Creative approval in PMP deals: who reviews the ad, and how rejections stall delivery
Part of Curated deals and PMPs
The short answer
In a PMP deal a creative can face three reviews: the buying platform's policy check, the exchange's own review and, where the seller requires it, the publisher's review. Publisher blocks on categories and click-through domains can still apply to private auctions. A pending or rejected creative cannot win the deal's impressions, so delivery stalls until approval.
Key takeaways
- Creative review happens in layers, and a deal only delivers when the creative clears each layer that applies to it.
- A deal ID does not switch off publisher protections by default; in Google Ad Manager, Private Auction deals follow all protections except two unless the publisher turns on Override blocks.
- Display & Video 360 says most creatives are reviewed within one business day, and an edit to the creative content or landing page restarts review.
- Plan approval like a launch task: agree specs with the seller, upload early, assign creatives to a line item, and watch for rejection alerts.
Do publishers approve creatives in PMP deals?
They can, and the buyer should assume a review layer exists until the seller says otherwise. Google's Authorized Buyers documentation for buyer creatives (opens in a new tab) lets a buyer "submit creatives for publisher review before a deal begins to serve," and states that "Adding deals to a creative submits the creative for review to the publishers of those deals." On the publisher side, Google Ad Manager offers manual creative review protections (opens in a new tab), a beta feature that "apply to Private Auction, Marketplace package, and Open Auction inventory," where any creative matching the protection's targeting is blocked until someone reviews it.
Those publisher checks sit on top of reviews the buyer already knows. Display & Video 360's creative review article (opens in a new tab) describes a platform policy review, an exchange status that "only applies to exchanges that have their own review process," and, for Programmatic Guaranteed deals, a step where "the publisher also reviews the creative to make sure it meets their own policies and specifications." A publisher rejection shows as a Deals creative rejections stage, with the publisher's name.
| Layer | Who reviews | What it checks | Where the buyer sees the result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buying platform policy | The DSP | Ad policies, restricted products, landing page | Creative status in the DSP |
| Exchange review | The exchange, if it runs its own | The exchange's ad policies | Exchange status per exchange |
| Publisher review | The publisher or its ad server | The publisher's own policies and specifications | A deal level status, such as Deals creative rejections |
| Publisher protections | Rules the publisher set in advance | Categories, advertiser URLs, ad technologies | Filtered bids in troubleshooting reports |
How do blocked categories affect a deal?
Publishers set blocks before any deal exists: advertiser URLs, general and sensitive ad categories, and allowed ad technologies. Whether those blocks still apply when the impression is sold through a deal depends on the deal type and on settings the buyer cannot see. The category labels, and the bcat and badv fields that carry them, are explained in the IAB Ad Product Taxonomy guide.
Google Ad Manager publishes the rules for its own transaction types in Understand protections eligibility for transaction types (opens in a new tab), checked October 22, 2026. For Private Auction deals, when the Override blocks option is off, all protection settings apply except custom labels and inventory exclusions. When it is on, "the Ad content: Ad experiences settings still apply." Google tells publishers to turn the toggle on to prevent unintended delivery interruptions for active Private Auction deals.
| Transaction type | Protections that apply | What it means for the buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Open Auction | All settings except custom labels | Category and advertiser blocks apply in full |
| Private Auction, Override blocks off | All settings except custom labels and inventory exclusions | A deal ID does not lift category or advertiser blocks |
| Private Auction, Override blocks on | Ad experiences settings still apply | Ask whether the seller has turned this on for the deal |
| Preferred Deals | A short list, including ad technologies and restricted category opt-ins | Restricted category opt-ins still apply |
| Programmatic Guaranteed | Only a listed set, including ad technologies and custom labels | Advertiser and brand blocks apply only if the publisher extends them to direct traffic |
The deal itself can also restrict advertisers. In the OpenRTB 2.6 specification (opens in a new tab), the Deal object's wadomain is an "Array of advertiser domains (e.g., advertiser.com) allowed to bid on this deal," and its omission "implies no advertiser restrictions." A bid whose adomain is not on that list does not qualify for the deal, however good the creative is.
Why might a creative be rejected on a deal?
Display & Video 360's troubleshooter for deals and line items (opens in a new tab) names the creative causes it can detect. Each points to a different fix, and some cannot be fixed by the buyer at all.
| Reason, in Google's words | What can sit behind it | First fix to try |
|---|---|---|
| Click-through URL not allowed by publisher | The landing domain is on the publisher's advertiser URL block list | Confirm the landing domain with the seller, or use the brand's own domain |
| Creative content is in a category restricted by publisher | The ad was classified into a category the publisher blocks | Ask whether the deal can carry an exception; otherwise drop the site or the creative |
| Creative isn't approved by exchange | The exchange's own review is pending or failed | Read the exchange status and its reason, fix, and resubmit |
| Creative dimensions don't match inventory | The size is not one the deal's placements accept | Traffic a size the seller confirmed for the deal |
| Creative is not allowed in PMP deal | The deal limits which creatives or advertisers may bid | Check the deal's advertiser domains and any creative list with the seller |
Rejections stall delivery quietly. A deal can show healthy bid requests while the troubleshooter's Creative(s) stage removes them before bidding, so spend sits at zero while the deal itself still looks active. Check the creative stage before raising a delivery problem with the seller.
