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Campaign Approval & Policy
Campaign Approval & Policy

What is the approval process for campaigns and targeting? What advertiser categories and campaign types are prohibited?

Mike Hauptman avatar
Written by Mike Hauptman
Updated over a year ago

The Campaign Approval Process

Campaigns that are submitted to AdLib will be marked as 'Under Review' until they complete the scanning and approval process. 

**Please note that accounts must have a connected and active payment method in order for campaigns to be eligible for review.**

  • For new advertisers and campaigns with 3rd party ad tags, this process may take 72 hours or more.

  • For existing advertisers with AdLib-served ads, this process typically takes less than 24 hours.

This process includes:

  • Prohibited Targeting Audit

  • Technical Validation (accurate dates, target audience available, creatives assigned, etc) 

  • Budget & Bid Validation (campaign budgets and bids are appropriate for the objective)

  • Content classification (industry, advertiser, appropriate imagery, etc)

Prohibited Campaign Categories

Adult: Creatives that depicts, contains, or provides access to pornography, nudity, obscenity, and other adult or risqué material are prohibited. Ads for sex-related products and services and male enhancement products are included in this category.

Alcohol: Campaigns and/or creatives that promote alcohol or alcoholic beverages are restricted by region and may only be targeted to users that (i) reside in a jurisdiction where alcohol advertising is permitted, and (ii) are of the legal age to purchase alcohol within that jurisdiction. Alcohol-related Creative must not be designed, or appear to be designed, to appeal to underage purchasers. 

Buying Power: You may not target campaigns on the basis of negative aspects of that user’s financial status. Examples of prohibited practices include targeting: 

  • Credit card Creatives to users on the basis of their low credit ratings

  • Debt consolidation services Creatives to users with high debt loads

  • Legal service Creatives to users on the basis of financial information showing that they are at a higher risk of bankruptcy

  • You are also not permitted to use data collected from IBA, CAA, or Retargeting to determine a user’s credit eligibility. 

Children: In connection with your use of the Service, you may not: 

  • Serve Creatives on Child-Directed Digital Properties

  • Target an Ad based on the prior online activity of a user of Child-Directed Digital Properties

  • Create segments that target or are intended to target Children 

Criminal Actions: You may not target campaigns on the basis of knowledge or inference of the user’s commission or alleged commission of any crime, such as information indicating that a user has a criminal record. 

Cryptocurrency: Promoting, directly or indirectly, Cryptocurrencies, ICOs, ETFs, Tokens, NFTs, or Exchanges of any kind.

Gambling: Promoting, directly or indirectly, gambling, gaming, betting, or wagering of any kind.

Health: Health-related advertising (advertising health-related products and services or targeting advertisements based on health-related data) is highly regulated by government and industry.

Investment Opportunities: Promoting, directly or indirectly, Investment Opportunities, Stocks, IPOs, ETFs, Equities, or Private Placements of any kind.

Location: Sanctioned Jurisdictions - AdLib clients may not serve ads or activate campaigns in any jurisdictions where sanctions imposed by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) would prohibit such advertising. At the time of the publication of this Targeting Policy, that list, which OFAC may update from time to time, includes: Crimea Cuba Iran North Korea Sudan Syria 

Political Affiliation or Beliefs: Campaigns targeted and related to a user’s political affiliation or beliefs, Creatives that promote: (i) political figures, opinions, or issues, 

Race & Ethnicity: In the US, you may serve IBA, CAA, Retargeting, or User-Matched campaigns to users on the basis of their known or inferred race or ethnic origin. In the European Union, you may not serve such Creatives to users. 

Religion: In the US, you may serve IBA, CAA, Retargeting, or User-Matched campaigns to users on the basis of their known or inferred religion or religious beliefs. In the European Union, you may not serve such Creatives to users. 

Sexual Orientation: You are not permitted to target IBA, CAA, Retargeting, or User-Matched campaigns to users based on their known or inferred sexual orientation, including indirect inference (e.g., donations to LGBT advocacy groups), without their specific opt-in consent. AdLib must review and approve your consent mechanism before you may target such Ads. 

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