Sorry Bro, This Is a Brand-Safe Environment ✋

Hey smartclippers,

If there’s one thing we know about clubbing (you remember… that late night activity where strangers gathered, danced, and breathed the same unfiltered air?), it’s that if you are not on your best behaviour, then bouncers have every right to stop you from entering the venue. It might seem harsh, but it’s all about safety. 

Well, today we’re taking a monumental step by adding a new self-service UI that allows our publishers and broadcasters to be bouncers of their own club. That’s right, we’re taking brand protection to the next level — raise the roof 🙌!

Creative Approval 🖼️👌

Media owners can now review creatives before they are served on their inventory with the new Creative Approval UI! In this self-service UI, publishers can approve and reject the advertisements that run on their inventory, giving them more granular control to protect their brand and improve user experience. Please note that Creative Approval must be activated internally and is only recommended for publishers who require this feature for their business model.

Creative Approval provides more control when blocking ads by IAB category or URL does not provide enough specificity. This can be especially important for sensitive brands that have strict rules as to what can be shown on their sites. 

If Creative Approval is activated for a publisher, the Creative Approval Sync will send creatives from the Owner Marketplaces to flow through the new UI for publishers to review the creatives and decide which should be served against their inventory. Publishers must decide whether they will operate in Blocking Mode or Approval Mode. 

Blocking Mode vs. Approval Mode 

In Blocking Mode, publishers may review and block any creative they do not want to be served on their supply. All eligible demand is allowed to serve by default, with the option to block any creative that does not meet their brand specifications.

In Approval Mode, publishers must review all creatives before they run against their inventory. This mode is only ideal for publishers with strict brand regulations. There must be a dedicated employee that is able to review all ads from the publisher side as this mode can restrict revenue if there is not enough demand to serve.

Publishers have the option of enabling Creative Approval for all their inventory or their programmatic deals and direct campaigns separately. For example, it’s possible to have Approval Mode enabled for programmatic deals and Blocking Mode for direct campaigns.

Creative Approval Notifications

Publishers will be notified via an email notification when new creatives have been added to the approval process. Please note that at least one approval contact must be added to the publisher setup for the notification to be sent.

If a creative is blocked, campaign managers will receive an email notification as long as the campaign or deal is enabled for approval notifications. You can set this up in the smartx platform under the Basic tab of campaign setup.

Yours in smartx updates and keepin’ our pubs safe ,

smartclip Product Marketing Team