Introduction
This document offers insight into the Creative review process and what ad content may be promoted on the OddBytes Platform. All Creatives are reviewed on an individual basis and are subject to rejection at OddBytes’ discretion.
Please Note: All Compliance Policies are subject to change at OddBytes' discretion.
Creative Review Process
All Creatives that are submitted to the OddBytes Platform are subject to review by the OddBytes' Compliance Team. The Compliance Team typically reviews a Creative within a 24 business hour time frame, but there may be ads that require additional time to review.
All Creatives are reviewed in the order that they are received, which may affect turnaround times for the review process.
If your Creative has been under review for more than 24 business hours, please contact your account representative for assistance.
Please note: All Active Creatives are periodically reviewed to ensure each continues to comply with the OddBytes' editorial policies.
How Creatives are Reviewed
The Compliance Team will review your Creative based on both ad content and technical functions. Creatives will show the status of 'Awaiting Approval' while the Compliance Team reviews the creative. If the Creative complies with our editorial policies, the Creative status will change from 'Awaiting Approval' to 'Active', making it eligible to start receiving traffic.
If you’d like to be notified when your Creative goes live, you can learn about setting up Alert Subscriptions here.
Display Review Process: The Compliance Team will review your landing page and any additional web pages in the user path to ensure that the ad content is compliant with OddBytes' Policies. Your Creative may be rejected if your landing page or any other pages within the user path are not functional and/or do not comply with policies.
Lightbox Review Process: The Compliance Team will review your Lightbox ad copy, image, branding/logo and CTA button to ensure that your ad complies with OddBytes' Policies. The Compliance Team will also review your landing page and any additional web pages in the user path. Your Creative may be rejected if your Lightbox, landing page or any other pages within the user path are not functional and/or do not comply with policies.
Textlink and Push Ad Review Process: The Compliance Team will review your ad's copy, image, description and branding to ensure that your ad complies with OddBytes' Policies. The Compliance Team will also review your landing page and any additional web pages in the user path. Your Creative may be rejected if your ad copy, landing page or any other pages within the user path are not functional and/or do not comply with policies.
Antivirus Review Process (All Ad Units): All URLs (Creative URL, redirect URL(s), final landing page URL and second page in the flow following the landing page) go through review to check for any antivirus (AV) flag(s). AV reviews are done every time a Creative is submitted for review or re-review and periodically while it is actively serving. For additional information about our malware policies, please click here. Additional reviews details are:
An automated review process is performed on every URL in the network to check for malware against antivirus programs. If your Creative is found to be flagged as malware, it will be automatically rejected and a manual review will be performed. If it was falsely flagged, the Creative be will be activated. If a flag is present, the Creative will be re-rejected with additional information so that the flag(s) can be resolved.
If all or the majority if your account's Creatives are found to be flagged, your account may be paused rather than reject each individual Creative. If this occurs, you will be informed of the account pause so that work can be done to resolve the issue(s). Once the Creatives' issues have been resolved, please contact your Account Representative for a compliance review.
Please note: If your Creative's offer falls under 'Restricted' content, as listed below, there may be a delay in its approval turnaround time. This is due to the extra time necessary for testing or additional review.
Modifying Active Creatives
All Creatives will be sent through the review process again if the Creative URL, Ad Copy and/or Image is updated while the Creative is active in the network.
Modifying a Landing Page after the Creative has been approved without changing the Creative URL (updating the page on the back-end) is prohibited. Repeat offenses may result in account suspension.
Please note: Your Creative will not serve while it has an 'Awaiting Update' status. Once the Compliance Team has reviewed the change(s) and the Creative is approved, the Creative status will be switched back to 'Active' and your creative will start receiving traffic.
Creative Rejection
This section of OddBytes' Compliance Policies will detail common rejection reasons and steps you can take if your Creative is rejected.
How to View Rejection Comments
There are two ways that you can view creative rejection comments while logged into your OddBytes account:
Rejection Comments via Creative Settings: After logging into the account, go to "Manage Creatives" and click the pencil icon next to the rejected creative. Once done, the Creative settings will appear with the rejection comment displayed at the top of the window.
Example: https://www.screencast.com/t/wTMNnzDJXbQRejection Comments via Creative Status Icon: After logging into the account, go to "Manage Creatives" and hover your mouse over the rejection icon. Please allow a few seconds for the rejection comment to load.
Example: https://www.screencast.com/t/1vCe4DE8v
Common Reasons for Rejection
Creative Appearance
OddBytes does not allow Display, Lightbox and/or Push Ad Creatives to be of an unprofessional design. For more information about specific guidelines related to Creative appearance, please click here.Misleading/Deceptive Language or Imagery
OddBytes does not allow Creatives to use misleading or deceptive headlines, ad copy or imagery. If a Lightbox or Push Ad is being used as the ad unit, the landing page must also follow the below guidelines. For more information about specific guidelines related to misleading tactics, please click here.Malware Detection
OddBytes does not allow the promotion of any URLs that have anti-virus detection on your Creative URL, redirect URL(s) or final landing page URL. If your link is flagged and rejected, there are three approaches that you can take to have your Creative approved:Submit a false-positive review to the anti-virus company or analytic tool that has made the detection. Once there is confirmation that the false-positive has been removed from the link, you may resubmit your Creative for review. For more assistance with submitting a false positive, please click here.
Switch out the current link which contains the detection for a new link without any detections. Once you have made the necessary update, you may resubmit your Creative for review.
Utilize OddBytes' Backup URL feature and switch to a new Creative URL that is not flagged. The Backup URL must also be compliant and free of flags. For more information about the Backup URL, please click here.
Resubmitting a Creative for Approval
There are two ways to resubmit a rejected creative for review:
Resubmit the Creative for Review in the OddBytes Platform: Once your Creative has been modified to meet OddBytes' policies, you can resubmit the Creative for review by changing the Creative status from 'Rejected' to 'Active'.
Contact Your Account Representative: If your Creative has been updated to comply with policies but continues to be rejected after resubmitting for approval, please contact your account representative for assistance.
Editorial Policies
Restricted Content
This section outlines the content that may be promoted with certain restrictions in place.
Please note: The offers listed below must also comply with OddBytes' standard Editorial policies.
Every Creative is reviewed on an individual basis. OddBytes reserves the right to reject any creatives at our own discretion.
Alcohol: Alcohol offers must comply with state and federal laws.
CBD: Offers selling products containing CBD are allowed, as long as all products contain <0.3% of THC and the concentration can be verified by the brand's lab tests.
Please note:
If the offer also sells vape juice (with nicotine) or hemp flower products, it will be rejected.
All offers must contain lab test results to verify THC level(s).
Celebrity Endorsements: Legitimate and verifiable celebrity endorsements are allowed. Any Creative that promotes fraudulent celebrity endorsements will be rejected.
Cryptocurrency: Select cryptocurrency trading platforms are allowed. Offers that intend to educate consumers on how to trade cryptocurrency are also allowed.
Browser Extensions: Select browser extensions are allowed with pre-approval. Please reach out to your account representative for more details.
Gambling: All gambling offers require pre-approval by OddBytes’ legal department. The legal department may make determinations on what states a gambling offer may be promoted in.
Loans: Loan offers are not allowed to use Keyword or URL targeting for the word (or variations of) ‘payday.’ Cash advance offers cannot feature the term ‘payday’ on the creative.
Male Enhancement: Male enhancement offers may be promoted from specific companies/websites that are pre-approved by the OddBytes Compliance Team. If approved, the Creative may not use overtly sexual imagery and/or copy.
Political and Social Issues: Offers and/or ads that promote a clear bias in political, social or economic issues are not allowed.
Prescription Products and Online Pharmacies: Select prescriptions and online pharmacies are allowed with regards to local, state and federal laws.
Push Notifications: Push notifications are allowed, but the notifications must specifically relate to the original offer in which they are provided.
Sports Betting: Sports betting offers are allowed, but state restrictions may apply. It is recommended that you verify state restrictions with your offer provider.
Testosterone Boosters: Testosterone booster ads may not be overtly sexual in imagery and/or copy.
Please note: If your Creative's offer is considered 'Restricted' content, there may be a delay in its approval turnaround time. This is due to the extra time necessary for testing or additional review.
Prohibited Content
This section of OddBytes’ Editorial Policies outlines the content that is strictly prohibited from being promoted in the network.
Promoting prohibited content may result in permanent account suspension.
Please reach out to your account representative if you have any questions about what OddBytes may consider prohibited content.
Adult Content: Pornographic imagery, hook up websites or explicitly sexual imagery.
Anti-Virus Products: Including, but not limited to, software downloads or purchased products.
Dangerous Products: Including, but not limited to, guns, ammunition, weapon enhancement accessories, or anything that promotes harm.
Kratom: Kratom tree, flowers or other products containing Kratom.
Malware: Including, but not limited to, trojan horse, spyware, phishing or any computer virus.
Tech Support: Including, but not limited to, computer/printer support, products for computer clean up, driver support or remote computer support.
Tobacco Products: Tobacco or vape juice (e-juice).
Please note: This does not include smoking paraphernalia such as pipes and vape devices.
VPNs & Proxy Servers: Including, but not limited to, software downloads or purchased products that enable a user's access to a virtual private network (VPN) or proxy server.
Prohibited Ad Practices
This section of OddBytes’ Editorial Policies outlines the ad practices that are prohibited from being promoted in the network.
Additional Tabs/Windows: Interaction with the landing page (for example, clicking a Call to Action Button) which triggers additional tab(s) and/or window(s) to open.
Auto-Play Audio: Sound or video audio that auto-plays at the time the ad is served, without user interaction being required to start.
Entry/Exit Pops: Additional pops which prevent the landing page loading or being the tab being closed.
Landing page exit pops are allowed for Lightbox and Push Ads.
Overlapping Content: Content (ad copy, imagery, etc.) which overlaps on itself, so that part of the Creative is hidden.
Excessive Amount of URL Redirects: Creative URL which contains eight or more redirects
Site Functionality Issues: Links which are not clickable, images which do not load, Call to Action buttons which do not work, etc.
All aspects of a landing page much function, display, load, etc. as is represented.
Splash Page/Interstitial: The use of a splash page/interstitial before the offer landing page is prohibited for the Credit Report/Score vertical. All creatives within this vertical must use the offer's direct landing page.
Visitor/Annual Surveys: Included, but not limited to, visitor, website, or annual “survey”.
Surveys being presented by a reputable survey company, like Survey Monkey or Opinion Outpost, or a website directly are allowed.
Account Suspension
Please note that the promotion of prohibited content, landing page modification (without pre-approval) or multiple policy violations (including multiple AV flags) may result in permanent account suspension. Please contact your Account Representative for any questions.
Account Pause
If all or the majority if your account's Creatives are found to be non-compliant, like if they are flagged as malicious by an anti-virus company, OddBytes may proactively pause the account rather than reject each individual Creative. This will allow for a quicker "rejection" and review process to resume the account if/when the Creatives have been fixed. If this happens, you will be informed of the account pause so that work can be done to resolve the issue(s). Once the Creatives' issues have been resolved, please contact your Account Representative for a compliance review.
FAQ
For more information about editorial guidelines and compliance, please click here.