dwell time

Definition

The duration someone actually pays attention to an ad, especially in out-of-home or digital contexts. The uncomfortable metric that reveals most people ignore your billboard in 0.3 seconds.

Example Usage

Our digital kiosk analytics show a 12-second average dwell time, which is impressive until you realize the video is 45 seconds long.

Origin

Borrowed from real estate and transit terminology; adopted by OOH advertising in the 2000s

Fun Fact

Average dwell time for a traditional billboard is 2-3 seconds, which is why smart advertisers use six words or fewer.

Source: Out-of-home and digital advertising terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

bottom of the funnel

The final stage of the marketing funnel where prospects are ready to make a purchase decision. Abbreviated BOFU, it's where marketing hands leads to sales and both teams blame each other when nothing converts.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

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landing page

A standalone web page created specifically for a marketing campaign, stripped of all navigation to trap visitors into a single call-to-action like mice in a very polite maze. It's where conversion optimization goes to either triumph or die trying.

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Intermediate

MQL

Marketing Qualified Lead—a prospect deemed worthy of sales attention based on arbitrary criteria marketing invented to prove they're doing their job. May or may not actually want to buy anything.

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Advanced

roadblock

Buying all available ad placements across a platform or time period to dominate visibility and prevent competitor messaging. Subtle as a highway billboard collision.

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Beginner

up-funnel

Marketing activities focused on early-stage awareness and consideration rather than immediate conversion. Where brands spend money talking to people who definitely aren't ready to buy yet.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

Beginner

skippable ad

A video advertisement that graciously allows viewers to escape after five seconds, forcing advertisers to frontload value or face mass abandonment. Democracy in action, if democracy involved selling you soap.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

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