How long does creative review take?
For the buying platform layer, Google gives figures. Display & Video 360 says "Most creatives are reviewed within 1 business day," and that creatives with restricted products or services may be manually reviewed, which "typically takes 1 business day." Its creative approval best practices (opens in a new tab) add that creatives "under 'pending review' for more than 12 hours may be stuck."
Publisher review has no published clock; it depends on the seller's team and queue. Blocks also take time to land on the publisher side: Google Ad Manager's ad review center article (opens in a new tab) says there may be a delay of up to 24 hours between blocking an ad and that ad stopping. Restarts add time. Google says "Any update to creative content or landing page will restart the creative review process," while renaming a creative, saving a draft or editing notes does not. Approval is not permanent either: "Approved creatives are still subject to recurring reviews."
How should creative approval be planned before launch?
Treat approval as a dated launch task, owned by the trader who enters the deal. Google's best practices for setting up deals (opens in a new tab) give the core: discuss creative sizes for display deals, provide VAST tags to the publisher for testing, and confirm that video duration, skippable and expandable creatives are supported by the deal.
Six steps to an approved creative before the start date
- Agree specs in writing. Confirm sizes, durations, file types and the landing domain with the seller when the deal terms are agreed.
- Ask about publisher review. Find out whether the seller reviews deal creatives, how long it takes and whether Override blocks is on for a private auction.
- Upload early. Google advises uploading creatives "beforehand to make sure they are synced and get reviewed before the start date of the deal."
- Assign to a live or future line item. Display & Video 360 reviews creatives only when they are assigned to a line item "that is active or has a future start date," targeting each exchange you intend to buy from.
- Turn on the rejected creative alert. Google recommends it, so a rejection reaches the trader instead of waiting for a delivery report.
- Freeze landing pages. Any landing page change restarts review, so lock URLs before submission and keep backup ads active for the full flight.
What does a creative approval problem look like on a real deal?
Fictional example
A hearing care clinic network in Michigan
A fictional network of hearing care clinics in Grand Rapids, Lansing and Traverse City runs display on a curated private auction of local news and community sites. The deal restricts advertisers to the clinic's own domain. Two days before launch, the trader uploads the creatives and assigns them to the line item.
The platform approves them within a day, but the troubleshooter shows the deal's requests removed at the creative stage. The click-through goes to an appointment booking page on a separate scheduling domain, which one publisher's advertiser URL blocks catch and which does not match the deal's allowed advertiser domain.
The clinic moves booking to a page on its own domain. The new landing page restarts review, so the flight starts a day late, and the trader adds the landing domain to the deal checklist for the next quarter.
What should a creative approval check cover?
Creative approval check for a PMP deal
- Sizes, durations and formats match what the seller confirmed for the deal.
- The landing domain matches the advertiser domain on the deal, and the seller confirmed it is not blocked.
- The seller said whether it reviews deal creatives, and how long its review takes.
- For a private auction, the seller said whether Override blocks is on.
- Creatives were uploaded and assigned to an active or future line item before the start date.
- Platform and exchange statuses read approved for each exchange the deal runs on.
- The rejected creative alert is on, and a backup ad covers the full flight.
- No content or landing page edits are planned after approval.
How does PlacementGraph help prepare the deal that creatives are reviewed against?
Frequently asked questions
Does a creative approved on one deal need review for another deal?
It can. Google's Authorized Buyers documentation says adding deals to a creative submits it for review to the publishers of those deals, so a new deal with a new publisher can mean a new publisher review. Check the deal level status for each new deal before launch.
Does renaming a creative restart review?
Not in Display & Video 360. Google lists saving a draft, editing the creative's name and adding or editing notes as changes that do not restart review. Changes to the creative content or the landing page do restart it, so make name and note edits freely and content edits only with time to spare.
Can an approved creative be rejected later in the flight?
Yes. Display & Video 360 says approved creatives are still subject to recurring reviews, and a publisher can block an ad after it has served, with Google Ad Manager noting up to 24 hours before a block takes effect. Keep the rejected creative alert on for the whole flight, not only at launch.
Does a programmatic guaranteed deal skip publisher blocks?
Not entirely. Google Ad Manager applies only a listed set of protections to Programmatic Guaranteed, including ad technologies and custom labels, and advertiser and brand blocks only when the publisher extends them to direct traffic. Display & Video 360 also says the publisher reviews creatives on Programmatic Guaranteed deals.
Sources
- Buyer creatives, