Campaign blocking reasons
Use this guide to understand each blocking reason, identify whether action is required, and determine the appropriate troubleshooting steps.
| rank | category | sub_category | Explanation of the sub category | Steps to follow | Recommendations |
| 1 | Auto-optimisation | of placements | A filter applied automatically by the platform's optimisation engine that excludes specific ad placements that have failed to meet the performance thresholds defined in the campaign's primary and secondary objective settings. The engine actively tests placements by bidding on them to gather performance data - if a placement does not meet the configured objective values (such as a target CPC, viewability rate), the system stops bidding on it automatically, concentrating future spend only on placements that demonstrably meet the required performance standards. | Review the primary and secondary objective values configured in the campaign - confirm they are realistic and achievable relative to current market |
Allow some time for the algorithm to learn. If objective values are set too aggressively, adjust them to more achievable thresholds that reflect realistic market performance benchmarks - this will slow the exclusion rate and preserve a broader eligible placement pool. |
| 2 | Targeting | app bundle/site domain package (include) | A filter that restricts ad delivery exclusively to a curated whitelist of specific app bundle IDs or site domains defined in an inclusion package applied to the campaign. Only bid requests originating from apps or sites present on that whitelist are eligible for bidding - all other inventory is filtered out before bidding, regardless of how well it matches all other targeting criteria. | Review the inclusion package to assess the number of app bundle IDs and site domains currently whitelisted and whether the list is broad enough to support delivery targets. | Regularly refresh and expand the inclusion package with new high-performing or contextually relevant apps and sites, using ongoing performance data to identify strong candidates for addition. |
| 3 | Targeting | City/State | Bid requests are blocked because the city or state targeting in the campaign doesn't match the user's location in the bid request. | Double-check geo targeting settings - ensure correct cities/states are selected. | If reach is low, consider expanding to regional or country-level targeting. |
| 4 | Bid is too low | CPM bid is lower than the floor price set by the publisher or exchange, so the bid is rejected. | Check the current bid vs. average floor prices in the campaign report. Increase CPM if needed. | Simplify the click URL structure where possible — reducing the number of redirect layers in the click tracking chain decreases the risk of triggering publisher-side URL validation rules and improves compatibility with Doubleclick's URL scanning and policy. | |
| 5 | Targeting | device type | A filter that restricts ad delivery to traffic originating from specific device types defined in the campaign's targeting settings - such as smartphones, tablets, desktop computers, or connected TVs (CTV). When a bid request is identified as originating from a device type not included in the campaign's allowed list, it is filtered out before bidding regardless of how well it matches all other targeting criteria. | Review the campaign's device type targeting configuration to confirm the inclusion list is intentional and aligned with the campaign's creative formats and audience strategy. | Expand the device type inclusion list where creatives and campaign objectives allow, to capture a broader share of available inventory across device categories and improve delivery scale. |
| 6 | Filtering | App/Site category (exclude) | A filter that blocks ad delivery on inventory belonging to specific content categories that have been explicitly blacklisted in the campaign's targeting settings. When a bid request originates from an app or site classified under an excluded category, it is filtered out before bidding - regardless of how well it matches all other targeting criteria | Review the full list of excluded categories to confirm each exclusion is intentional and strategically justified for the campaign's specific objectives. | Avoid overly broad category exclusions. Only exclude categories genuinely irrelevant or risky for the brand. Consider using whitelists instead for more controlled brand safety management. If a specific package needs to bypass category exclusions, use the 'Disable App/Site category exclusion' option in the campaign edit page for that package. |
| 7 | Auto-optimisation | of apps/sites (exclude) | A filter applied automatically by the platform's optimisation engine that identifies and excludes specific apps and sites that have failed to meet the performance thresholds defined in the campaign's primary and secondary objective settings. The engine actively tests apps and sites by bidding on them to gather performance data - if an app or site does not meet the configured objective values, the system stops bidding on it automatically, concentrating future spend only on publishers that demonstrably meet the required performance standards. | Review the primary and secondary objective values configured in the campaign - confirm they are realistic and achievable relative to current market benchmarks and available inventory quality. | If key inventory is being excluded, manually whitelist it or adjust the auto-optimisation sensitivity. If auto-optimisation is excluding critical inventory within a specific package, use the 'Disable auto optimisation' option for that package in the campaign edit page. |
| 8 | Filtering | creative size | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the campaign's creative dimensions do not match the ad slot dimensions declared by the publisher in the bid request. Publishers define the specific creative sizes their ad slots are designed to accommodate - such as 300x250, 728x90, or 320x50 - and when the campaign's active creative does not match any of the accepted sizes for that slot, the bid request is filtered out before bidding to prevent rendering failures or distorted ad displays. | Review the creative sizes currently active on the campaign and compare them against the most common ad slot dimensions available in the target market and exchange mix. | Prioritise producing creatives in the highest-volume sizes for the target market - in mobile-dominant markets this typically means 320x50, 300x250, and 320x480, while desktop inventory commonly favours 728x90, 300x250, and 160x600. |
| 9 | Filtering | IAB category | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the campaign's declared IAB content category is not accepted by the publisher or exchange receiving the bid request. IAB categories are a standardised taxonomy used across the programmatic ecosystem to classify both advertiser content and publisher inventory - publishers and exchanges declare which IAB categories they permit to serve on their inventory, and when the campaign's creative category falls outside those permitted classifications, the bid request is filtered out before bidding. | Review the IAB categories currently declared on the campaign's creative to confirm they are accurate, specific, and appropriate for the advertised product or service. | Review and update the campaign's IAB category classification to ensure it is as accurate and specific as possible - using a precise subcategory rather than a broad parent category can reduce filtering on publishers that block the parent category but accept more specific classifications within it. Where sensitive IAB categories are unavoidable due to the nature of the advertised product, identify and prioritise exchanges and publishers that explicitly accept those categories, and focus delivery on those supply sources. |
| 10 | Targeting | device model; SEC/LSM (include) | A filter that restricts ad delivery exclusively to users belonging to specific Socio-Economic Class (SEC) or Living Standard Measure (LSM) segments defined in the campaign's targeting settings. SEC and LSM are audience classification frameworks that group users into tiers based on indicators of income level, lifestyle, purchasing power, and living standards. When a bid request is associated with a user who does not fall within the campaign's allowed SEC or LSM segments, it is filtered out before bidding regardless of how well it matches all other targeting criteria. | Review the SEC or LSM segments currently included in the campaign to confirm the selection is appropriately broad and aligned with the realistic target audience size for the campaign's objectives. | If delivery is constrained by the narrowness of the SEC or LSM inclusion list, consider expanding the targeted segments to include adjacent socio-economic tiers with similar audience characteristics and purchasing behaviour profiles. |
| 11 | Targeting | device OS | A filter that restricts ad delivery to traffic originating from devices running specific operating systems defined in the campaign's targeting settings - such as Android, iOS, Windows, or macOS. When a bid request is identified as originating from a device running an OS not included in the campaign's allowed list, it is filtered out before bidding regardless of how well it matches all other targeting criteria. | Review the campaign's OS targeting configuration to confirm the inclusion list is intentional and aligned with the campaign's technical requirements and audience strategy. | Where the OS restriction is driven by app availability or technical compatibility, ensure the inclusion list reflects the exact OS versions supported by the app or creative, neither over-restricting nor under-restricting eligible traffic. |
| 12 | Targeting | audiences (include/exclude) | A filter that restricts or blocks ad delivery based on whether the user associated with a bid request belongs to a defined audience segment that has been either whitelisted (include) or blacklisted (exclude) in the campaign's targeting settings. Audience segments can be built from first-party data, third-party data providers, behavioral signals, retargeting lists, or platform-generated segments. When a bid request is associated with a user who does not match an included segment - or who does match an excluded segment - it is filtered out before bidding. | Review all audience inclusion and exclusion lists applied to the campaign to confirm each segment is intentional, up to date, and aligned with the campaign's current targeting strategy. | For inclusion targeting, regularly validate audience segment sizes and match rates across active exchanges — if a segment is too small or has a low match rate, consider expanding it with lookalike modeling, broadening the segment definition, or supplementing with additional complementary segments. |
| 13 | Targeting | Brand Blueprint | Brand Blueprint targeting is restricting delivery — bids are blocked because inventory doesn't meet the defined brand context criteria. | Go to contextual.eskimi.com and check the Brand Blueprint attached to the campaign. Use the Relevance Engine to test the blueprint against sample URLs from the target country to understand what is being matched or excluded. | If delivery is too low, review the blueprint prompt — it may be too restrictive. Use the Relevance Engine to analyze why certain URLs are not matching and adjust the prompt accordingly. Make sure the blueprint has been tested before campaign launch. |
| 14 | Targeting | app bundle/site domain package (exclude) | A filter that blocks ad delivery on specific apps and sites whose bundle IDs or domain addresses have been explicitly blacklisted in an exclusion package applied to the campaign. When a bid request originates from an app or site present on the exclusion package, it is filtered out before bidding - regardless of how well it matches all other targeting criteria. | Review all exclusion packages currently applied to the campaign - including those inherited from account or advertiser level - to assess the total number of blacklisted app bundle IDs and site domains. | Regularly audit all active exclusion packages to remove entries that are outdated, no longer strategically justified, or based on performance data from significantly different campaign conditions - keeping exclusion lists lean and current reduces unnecessary inventory loss. |
| 15 | Targeting | behavioural audience (include) | A filter that restricts ad delivery exclusively to users who have been classified within specific behavioural audience segments defined in the campaign's targeting settings. Behavioural audiences are built from observed user activity signals - such as browsing history, app usage patterns, content consumption behaviour, search intent, and past purchase activity - and grouped into segments that indicate particular interests, intentions, or lifestyle characteristics. When a bid request is associated with a user who does not match any of the campaign's included behavioural segments, it is filtered out before bidding regardless of how well it aligns with all other targeting criteria. | Review the behavioural audience segments currently included in the campaign to confirm each segment is relevant, sufficiently sized, and aligned with the campaign's audience strategy and performance objectives. | If behavioural segment match rates are low across the exchange mix, evaluate whether expanding to additional complementary segments - such as broader interest categories or lookalike audiences derived from the core behavioural segment - can recover scale while maintaining audience relevance. |
| 16 | Filtering | anti-fraud | Inventory is filtered out by Eskimi's internal anti-fraud system. This includes excluding users with unusually high daily app/site counts or page views, fake clickers, domain spoofers, and ads.txt mismatches — all indicating potentially fraudulent or non-genuine traffic. | Check the anti-fraud settings and review which specific anti-fraud options are enabled to understand what's being filtered. | Do not disable anti-fraud settings to increase delivery - this would compromise campaign quality. If a specific legitimate publisher is being blocked, investigate whether it's an ads.txt mismatch or domain spoofing issue separately. |
| 17 | Pacing | throttling request | When Even pacing is selected, the system distributes the daily budget evenly throughout the day. If too much traffic comes in at once, the system starts skipping some bid requests to prevent overspending — these skipped requests are registered as pacing throttling. | Check the pacing settings in the campaign. Verify whether Even or ASAP pacing is selected and review the daily budget amount. | If under-delivery is a concern, consider switching to ASAP pacing. However, be cautious with low daily budgets as ASAP pacing may cause overspending. If Even pacing is intentional, throttling is expected behaviour and not necessarily a problem. |
| 18 | Anti-fraud | high apps/sites count | A user's daily app/site count has exceeded Eskimi's predefined threshold, which is a common signal of bot or non-genuine traffic. | This is triggered by Eskimi's internal anti-fraud system. Check if 'Exclude Users with High Daily Apps/Sites Count' is enabled on the campaign approval page. | This is expected behaviour for fraud protection. Flag recurring sources for review. |
| 19 | Targeting | environment (apps/sites) | Bid requests are blocked because the inventory environment (app vs. mobile web vs. desktop web) doesn't match the targeting. | Check environment targeting settings in the campaign. | Ensure app and/or site environments are correctly selected based on campaign strategy. |
| 20 | Targeting | site contextual based on keywords | Bid requests are blocked because the site's URL or page content doesn't contain any of the keywords from the campaign's keyword targeting list. | Check the keyword list attached to the campaign. Verify whether URL keyword matching, content matching, or both are enabled. Also confirm that app traffic is excluded — contextual keyword targeting only works on site inventory, not apps. | If reach is too low, consider broadening the keyword list or switching from Exact Word to Contains Type match. Avoid overly short or generic keywords as they can cause unintended broad matching. Make sure the campaign is running on sites only, not apps. |
| 21 | Targeting | device browser | This filter restricts ad delivery to traffic coming from specific web browsers (e.g. Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Samsung Internet, UC Browser). When a campaign has browser targeting configured, bid requests from browsers not included in the target list are filtered out before bidding. | Review the campaign's browser targeting configuration to confirm the inclusion list is intentional and aligned with the campaign's technical requirements and audience strategy. | Unless browser targeting is strategically required, consider removing this restriction. |
| 22 | Targeting | app/site ID package (exclude) | This filter blocks ad delivery on specific apps or websites that have been explicitly added to an exclusion package. A package is a curated list of app/site IDs — when a bid request comes from any inventory source included in that exclusion package, it is filtered out and no bid is submitted. | Review the app/site ID exclusion package. | Review the list to ensure no valuable inventory is incorrectly excluded. |
| 23 | Filtering | App/Site category (include) | This filter restricts ad delivery to inventory that belongs to specific content categories (e.g. Sports, News, Entertainment, Finance). When a campaign has category inclusion targeting configured, bid requests from apps or sites that do not match any of the allowed categories are filtered out before bidding. | Review all exclusion packages currently applied to the campaign — including those inherited from account or advertiser level — to assess the total scope of blacklisted apps and sites. | Regularly audit all active exclusion packages to remove entries that are outdated, no longer strategically justified, or based on performance data from significantly different campaign conditions — keeping exclusion lists lean and current reduces unnecessary inventory loss. |
| 24 | Targeting | Video rewarded placement | This filter restricts ad delivery based on whether the video placement is of the rewarded type. Rewarded video is a specific ad format - typically used in mobile gaming apps - where the user opts in to watch a full video ad in exchange for an in-app reward (e.g. extra lives, coins, or premium content). When a campaign does not support or include rewarded placements, bid requests from these environments are filtered out before bidding. | Review the campaign's rewarded placement targeting configuration to confirm the inclusion or exclusion setting is intentional and aligned with the campaign's creative format and KPI strategy. | If rewarded placements are currently excluded, evaluate whether including them could unlock meaningful additional inventory scale — particularly for mobile campaigns operating in gaming-heavy markets where rewarded is the dominant video format. |
| 25 | Filtering | user bid capping | This filter limits how many times a single user can be shown an ad within a defined time period. When a campaign has frequency capping configured at the bidding level, bid requests from users who have already reached their impression cap are filtered out before bidding — even if the request is otherwise fully eligible. | Review the user bid cap configuration — confirm the cap threshold and time window are appropriately calibrated for the campaign's audience size and delivery targets. | Adjust the bid cap if under-delivery is an issue. Be careful not to confuse bid capping with impression capping — both affect delivery but at different stages. |
| 26 | Targeting | site brand-safety | This filter restricts ad delivery to inventory that meets defined brand safety standards. When a campaign has brand safety targeting configured, bid requests from apps or sites that are flagged as unsafe or do not meet the required safety thresholds are filtered out before bidding - protecting the advertiser's brand from appearing alongside harmful, inappropriate, or low-quality content. | Review the brand safety targeting configuration to confirm the safety thresholds and content restrictions are appropriately calibrated for the campaign's specific context and risk tolerance. | Regularly review and calibrate brand safety thresholds to ensure they reflect the campaign's actual risk tolerance — overly conservative settings applied uniformly across all campaigns can unnecessarily restrict inventory access for campaigns where a more relaxed threshold would be appropriate. |
| 27 | Targeting | operator/ISP (exclude) | This filter blocks ad delivery to traffic originating from specific mobile network operators or internet service providers (ISPs) that have been explicitly excluded in the campaign settings. When a bid request is identified as coming from a blacklisted operator or ISP, it is filtered out before bidding - regardless of how well the request matches other targeting criteria. | Review all operator and ISP exclusions currently applied to the campaign — including those inherited from account or advertiser level — to confirm each exclusion is intentional and strategically justified. | Periodically audit all active operator and ISP exclusions to confirm each remains strategically justified — removing exclusions that are outdated, based on stale performance data, or inherited from account-level settings without specific relevance to the current campaign. |
| 28 | Targeting | IP addresses/ranges (include) | This filter restricts ad delivery exclusively to traffic originating from specific IP addresses or defined IP ranges that have been whitelisted in the campaign settings. When a bid request comes from an IP address that falls outside the allowed list or range, it is filtered out before bidding - regardless of how well it matches all other targeting criteria. | Verify the IP addresses applied in the campaign are correct and up to date. | Ensure IP addresses/ranges are not too narrow. |
| 29 | Anti-fraud | high page views | A user's daily page view count has exceeded Eskimi's predefined threshold, indicating potentially non-genuine traffic. | Check if 'Exclude Users with High Daily Page Views' is enabled on the campaign approval page. | Expected behaviour — no action needed. |
| 30 | Filtering | creative is not approved on ad exchange | This filter blocks ad delivery when the campaign's creative has not received approval from the ad exchange on which the bid request originates. Each ad exchange maintains its own creative review and approval process, and only pre-approved creatives are eligible to serve on that exchange. When a bid request comes from an exchange where the creative is pending review or has been rejected, it is filtered out before bidding. | Check the approval status of all active creatives across every exchange connected to the campaign — identify which exchanges have pending, rejected, or expired approvals contributing to filtering. | When updating or replacing creatives mid-flight, initiate the re-review process on all affected exchanges immediately to minimise the approval gap and avoid unnecessary delivery interruption. |
| 31 | Targeting | site contextual | This filter restricts ad delivery based on the contextual classification of the site or app content, ensuring ads appear only in environments whose subject matter or thematic context aligns with the campaign's defined contextual targeting criteria. When a bid request comes from a site or app whose content category does not match the allowed contextual segments, it is filtered out before bidding. | Review the contextual targeting configuration to confirm the allowed topics, keywords, and content classifications are appropriately broad and accurately reflect the campaign's desired content environment. | Expand contextual segments to include related or complementary content topics and categories where the campaign's audience is likely to be present — broadening beyond the most obvious thematic match can meaningfully recover inventory scale without compromising contextual relevance. |
| 32 | Targeting | sentiments | Bid requests are blocked because the page's detected sentiment (positive, negative, neutral) doesn't match the sentiment targeting set in the campaign. | Check sentiment targeting settings in the Contextual Targeting section of the campaign. | Avoid selecting only one sentiment unless strategically necessary — adding Neutral or Unknown can significantly improve reach. |
| 33 | Filtering | no consent for tracking (DNT) | User has opted out of tracking (Do Not Track), and the filtering rules prevent bidding on such users. | This is a compliance-driven filter. | No action needed — this is expected behaviour. |
| 34 | Filtering | no consent for tracking (LMT) | User has Limit Ad Tracking enabled on their device. | This is a compliance-driven filter. | No action needed — this is expected behaviour. |
| 35 | Filtering | impression capping | This filter limits the total number of impressions a single user can receive from a campaign within a defined time period. When a user has already reached their impression cap, all subsequent bid requests from that user are filtered out before bidding - even if the request is otherwise fully eligible across all other targeting criteria. | Review impression capping settings. | Adjust impression frequency cap if reach is too limited. For specific packages where impression capping is causing delivery issues, consider enabling the 'Disable impression capping' option for that package in the campaign edit page. |
| 36 | Auto-optimisation | of visits/sessions | This filter is applied automatically by the platform's optimisation engine, which progressively limits or excludes inventory sources - such as specific apps, sites, exchanges, or audience segments - that have historically failed to drive visits or sessions for the campaign. Rather than a manually configured targeting rule, this is a dynamic, data-driven filter that evolves as the campaign accumulates performance data. This filtering is |
Review the visit or session objective values configured in the campaign — confirm they are realistic and achievable relative to current market benchmarks and the quality of available inventory in the target geography. | Disable visits/sessions auto-optimisation in approval page if delivery is too restricted. |
| 37 | Targeting | language | This filter restricts ad delivery to inventory where the content language of the site or app matches the language or languages defined in the campaign's targeting settings. When a bid request comes from an environment whose declared content language does not align with the campaign's allowed language list, it is filtered out before bidding. | Review the campaign's language targeting configuration to confirm the allowed language list is appropriately comprehensive and aligned with the campaign's creative language and audience strategy. | If traffic is being excluded, consider including all languages - especially unknown - language data is often not sent via bid request. Keep in mind that lanuage targeting applies only on sites, not on apps. |
| 38 | Filtering | creative subtype IBV is not supported | This filter blocks ad delivery when the campaign's creative is of the In-Banner Video (IBV) subtype but the publisher's ad slot or exchange does not declare support for this format. IBV is a video ad that plays within a standard banner ad container rather than a dedicated video player, and not all inventory sources are configured to accept or render it correctly. When a bid request comes from an environment that does not support IBV, it is filtered out before bidding. | Identify which exchanges and publishers are generating the highest volume of IBV compatibility filtering to determine where format support is most limited across the active supply mix. | Always maintain VAST video creatives alongside IBV creatives to capture the broader video inventory pool that does not declare IBV support — ensuring delivery continuity across the full range of available placements rather than restricting the campaign to IBV-compatible inventory only. |
| 39 | Targeting | placement ID package (include) | This filter restricts ad delivery exclusively to a curated set of specific ad placements that have been whitelisted in an inclusion package. A placement ID package is a predefined list of exact ad slot identifiers - unique IDs assigned to individual ad units within apps or sites - and only bid requests originating from placements on that whitelist are eligible for bidding. All other inventory, regardless of how well it matches other targeting criteria, is filtered out before bidding. | Review the placement ID inclusion package to assess the number of whitelisted placement IDs and evaluate whether the list is sufficiently broad to support the campaign's delivery targets at the required pace. | Regularly refresh and expand the inclusion package with new high-performing placement IDs identified through ongoing performance analysis — a static whitelist that is not actively maintained will gradually shrink in effective coverage as placements change or become unavailable. |
| 40 | Doubleclick | creative category is not allowed | This filter blocks ad delivery when the campaign's creative is classified under a content category that is explicitly restricted or not permitted by the publisher, ad exchange, or supply-side platform (SSP) receiving the bid request. Publishers and exchanges maintain their own lists of allowed and blocked creative categories to protect their content environment and comply with their editorial policies - when a creative's declared category conflicts with those restrictions, the bid request is filtered out before bidding. | Check creative category classification. | Re-categorise creative if incorrectly classified, or find publishers that accept the category. |
| 41 | Anti-fraud | domain spoofing | This filter blocks ad delivery on inventory where the declared domain in the bid request does not match the actual domain serving the ad - a fraudulent practice known as domain spoofing. Domain spoofing occurs when a low-quality or non-brand-safe publisher misrepresents their inventory as originating from a premium or reputable domain in order to attract higher bids. The anti-fraud layer detects these mismatches and filters out spoofed bid requests before bidding, protecting campaign budget from being spent on fraudulent inventory. | This is blocked by anti-fraud mechanisms. | No action needed — expected behaviour. Flag if this is disproportionately high for a specific source. |
| 42 | Targeting | ad placement position | This filter restricts ad delivery based on the physical position of the ad unit within the page or app screen. Ad placement position defines where an ad slot appears relative to the content — such as above the fold, below the fold, in the header, footer, or sidebar - and when a campaign has specific placement position targeting configured, bid requests from positions not included in the allowed list are filtered out before bidding. | Check ad placement position targeting in the campaign. Use Stats tool to see which positions are available. | If placement position data is not provided by the publisher, the impression may fall under 'Other' or get excluded entirely. Be sure the selected ad placement positions match the creative sizes. Unless placement position is a strict requirement, it's better to include all options or leave this targeting open to avoid unnecessary delivery loss. |
| 43 | Targeting | operator/ISP (include) | This filter restricts ad delivery exclusively to traffic originating from specific mobile network operators or internet service providers (ISPs) that have been whitelisted in the campaign's targeting settings. When a bid request is identified as coming from an operator or ISP that is not on the allowed list, it is filtered out before bidding - regardless of how well the request matches all other targeting criteria. | Review the operator and ISP inclusion list to confirm each whitelisted network is intentional and strategically justified relative to the campaign's audience and performance objectives. | In markets with fragmented operator landscapes, evaluate whether expanding the inclusion list to cover additional operators with similar audience profiles can recover delivery scale without meaningfully compromising the campaign's network-specific targeting objectives. |
| 44 | Filtering | Video ad max duration exceeded | This filter blocks ad delivery when the campaign's video creative exceeds the maximum video ad duration permitted by the publisher's ad slot or exchange. Publishers define the maximum length of video ads they are willing to accept in their inventory, and when the campaign's creative runtime is longer than that declared limit, the bid request is filtered out before bidding - preventing a creative from being served in an environment that cannot or will not accommodate its full length. | Review the runtime of all active video creatives on the campaign and compare them against the most commonly declared maximum duration thresholds across the target exchange and publisher mix. | Produce and activate multiple creative versions of varying lengths — such as 6-second, 15-second, and 30-second cuts alongside the full-length version — ensuring the campaign can compete for the broadest possible range of video inventory while maintaining message effectiveness across different placement contexts. |
| 45 | Targeting | device brand (include) | This filter restricts ad delivery exclusively to traffic originating from devices manufactured by specific brands that have been whitelisted in the campaign's targeting settings. When a bid request is identified as coming from a device whose manufacturer or brand is not on the allowed list, it is filtered out before bidding - regardless of how well the request matches all other targeting criteria. | Video ad video file type is not supported. | Broaden the list if reach is too low. |
| 46 | Filtering | Video ad video file type is not supported | This filter blocks ad delivery when the video creative's file format or codec is not supported by the publisher's ad slot or exchange receiving the bid request. Publishers and exchanges declare the video file types and encoding formats they are technically capable of rendering, and when the campaign's creative is encoded in a format outside that declared compatibility list, the bid request is filtered out before bidding - preventing a creative from being served in an environment where it cannot play correctly. | Review the video file formats currently active on the campaign and compare them against the most commonly declared supported formats across the target exchange and publisher mix. | Always ensure the video creative is available in MP4 format as the primary file type — MP4 is the most universally accepted video format across the majority of exchanges, publishers, and device environments and should be the baseline creative asset for all video campaigns. |
| 47 | Targeting | ad placement position (interstitial) | This filter restricts ad delivery based on whether the ad slot is classified as an interstitial placement. Interstitial ads are full-screen ads that cover the entire app or page interface, typically appearing at natural transition points - such as between app screens, game levels, or page loads - and requiring the user to actively dismiss them before continuing. When a campaign explicitly targets or excludes interstitial placements, all bid requests that do not match the configured interstitial setting are filtered out before bidding. | Review the campaign's interstitial targeting configuration to confirm the inclusion or exclusion setting is intentional and aligned with the campaign's creative format, audience strategy, and placement quality requirements. | Where interstitial placements are excluded, periodically reassess whether the exclusion remains justified based on current performance data — interstitial inventory can deliver strong viewability and engagement metrics that may outweigh the user experience concerns that originally motivated the exclusion. |
| 48 | Filtering | Video ad skip is not supported | This filter restricts ad delivery based on whether the ad slot is classified as an interstitial placement. Interstitial ads are full-screen ads that cover the entire app or page interface, typically appearing at natural transition points - such as between app screens, game levels, or page loads - and requiring the user to actively dismiss them before continuing. When a campaign explicitly targets or excludes interstitial placements, all bid requests that do not match the configured interstitial setting are filtered out before bidding. | Review the campaign's skippability configuration to confirm the setting is intentional and aligned with the campaign's KPI strategy and creative format requirements. | Where non-skippable targeting is significantly constraining delivery, evaluate whether the campaign's completion rate objectives could be achieved through alternative means — such as rewarded video or high-viewability placements — that deliver strong completion metrics without restricting the eligible pool to non-skippable inventory only. |
| 49 | Filtering | advertiser Ad domain is restricted | This filter blocks ad delivery when the advertiser's declared ad domain - the domain associated with the ad's landing page or brand — is explicitly restricted or blacklisted by the publisher, exchange, or supply-side platform (SSP) receiving the bid request. Publishers and exchanges maintain lists of ad domains they do not permit to serve on their inventory, and when the campaign's declared ad domain matches an entry on those restriction lists, the bid request is filtered out before bidding. | Identify which exchanges and publishers are generating the highest volume of ad domain restriction filtering to determine where the restrictions are most concentrated and impactful. | Where domain restrictions are driven by past policy violations or ad quality flags, work directly with the affected exchanges to understand the specific violation, remediate the underlying issue, and initiate the domain reinstatement process — most exchanges provide a formal appeals or reapproval pathway for previously flagged domains. |
| 50 | Targeting | age group | This filter restricts ad delivery to traffic associated with users who fall within specific age groups defined in the campaign's targeting settings. When a bid request carries user age data that does not match any of the campaign's allowed age segments, it is filtered out before bidding - ensuring the ad is served only to audiences within the intended demographic range. | Review the age group inclusion list to confirm the selected segments are appropriately broad and accurately reflect the campaign's realistic target demographic and audience size requirements. | Where age signal coverage is low across the campaign's active exchanges, evaluate whether accepting traffic with undeclared age data is appropriate — particularly for campaigns where age targeting is a preference rather than a regulatory requirement, as including age-unknown traffic can meaningfully recover delivery volume without genuine demographic risk. |
| 51 | Targeting | device brand (exclude) | This filter blocks ad delivery to traffic originating from devices manufactured by specific brands that have been explicitly blacklisted in the campaign's targeting settings. When a bid request is identified as coming from a device whose manufacturer or brand matches an entry on the exclusion list, it is filtered out before bidding - regardless of how well the request aligns with all other targeting criteria. | Review all device brand exclusions currently applied to the campaign to confirm each is intentional, strategically justified, and based on current rather than outdated performance data. | Periodically audit all active device brand exclusions to confirm each remains strategically justified — removing exclusions that are outdated, based on stale performance data, or no longer relevant to the current campaign's audience and objectives. |
| 52 | Targeting | Video placement | This filter restricts ad delivery based on the specific type of video placement declared by the publisher in the bid request. Video placement types define how and where a video ad appears within the content environment - such as in-stream, in-banner, in-article, or in-feed - and when a campaign has specific video placement types configured, bid requests from placement types not included in the allowed list are filtered out before bidding. | Review the campaign's video placement type configuration to confirm the inclusion list is intentional and aligned with the campaign's creative format, KPI strategy, and audience objectives. | Where delivery is constrained by a narrow video placement type inclusion list, evaluate whether complementary placement types that align with the campaign's creative format and performance objectives could be added to broaden the eligible inventory pool without meaningfully compromising content context or audience quality. |
| 53 | Filtering | Video ad VAST version is not supported | This filter blocks ad delivery when the VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) version used by the campaign's video creative is not supported by the publisher's video player or ad serving environment declared in the bid request. VAST is the industry-standard XML-based protocol that defines how video ads are served, tracked, and rendered - and publishers declare which VAST versions their video players are capable of interpreting. When the campaign's creative relies on a VAST version outside the publisher's supported range, the bid request is filtered out before bidding to prevent serving failures. | Identify the VAST version currently being used by the campaign's active video creatives and compare it against the most commonly declared supported VAST versions across the target exchange and publisher mix. | Ensure the campaign's ad server is configured to serve creatives across multiple VAST versions simultaneously — providing VAST 2.0 and 3.0 fallbacks alongside newer VAST 4.x versions ensures the campaign can compete for the broadest possible range of video inventory without sacrificing advanced feature availability on publishers that support newer versions. |
| 54 | Filtering | bid capping | This filter limits the maximum price the campaign is willing to pay for a single impression. When a bid request carries a floor price or market clearing price that exceeds the campaign's defined bid cap, the request is filtered out before bidding - preventing the campaign from submitting a bid that would exceed its maximum allowable cost per impression. | Compare the campaign's current bid cap against average floor prices across the target exchanges and markets — identify the gap between the cap and prevailing market prices to understand how restrictive the current setting is relative to available inventory. | Review and adjust the bid cap to better reflect current market floor prices in the target inventory and geography — a cap that was appropriate at campaign setup may become increasingly restrictive as market conditions evolve, requiring periodic recalibration throughout the campaign flight. |
| 55 | Filtering | targeting segment (exclude) | A filter that blocks ad delivery to users who belong to specific audience segments that have been explicitly blacklisted in the campaign's targeting settings. Targeting segment exclusions can be applied across a wide range of segment types - including behavioural, demographic, interest-based, retargeting, or platform-generated segments - and when a bid request is associated with a user who matches any excluded segment, it is filtered out before bidding regardless of how well it aligns with all other targeting criteria. | This filter limits the maximum price the campaign is willing to pay for a single+G56 impression. When a bid request carries a floor price or market clearing price that exceeds the campaign's defined bid cap, the request is filtered out before bidding - preventing the campaign from submitting a bid that would exceed its maximum allowable cost per impression. | Periodically audit all active segment exclusions to confirm each remains strategically justified - removing exclusions that are no longer relevant, have grown too large relative to the available audience, or were added based on conditions that no longer apply to the current campaign. |
| 56 | Filtering | Banner ad file type is not supported | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the banner creative's file format is not supported by the publisher's ad slot or exchange receiving the bid request. Publishers and exchanges declare the banner file types they are capable of rendering - such as JPEG, PNG, GIF, or HTML5 - and when the campaign's active creative is delivered in a format outside that declared compatibility list, the bid request is filtered out before bidding to prevent rendering failures or blank placements. | Identify which exchanges and publishers are generating the highest volume of this filtering reason to determine where format incompatibility is most concentrated. | Always upload creative assets in multiple formats - include a static image fallback such as JPEG or PNG alongside HTML5 or animated versions to maximise compatibility across the broadest possible range of inventory. |
| 57 | Filtering | Video ad VPAID or OMID is not supported | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the campaign's video creative relies on VPAID (Video Player Ad-Serving Interface Definition) or OMID (Open Measurement Interface Definition) but the publisher's video player does not declare support for these frameworks. VPAID enables interactive functionality and real-time communication between the ad and the video player, while OMID provides a standardised interface for third-party viewability and verification measurement. When the required framework is unavailable in the serving environment, the bid request is filtered out before bidding to prevent tracking failures, measurement gaps, or broken ad experiences. | Determine whether the filtering is driven by VPAID, OMID, or both framework requirements - understanding which framework is causing the majority of filtering focuses resolution efforts appropriately. | Migrate VPAID creatives to VAST-only formats where possible - VAST is universally supported and eliminates VPAID-related compatibility filtering across mobile, CTV, and increasingly desktop inventory. |
| 58 | Targeting | multi SIM operator | A filter that restricts or blocks ad delivery based on whether the user's device is operating with multiple SIM cards simultaneously. Multi SIM targeting allows campaigns to include or exclude traffic from users identified as using dual-SIM or multi-SIM devices, where more than one mobile network operator is active on the same device at the same time. When a bid request's multi SIM operator signal does not match the campaign's configured targeting setting, it is filtered out before bidding. | Assess the volume and share of bid requests being filtered for this reason relative to total filtered traffic to understand the overall delivery impact. | In markets with high dual-SIM adoption, carefully evaluate whether excluding multi-SIM users is strategically justified - doing so may unnecessarily eliminate a large and valuable share of the available audience without a proportionate benefit to campaign performance. |
| 59 | Doubleclick | sensitive category excluded by publisher | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the campaign's creative is classified under a sensitive content category that has been explicitly excluded by the publisher through Google's Doubleclick ad serving platform. Publishers using Doubleclick (now part of Google Ad Manager) can configure their inventory to block ads from specific sensitive advertiser categories — such as alcohol, gambling, weight loss, or political content — and when the campaign's creative falls under an excluded category, the bid request is filtered out before bidding regardless of how well it aligns with all other targeting criteria. | Identify which publishers and exchanges are generating the highest volume of Doubleclick sensitive category filtering to determine where restrictions are most concentrated across the active supply mix. | Review the sensitive category classification of the campaign's creative in Doubleclick and ensure it is as accurate and specific as possible — using the most precise available subcategory rather than a broad parent category can reduce the scope of publisher exclusions triggered by overly general classifications. |
| 60 | Doubleclick | click URL excluded by publisher | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the campaign's click tracking URL is identified as restricted or excluded by the publisher through Google's Doubleclick ad serving platform. Publishers using Doubleclick can configure their inventory to block specific click tracking domains, redirect patterns, or URL structures that do not meet their technical standards or policy requirements — and when the campaign's declared click URL matches an excluded pattern or domain, the bid request is filtered out before bidding regardless of how well it aligns with all other targeting and creative criteria. | Identify which publishers and exchanges are generating the highest volume of Doubleclick click URL filtering to determine where URL restrictions are most concentrated across the active supply mix. | Simplify the click URL structure where possible — reducing the number of redirect layers in the click tracking chain decreases the risk of triggering publisher-side URL validation rules and improves compatibility with Doubleclick's URL scanning and policy enforcement systems. |
| 61 | Filtering | Video ad start delay is not supported | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the campaign's video creative start delay configuration does not match the start delay type declared by the publisher's video placement in the bid request. Video start delay defines when within the content stream the ad is served — such as pre-roll (before content begins), mid-roll (during content), or post-roll (after content ends) — and when the campaign's allowed start delay types conflict with what the publisher's placement declares, the bid request is filtered out before bidding to prevent serving the ad in an unintended or technically incompatible position within the content stream. | Review the campaign's start delay targeting configuration to confirm the allowed start delay types are intentional and aligned with the campaign's creative format, KPI strategy, and content environment objectives. | Where pre-roll only targeting is significantly constraining delivery, evaluate whether including mid-roll positions could meaningfully expand the eligible inventory pool without compromising the campaign's core content context objectives — mid-roll placements within high-quality long-form content can deliver strong attention and completion metrics comparable to pre-roll in many environments. |
| 62 | Filtering | EU GDPR TCF vendor | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the campaign's demand-side platform, tracking vendor, or technology partner is not registered or consented to under the IAB's Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) for the user associated with the bid request. The TCF is the industry-standard compliance framework governing how user consent for data processing is collected, stored, and communicated across the programmatic advertising supply chain under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). When a bid request carries a consent string that does not include valid consent for one or more vendors required by the campaign to process user data, the bid request is filtered out before bidding to ensure the campaign operates within the boundaries of the user's declared consent preferences. | Identify the TCF vendor IDs required by the campaign's technology stack — including DSP, audience data providers, and measurement partners — and confirm they are correctly registered in the IAB TCF Global Vendor List. | Ensure all vendors in the campaign's technology stack are correctly registered on the IAB TCF Global Vendor List and that their vendor IDs are accurately declared in all active creative and tracking configurations — incorrect or missing vendor ID declarations can cause consent filtering that appears to be a user rejection issue but is actually a technical registration error. |
| 63 | Targeting | data consumption | A filter that restricts ad delivery based on the user's mobile data consumption type or connectivity status at the time of the bid request — such as whether the user is connected via mobile data (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G) or Wi-Fi. When a bid request carries a connectivity signal that does not match the campaign's allowed data consumption types, it is filtered out before bidding regardless of how well it aligns with all other targeting criteria. | Review the campaign's data consumption targeting configuration to confirm the allowed connectivity types are intentional and aligned with the campaign's audience context strategy and creative format requirements. | Where data consumption targeting is driven by creative format performance requirements — such as avoiding slow-loading rich media on 2G connections — evaluate whether excluding only the lowest bandwidth connection types rather than applying broad mobile data or Wi-Fi exclusions could achieve the same quality objective with less aggressive inventory restriction. |
| 64 | Filtering | Video ad min duration is not reached | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the campaign's video creative runtime is shorter than the minimum video ad duration required by the publisher's ad slot or exchange declared in the bid request. Publishers define not only maximum but also minimum acceptable ad lengths for their video placements — ensuring that ads served within their content meet a baseline duration threshold that aligns with their content structure, user experience standards, or monetisation requirements. When the campaign's creative is shorter than that declared minimum, the bid request is filtered out before bidding. | Review the runtime of all active video creatives on the campaign and compare them against the minimum duration thresholds declared across the target exchange and publisher mix. | Produce and activate multiple creative versions of varying lengths alongside the primary short-form asset — ensuring the campaign has longer creative variants available to serve on publishers with minimum duration requirements that the short-form creative cannot meet. |
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| Targeting | Video skip duration | A filter that restricts ad delivery based on the number of seconds after which the user is permitted to skip the video ad. Video skip duration defines the minimum watch time enforced before the skip option becomes available to the user — such as 5 seconds for standard skippable pre-roll formats — and when the skip duration declared by the publisher's placement does not match the campaign's allowed skip duration configuration, the bid request is filtered out before bidding. | Review the campaign's skip duration targeting configuration to confirm the allowed skip duration values are intentional and appropriately calibrated relative to the campaign's brand exposure and completion rate objectives. | Where skip duration targeting is significantly constraining delivery, evaluate whether broadening the allowed skip duration range — such as accepting both 5-second and 10-second skip delays alongside longer thresholds — could meaningfully recover inventory scale without materially compromising the campaign's brand exposure objectives. | |
| Targeting | Banner topframe | ||||
| Doubleclick | product category excluded by publisher | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the campaign's advertised product or service falls within a content category that has been explicitly excluded by the publisher through Google's Doubleclick ad serving platform. Unlike sensitive category exclusions — which target broadly restricted content types — product category exclusions are more granular, allowing publishers to block specific advertiser product categories that conflict with their editorial positioning, audience profile, or commercial relationships. When the campaign's declared product category matches a publisher's Doubleclick product category exclusion configuration, the bid request is filtered out before bidding regardless of how well it aligns with all other targeting criteria. | Identify which publishers and exchanges are generating the highest volume of Doubleclick product category filtering to determine where exclusions are most concentrated across the active supply mix. | Review the product category classification of the campaign's creative in Doubleclick and ensure it is as accurate and specific as possible — using the most precise available product subcategory rather than a broad parent category can reduce the scope of publisher exclusions triggered by overly general classifications that encompass more restricted product types than the campaign's actual advertised product warrants. | |
