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) |
A performance metric that measures revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising. ROAS is calculated using pixel‑tracked purchase revenue divided by ad spend. ROAS = Revenue ÷ Ad Spend |
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| Incrementality | A measurement approach that quantifies the true impact of advertising by determining how many conversions occurred because of ad exposure, compared to what would have happened without advertising (i.e., holdout groups). | |
| Lift Study | A controlled experiment that measures the incremental impact of advertising on outcomes such as awareness, consideration, or conversions by comparing exposed and non‑exposed audiences. | |
| First‑Party Measurement | Measurement methods that rely on data collected directly by Universal Ads, including impression delivery, exposure, and pixel‑based outcomes, to evaluate campaign performance. | |
| Third‑Party Measurement | Measurement conducted with trusted external partners using independent methodologies and controlled testing to validate the impact of Universal Ads campaigns. |