Glossary
A working glossary for the language we use across Innovative Group. Each entry is short, citable, and links back to the canonical page where the concept lives. For the deeper AEO-specific glossary, see /aeo/glossary/.
A business structure where multiple specialty teams operate under one P&L instead of as separate agencies or holding-company divisions. The IG model. See the full definition page for the comparison vs holding companies, agency networks, and consultancies.
A parent entity that owns multiple independent operating businesses, each with its own P&L. Common in agency world: WPP, Omnicom, Publicis, IPG. Distinct from an operating company because the teams do not share clients or accountability across the portfolio.
An agency whose deliverable includes a product surface the client logs into, not just a service engagement. Different from a SaaS company because human operators are still in the loop. IG ships Beat as the productized layer on Local Business engagements.
AI systems that can take action on behalf of a user, not just answer questions. The shift from chat-as-interface to agents-as-coworkers. Distinct from generative AI (which generates content) because agents pursue goals across multiple steps with tools.
Industry shorthand for the AI investment programs at Deloitte (Zora), EY (EY.ai, 150-agent rollout), KPMG ($2B), and Accenture ($3B). All four target the F500. The mid-market gap below them is the AEO and operating-company opportunity.
The org inside a company responsible for acquisition, retention, and revenue growth. Spans marketing, sales, and customer success in mid-market. The IG client engagement maps to the growth function; the IG operator is embedded inside it.
Companies between $5M and $200M revenue, typically Series A to Series C in venture-backed terms. The gap below the F500 (where Big Four lives) and above the SMB segment. IG's primary buyer profile.
A positioning approach where the page leads with the buyer's problem in the buyer's language, not the seller's capability description. The IG approach to homepage and pillar copy. Norm's "Keeping It Simple" Shift piece is the canonical articulation.
The IG productized client surface that turns every engagement into an always-on operator the client can talk to. Status, Ask, Approve are the three Day-One screens. Defined at /next-best-action/.
The discipline of structuring web content so it can be reliably cited by AI agents and language models when they answer user queries. AEO sits alongside SEO as a parallel optimization layer. See /aeo/ for the full pillar and the 24-term glossary inside that cluster.
A turn of phrase or structural pattern that signals content was written or heavily edited by an AI model. Em dashes, binary contrast filler ("not X but Y"), stock transitions ("Let's dive in"), and parallel lists are common AI-tells. IG editorial discipline removes them.
A product whose unit of value is the buyer's ability to see what the seller is doing in real time, rather than a quarterly status email. Beat is an IG visibility product. Concept developed in /the-shift/visibility-products/.