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CREATIVE NO NO's

Prohibited Content :

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  • Misappropriation of Copyright/Trademark/Patent

    • Using a well-known brand’s logo (e.g., Nike or Apple) without permission to advertise an unrelated product or service.

  • Weapons, Bombs, and Ammunition

    • Ads that promote online shops selling guns, ammunition, or other weaponry.

    • Ads offering instructions on how to create bombs, explosives, or firearms.

  • Illegal Drugs and Drug Paraphernalia

    • Promoting the sale of prescription drugs without a valid prescription.

    • Selling drug paraphernalia such as bongs, pipes, and rolling papers (if promoting illegal drug use).

    • Sites that promote marijuana culture, including investment opportunities or career paths tied to illegal marijuana use.

  • Pornography and Adult Content

    • Ads that contain explicit sexual imagery, including nudity in a non-artistic context.

    • Websites offering escort services, adult content, or explicit materials for sale.

    • Promotions for sexual enhancement products or adult-themed services.

  • Fake Errors or Warnings

    • Pop-ups that imitate operating system alerts (e.g., “Your computer has a virus!”) to get users to click on an ad.

    • Ads that appear as if they are part of the device’s built-in user interface, such as system warning boxes that aren’t real.

  • Deceptive Content

    • A creative uses a “Play Now” button that doesn’t work or links to a website without any content.

    • Ads that claim a user has won a prize or is a certain visitor number (e.g., "You are the 1,000,000th visitor!").

    • Fake download buttons that lead to irrelevant content or websites that don’t deliver on the promise.

  • Piracy

    • Ads for sites that offer free downloads of pirated movies, music, or e-books.

    • Services promoting or providing access to illegal streaming content, such as unauthorized movie streaming websites.

    • File-sharing services offering access to illegal content without a proper takedown policy.

  • Charging for Government Services

    • Sites that charge users for access to government forms, such as visa applications or tax documents, when they are freely available.

    • Ads offering services to bypass public systems, such as paying for fake driver’s licenses or fraudulent documentation.

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Disapproval Reasons:

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  • Brand Mismatch

    • A creative for "Brand A" uses a landing page for "Brand B" or a competitor’s website.

    • A creative displays a product from one company but redirects to a completely unrelated brand for purchasing.

  • Incorrect Tag Size

    • An ad declared as 300x250 in the interface is actually 728x90 when displayed.

    • A creative tag for a large banner ad (e.g., 1600x600) is incorrectly labeled as a standard banner size (e.g., 300x250).

  • Download Prompts

    • Ads that ask users to download executable files (.exe, .zip) directly after clicking on the ad.

    • Landing pages that automatically trigger a download prompt (e.g., software updates or app installations without user consent).

  • No Assigned Landing Page

    • A banner ad appears, but when clicked, there’s no destination URL or the landing page is broken (404 error).

    • Ads that do not link to any page at all, causing confusion or incomplete redirects.

  • Auto-Refreshing Creative

    • An ad that refreshes every few seconds, showing the same or similar content multiple times in a single session.

    • A video ad that restarts automatically without user input, causing multiple view impressions for the same session.

  • Creative Clicks Through in Same Window

    • An ad that opens a landing page in the same browser window, replacing the current content.

    • A creative that opens an entirely new page but loads it inside an iframe, within the same window.

  • Creative Does Not Click Through Properly

    • Clicking on the creative results in an error message, such as "404 – Page Not Found."

    • Clicking on an ad opens multiple unrelated tabs or windows simultaneously.

    • Ads that open a landing page but fail to load any meaningful content (e.g., just a blank page).

  • Improper Brand Rotation

    • A creative ad displays products from multiple brands in a single rotation, which confuses the brand identity.

    • Video ads that have a different brand for the pre-roll (e.g., an ad for Brand X, but the pre-roll is for Brand Y).

  • No Clear Brand Displayed

    • Ads that don’t show any visible brand name or logo, or they only have a generic logo that doesn’t match the landing page.

    • A creative displays a brand name in a tiny font that is hard to read, or uses a brand name that is too generic and doesn’t stand out.

  • Prohibited Content in Creative

    • An ad that promotes violent content, such as gruesome images or offensive language.

    • Ads that link to online pharmacies selling prescription drugs without requiring a prescription, or promoting illegal substances.

    • Content that includes hate speech, racial slurs, or other forms of offensive language or imagery.

  • Creative Is Blank

    • A creative fails to display properly, appearing blank on various devices due to a technical issue.

    • Creative content is missing due to incorrect encoding or a server issue preventing it from being served.

  • Does Not Meet Minimum Standards

    • A creative that’s entirely composed of text and lacks visual appeal or proper design.

    • Ads that don’t display properly on mobile devices or older operating systems.

  • Creative Does Not Display Properly

    • An ad’s branding is cropped or cut off, making it hard for users to identify the brand.

    • An ad that flashes or disappears too quickly, not allowing users enough time to see or interact with the content.

    • A creative that displays irrelevant or extraneous text, such as a “text tail” that looks unprofessional.

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These additional examples should help clarify the kinds of issues that can result in content being disapproved, and provide a better understanding of how to resolve them.

PO Box 320222

9575 Brenwood Park Drive

Franklin, WI 53132-9998

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