Every workplace, however subtle it might seem, speaks a language of its own – a unique combo of industry lingo and metaphoric gobbledygook that can range from the silly (‘herding cats’) to the imposable (‘a hundred and ten percent’). Working at an advertising agency these last few months, I can tell you, seems to be no less immune. For example, to the production team, ’bleeding off the page’ is far less painful than it sounds and if an account person tells you ‘your brief is showing’ there is no need to look down.

While it’s ultimately just as important to 'walk the walk' you’ll seem infinitely more professional when you can ‘talk the talk.’ Here are a few I’ve picked up on so far:

Deck - A Keynote (or rarely, PowerPoint. Ad agencies live in a MAC world.) presentation.

B2B - Short for Business to Business. In the world of advertising, B2B is a phrase used to describe a business that markets it’s products and services to other businesses.

B2C - Business to Consumer. You get the idea.

FPO - A term used a lot in production meaning for placement only. Often you see this on low-resolution images or stock photography. It is intended to be swapped out before finalization.

RFP - Means request for proposal. When a client is interested in doing business with an agency they will ask for one of these. In other words, a pitch.

Pitch - A presentation to the client with the intention of selling ideas and creative work.

Thumbnail - A quick sketch done to represent an idea or provide a brief summary.

Wireframe - A sketch or image designed to communicate the functionality and structure of a web page or interactive element.

Hot - When something needs to be done… like now.

Assets - A collection of art and copy that contains things like logos and brand standard guides, as well as any previous work that might have been done on a particular brand.

Deliverables - A list of things that will be produced for the client, as spelled out in the creative brief.

Creative Brief - A document, usually written by the account manager, that highlights objectives, strategies and tactics of a campaign and gives reference to work that will be produced.

Be on the lookout for more industry lingo weaved into future posts, since much of that learning comes from experience, not just a week of picking the brains of HLK’s cultured creative directors and wise account managers.