Agency Echelon
Reference

Comparisons

Side-by-side answers to the questions that come up in every planning meeting: which platform, which deal type, which measurement method, which metric. Each comparison states a position and links to the terms behind it.

DSP vs SSP
What is the difference between a DSP and an SSP?
MMM vs multi-touch attribution vs incrementality
Which measurement approach should I use?
Performance Max vs Advantage+
How do Google's and Meta's automated campaigns compare?
Connected TV vs linear TV
How does CTV differ from traditional television advertising?
First-party vs second-party vs third-party data
What are the three kinds of audience data?
CPM vs CPC vs CPA
Which pricing model should I buy on?
Open auction vs private marketplace vs programmatic guaranteed
Which programmatic deal type should I use?
ROAS vs MER vs contribution margin
Which profitability metric should decide budgets?
CPM vs CPC
Should I pay per impression or per click?
CTR vs conversion rate
What is the difference between CTR and conversion rate?
ROAS vs ROI
What is the difference between ROAS and ROI?
Impressions vs reach
What is the difference between impressions and reach?
Google Ads vs Meta ads
Should I advertise on Google or Meta?
Programmatic vs direct buying
Should I buy programmatically or direct?
DSP vs ad network
What is the difference between a DSP and an ad network?
CPA vs CAC
What is the difference between CPA and CAC?
First-party vs third-party cookies
What is the difference between first-party and third-party cookies?
Brand vs performance advertising
What is the difference between brand and performance advertising?

Reference

A reference library for digital advertising, written and reviewed by the Agency Echelon team. Free to read. No advertising, no sponsorship, no affiliate links, no email gate.

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Reviewed September 23, 2026. Reference text is licensed CC BY 4.0. Privacy