• by Tyler Loechner , Staff Writer, June 5, 2013

On a panel at Tech For Direct in New York yesterday, I tallied up the number of acronyms that were used. It ended up being less than I expected, but it was still a few too many.

Before I go any further, let me say that it's next to impossible to avoid acronyms, and that's not unique to the advertising industry. Additionally, I probably type "RTB" (real-time bidding) more than anyone else.

I just think that during a panel, it's not the best idea to use an acronym without explaining what it stands for, especially if it's not too common. The panelists were:

Gavin Dunaway, AdMonsters (Moderator)
Teri Gallo, vice president, marketplace, Cadreon
Alanna Gombert, senior director of yield, Conde Nast
Eric Picard, CEO, Rare Crowds
Robert Volz, Thomson Reuters

By the time it was all said and done, 18 acronyms had been used. RTB led the way among acronyms with five uses, while Volz led the way among panelists with eight. ROI, DR, (something)CPM, SSP, KPI, ROS, and DLID (??) were also used.

Sometimes, panels feel like this:

DLID was only used once, and I'm willing to bet I heard that one wrong because I can't imagine what it means. Neither can Google.

ROS was used twice. A quick Google search shows that ROS stands for "reactive oxygen species," but that can't be right. Really, ROS means Run Of Site, but you can get funny results when you Google some of these.

To be fair, none of the acronyms used here were unheard of (except for DLID...), but my point remains. Unfortunately, this was the last panel of the event; I would have loved to keep track of others.

See below for my makeshift tally. WTH, right?