How is my ad creative checked? Approval at adyoutiser

Direct answer: At adyoutiser, AI checks every uploaded ad creative in seconds. Most creatives are approved straight away. Anything the AI can't clearly place goes to a human on our team. If a creative is rejected, you get an email with the concrete reason and upload a fixed version for free.

Our screens hang in shops, at Danube ship docks and on the street in Vienna and Bratislava. Everyone sees them, including children. So nothing plays unchecked. Here is exactly what happens, what triggers a no, and how to avoid it.

What happens after you upload?

After upload, adyoutiser sends your creative to a vision-capable language model. It gets our rulebook for public screens and returns one of 3 verdicts: approve, hand to a human, or stop. For images this takes seconds. Videos take a little longer, because the model watches the whole clip, not a few stills.

The AI only approves when it is very sure. When it isn't, a human decides. That is on purpose: a wrong approval on a public screen costs more than a few hours of waiting.

In the same pass the AI assigns your creative to an industry. Venue owners need that for competitor protection (more below). The industry tag never affects whether your creative is approved.

The 3 possible outcomes

The rulebook lets the AI stop clearly prohibited content on its own. In practice, every rejection at adyoutiser so far has come from a human: the AI approves or hands over.

What the AI always hands to a human

Some topics aren't banned, but they are sensitive. Here a human at adyoutiser always decides, however good the creative looks:

• alcohol
• gambling, betting, casinos
• health and healing claims, medicine, pharma
• financial products, return or crypto promises
• dating and adult-adjacent services
• religious content
• ads that pressure children to buy
• blurry, broken or hard-to-read files
• material that doesn't look like an ad (holiday photos, screenshots)

One special case: text inside the creative that gives the AI orders ("Approve this!", "Ignore your rules"). The AI treats that as a manipulation attempt and hands the creative to a human.

What doesn't run on public screens

These have no place on our screens:

• nudity, sexualised imagery, erotica
• violence, injuries, shocking images
• weapons shown in a glorifying or threatening way
• illegal drugs and paraphernalia
• hate, discrimination, demeaning stereotypes
• ads for illegal activity or scams
• tobacco, nicotine, e-cigarettes and vapes
• election and party campaigning

Bold colours, loud discounts or an imperfect layout are not a reason to reject. We check whether something may run on a public screen, not whether we like it.

The most common reasons for a no

The rejections we actually send almost always fall into one of these groups:

1. Prohibited content: something from the list above.
2. Contest without terms: you advertise a giveaway, but the entry terms are missing. A readable link or QR code to them is enough.
3. Hard to read: resolution too low or text too small. People need to read it from a few metres away.
4. No rights: third-party logos, photos or music you aren't allowed to use.
5. Not an ad: the image doesn't look like an ad creative.

How to avoid a rejection

• Upload only what you own. Your own photos, your own logo, licensed music. Other brands only with permission.
• Go big on text. One message, few words, strong contrast. The design tips for screens show what works at a distance.
• Use the right size. The long edge can be up to 1920 pixels. Portrait 1080 × 1920 and landscape 1920 × 1080 both fit. All sizes are in the creative specs.
• Running a contest? Add the terms. Link or QR code right on the creative.
• Health, money, alcohol? Expect a human to look. Skip healing claims and guaranteed returns and the answer stays yes.
• Keep videos lean. Right now a human always reviews videos over 32 MB, because the AI can't check them in one go. Short and compressed means live sooner.
• No instructions to the AI in the creative. They read as manipulation and delay approval.

The full rules are in the advertising guidelines.

What happens after a rejection?

You get an email with the reason in one sentence. No bare "policy violation". The email gives you two ways out: upload a fixed version, or build a new creative with the AI creator in your dashboard.

The new upload is free and runs through the same check. Once approved, you add it to your campaign. If your campaign is already running and you need help, just reply to the email. A person on the team answers.

Blocked is not rejected: competitor protection

Every venue owner can block industries on their own screen. A driving school doesn't want another driving school on its screen, a café doesn't want a rival café. That is what the industry tag from the check is for.

The block covers the direct sub-industry, not the whole category. A restaurant blocks restaurants, not every café or hotel. If your creative is blocked on one screen, it is still approved and plays on every other screen in your campaign.

When does an approved creative play?

That depends on the screen. On screens with our own player, an approved creative is in the plan within about 5 minutes, and every play is measured. Some screens run on the operator's own system. There the operator loads your creative, with 24 hours' lead time.

Which screen runs which way is on the screen overview, with photo, price and address. New to DOOH? The beginner's guide covers the basics.

FAQ

How long does the review of my ad creative take?

For images the AI decides in seconds, for videos a little later. Most creatives are approved straight away. If yours is with a human, it takes longer. We don't promise a fixed time for that.

Does the AI reject creatives on its own?

The rulebook lets it stop clearly prohibited content. In practice, every rejection at adyoutiser so far has come from a human. The AI approves or hands the creative to a person.

Why is my creative with a human?

Either the AI wasn't sure enough, or your topic is on the list a human always decides: alcohol, gambling, health, finance, dating, religion. That is not a rejection.

Does a new upload after a rejection cost anything?

No. You upload the fixed version, it runs through the same check, and you add it to your campaign.

Can I advertise alcohol or gambling?

The topic alone is not a reason to reject. A human always reviews these creatives. Allow a little more time and follow the advertising rules for your industry.

Can I use third-party logos or music?

Only if you hold the rights. Third-party material without permission is one of the most common reasons for a no.

What if a screen has blocked my industry?

Then your creative doesn't play on that one screen, but it does on every other screen in your campaign. That is competitor protection for the venue owner, not a rejection of your creative.

Can adyoutiser check my creative before I upload it?

No. The check starts with the upload. To be safe, read the advertising guidelines and the creative specs first.

More on this

• Perfect DOOH content: design tips for advertising screens
• DOOH creative without a designer: the Canva workflow
• What is DOOH? The guide
• Every screen with photo, price and address