| Targeting | placement ID package (exclude) | A filter that blocks ad delivery on specific individual ad slots whose placement IDs have been explicitly blacklisted in an exclusion package applied to the campaign. A placement ID exclusion package is a curated list of individual ad unit identifiers — unique IDs assigned to specific ad slots within apps or sites — and when a bid request originates from any placement present on that blacklist, it is filtered out before bidding regardless of how well it matches all other targeting criteria. | Review all placement ID exclusion packages currently applied to the campaign — including those inherited from account or advertiser level — to assess the total number of blacklisted placement IDs and their cumulative impact on available inventory. | Regularly audit all active placement ID exclusion packages to remove entries that are outdated, based on stale performance data, or no longer strategically justified — keeping placement exclusion lists lean and current prevents the gradual accumulation of unnecessary inventory restrictions that silently constrain delivery over time. | |
| Targeting | device connection type (supported) | A filter that restricts ad delivery to traffic originating from devices using specific connection types that have been defined as supported in the campaign's targeting settings — such as Wi-Fi, mobile data (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G), or ethernet. When a bid request carries a connection type signal that does not match any of the campaign's allowed connection types, it is filtered out before bidding regardless of how well it aligns with all other targeting criteria. | Review the campaign's connection type targeting configuration to confirm the supported connection types are intentional and aligned with the campaign's creative format requirements and audience context strategy. | Review the campaign's connection type targeting configuration to confirm the supported connection types are intentional and aligned with the campaign's creative format requirements and audience context strategy. | |
| Targeting | gender | A filter that restricts ad delivery to traffic associated with users who match specific gender segments defined in the campaign's targeting settings. When a bid request carries user gender data that does not match any of the campaign's allowed gender segments, it is filtered out before bidding — ensuring the ad is served only to audiences within the intended gender demographic. | Review the gender segment inclusion list to confirm the selected segments are aligned with the campaign's audience strategy and that the targeting is intentional rather than a default setting carried over from a campaign template. | Where gender signal coverage is low across the campaign's active exchanges, evaluate whether accepting traffic with undeclared gender data is appropriate — particularly for campaigns where gender targeting is a preference rather than a strict brand requirement, as including gender-unknown traffic can meaningfully recover delivery volume without genuine demographic risk. | |
| Filtering | Banner JavaScript is not supported | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the campaign's banner creative requires JavaScript to render correctly but the publisher's ad slot or exchange does not declare support for JavaScript execution in their serving environment. JavaScript is commonly used in banner creatives to enable dynamic content, interactive elements, third-party tracking, and rich media functionality — and when the publisher's environment cannot execute JavaScript, the bid request is filtered out before bidding to prevent broken creative rendering or failed tracking. | Identify which exchanges and publishers are generating the highest volume of JavaScript filtering to determine where JavaScript support gaps are most concentrated across the active supply mix. | Always maintain static image fallback creatives alongside JavaScript-dependent HTML5 banner versions — ensuring delivery continuity across the full range of available inventory, including environments where JavaScript cannot be executed, without sacrificing creative quality on publishers that fully support it. | |
| Targeting | churned operator | A filter that restricts or blocks ad delivery based on whether the user has been identified as a churned subscriber of a specific mobile network operator — meaning a user who was previously a subscriber of the targeted operator but has since switched to a different carrier. This targeting layer allows campaigns to either include churned users as a specific re-engagement audience or exclude them to concentrate delivery on current active subscribers only. When a bid request's churned operator signal does not align with the campaign's configured targeting setting, it is filtered out before bidding. | Review the campaign's churned operator targeting configuration to confirm the inclusion or exclusion setting is intentional and aligned with the campaign's audience strategy — whether the goal is current subscriber concentration or churned user re-engagement. | Where churned operator targeting is used for win-back campaigns, validate that the churned subscriber audience identified through available signal data is sufficiently large and accurately defined to support the campaign's delivery and performance targets — if the identifiable churned audience is too small, consider supplementing with broader competitor operator targeting as a proxy for potential win-back candidates. | |
| Filtering | Native ad asset is invalid | A filter that blocks ad delivery when one or more of the campaign's native ad assets — such as the title, description, image, logo, or call-to-action — do not meet the specifications declared by the publisher's native ad slot in the bid request. Native ads are assembled dynamically from individual creative components that must conform to the publisher's declared asset requirements in terms of dimensions, file size, character count, or format — and when any required asset fails to meet those specifications, the bid request is filtered out before bidding to prevent broken or incorrectly rendered native ad units. | Identify which exchanges and publishers are generating the highest volume of native asset invalidity filtering to determine where asset specification mismatches are most concentrated across the active supply mix. | Ensure native creative assets are produced and configured to meet the broadest possible range of publisher specifications — using industry-standard recommended dimensions and character counts as the baseline reduces invalidity filtering across the majority of the available native inventory pool. | |
| Targeting | SIM amount | A filter that restricts ad delivery based on the number of SIM cards present or active in the user's device — such as single SIM, dual SIM, or multi SIM configurations. When a bid request carries a SIM amount signal that does not match the campaign's configured targeting setting, it is filtered out before bidding regardless of how well it aligns with all other targeting criteria. | Review the campaign's SIM amount targeting configuration to confirm the allowed SIM count setting is intentional and aligned with the campaign's network audience strategy and operator targeting objectives. | In markets with high dual SIM adoption, carefully evaluate whether single SIM only targeting is creating more delivery restriction than the campaign's strategy genuinely requires — the single SIM audience may represent a significantly smaller share of total available traffic than assumed, warranting a reconsideration of the SIM amount restriction relative to overall delivery scale requirements. | |
| Doubleclick | excluded creative | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the campaign's specific creative has been explicitly excluded by the publisher through Google's Doubleclick ad serving platform. Unlike category or domain-level exclusions that block broad groups of advertisers, this exclusion operates at the individual creative level — meaning the publisher has identified and blacklisted a specific creative asset by its declared Doubleclick creative ID, preventing that particular ad from serving on their inventory regardless of the advertiser, campaign, or targeting configuration it is associated with. | Identify which publishers and exchanges are generating the highest volume of Doubleclick creative exclusion filtering to determine where the creative-level blocks are most concentrated and impactful across the active supply mix. | Where the creative exclusion is driven by a content policy violation or quality flag, identify the specific issue that triggered the exclusion and update or replace the creative to address the concern — submitting a revised creative for review is typically required before delivery can resume on publishers that have applied the exclusion through Doubleclick's ad quality system. | |
| Targeting | device connection type | A filter that restricts ad delivery to traffic originating from devices using specific connection types defined in the campaign's targeting settings — such as Wi-Fi, mobile data (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G), or ethernet. When a bid request carries a connection type signal that does not match any of the campaign's allowed connection types, it is filtered out before bidding regardless of how well it aligns with all other targeting criteria. | Review the campaign's connection type targeting configuration to confirm the allowed types are intentional and aligned with the campaign's creative format requirements and audience context strategy. | Where connection type targeting is driven by creative format performance requirements — such as avoiding slow-loading video on 2G or 3G connections — evaluate whether excluding only the lowest bandwidth connection types rather than applying broad connectivity restrictions could achieve the same quality objective with less aggressive inventory limitation. | |
| Filtering | no consent for tracking (GDPR) | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the user associated with a bid request has not granted the consent required for ad tracking and personalisation under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). GDPR requires that users in applicable jurisdictions provide informed, explicit consent before their personal data can be collected and processed for advertising purposes — and when a bid request carries a consent signal indicating that the required tracking consent has not been obtained, the campaign's bid is filtered out before submission to ensure compliance with applicable data protection obligations. | |||
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Targeting | Video Linear/In Stream placement | A filter that restricts ad delivery to video inventory classified as linear or in-stream placements — ads that appear within a dedicated video player as part of a sequential content and advertising experience, playing before (pre-roll), during (mid-roll), or after (post-roll) the primary video content. When a bid request originates from a video placement that is not classified as linear or in-stream — such as outstream, in-banner, or in-feed video formats — it is filtered out before bidding regardless of how well it aligns with all other targeting criteria. | Review the campaign's video placement type configuration to confirm that linear or in-stream targeting is intentional and strategically aligned with the campaign's creative format, KPI objectives, and content environment requirements. | Where in-stream only targeting is significantly constraining delivery, evaluate whether high-quality outstream placements — such as in-article video in premium editorial environments — could serve as supplementary inventory sources that deliver comparable audience engagement and viewability performance to in-stream without the supply scarcity constraints. |
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Targeting | behavioural audience (exclude) | A filter that blocks ad delivery to users who have been classified within specific behavioural audience segments that have been explicitly blacklisted in the campaign's targeting settings. Behavioural audience exclusions are built from observed user activity signals — such as browsing history, app usage patterns, content consumption behaviour, or past purchase activity — and when a bid request is associated with a user whose behavioural profile matches any excluded segment, it is filtered out before bidding regardless of how well it aligns with all other targeting criteria. | Review all behavioural audience exclusions currently applied to the campaign to confirm each excluded segment is intentional, accurately defined, and strategically justified for the campaign's current audience objectives. | Periodically audit all active behavioural audience exclusions to confirm each remains strategically justified — removing exclusions based on outdated behavioural data, stale performance insights, or audience characteristics that are no longer relevant to the campaign's current objectives. |
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Filtering | Native ad is not SSL compliant | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the campaign's native ad creative contains assets or tracking components that are served over an insecure HTTP connection rather than the encrypted HTTPS protocol required by the publisher's serving environment. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) compliance requires that all creative assets — including images, logos, tracking pixels, click URLs, and impression trackers — are served exclusively over HTTPS. When any component of the native ad creative fails to meet the publisher's SSL compliance requirement, the bid request is filtered out before bidding to prevent security warnings, mixed content errors, or blocked asset loading on the publisher's secure page environment. | Audit all asset URLs within the campaign's active native creative — including images, logos, call-to-action URLs, impression trackers, and click tracking tags — to identify any components referencing HTTP rather than HTTPS endpoints. | Update all HTTP asset URLs within the native creative to their HTTPS equivalents immediately — ensuring every creative component including images, logos, trackers, and click URLs references a secure endpoint resolves SSL compliance filtering across all publishers enforcing HTTPS requirements. |
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Filtering | Audio ad is too long | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the campaign's audio ad creative runtime exceeds the maximum audio ad duration permitted by the publisher's audio placement or exchange declared in the bid request. Publishers and audio streaming platforms define the maximum length of audio ads their placements are configured to accommodate — such as 15 or 30 seconds for standard audio ad breaks — and when the campaign's audio creative is longer than that declared limit, the bid request is filtered out before bidding to prevent truncation, incomplete delivery, or a disrupted listening experience for the user. | Review the runtime of all active audio creatives on the campaign and compare them against the most commonly declared maximum duration thresholds across the target audio exchanges and publisher mix.Review the runtime of all active audio creatives on the campaign and compare them against the most commonly declared maximum duration thresholds across the target audio exchanges and publisher mix. | Produce and activate multiple audio creative versions of varying lengths — such as 15-second and 30-second cuts alongside the full-length version — ensuring the campaign can compete for the broadest possible range of audio inventory while maintaining message effectiveness across different placement duration contexts. |
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Filtering | Audio ad file type is not supported | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the audio creative's file format is not supported by the publisher's audio placement or exchange receiving the bid request. Publishers and audio platforms declare the audio file types they are technically capable of rendering — such as MP3, AAC, OGG, or WAV — and when the campaign's active audio creative is encoded in a format outside that declared compatibility list, the bid request is filtered out before bidding to prevent playback failures or silent ad slots that disrupt the listener experience. | Review the audio file formats currently active on the campaign and compare them against the most commonly declared supported formats across the target audio exchange and publisher mix. | Always ensure the audio creative is available in MP3 format as the primary file type — MP3 is the most universally accepted audio format across the majority of programmatic audio exchanges, streaming platforms, and podcast environments and should be the baseline creative asset for all audio campaigns. |
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Filtering | Audio ad companion is not supported | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the campaign's audio ad includes a companion banner — a visual display ad served alongside the audio creative to reinforce the brand message with a visual component — but the publisher's audio placement or exchange does not declare support for companion ads in their serving environment. Companion banners are secondary visual creative assets that appear on screen while the audio ad plays, providing a clickable visual touchpoint alongside the audio experience. When the publisher's audio slot cannot accommodate a companion banner that the campaign requires, the bid request is filtered out before bidding. | Review the campaign's companion banner configuration to confirm whether companion support is declared as a mandatory requirement or an optional enhancement — determine whether the campaign is set to only bid on companion-capable inventory or whether it can serve audio-only without the companion. | Where companion banner support is not critical to the campaign's core audio delivery objectives, configure the campaign to serve audio ads without requiring companion support — allowing delivery across the full audio inventory pool including non-companion environments significantly expands eligible supply and reduces companion-driven filtering. |
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Filtering | Native video ad is too long | A filter that blocks ad delivery when the campaign's native video ad creative runtime exceeds the maximum video duration permitted by the publisher's native video placement or exchange declared in the bid request. Native video ads are video creatives served within a native ad unit — appearing in-feed, in-article, or within other native content environments — and publishers define the maximum length of native video ads their placements are configured to accommodate. When the campaign's native video creative exceeds that declared limit, the bid request is filtered out before bidding to prevent truncation, incomplete delivery, or a disrupted content experience within the native environment. | Review the runtime of all active native video creatives on the campaign and compare them against the most commonly declared maximum duration thresholds across the target native exchanges and publisher mix. | Produce and activate multiple native video creative versions of varying lengths — such as 6-second, 15-second, and 30-second cuts alongside longer brand storytelling versions — ensuring the campaign can compete for the broadest possible range of native video inventory while maintaining message effectiveness across different placement duration contexts. |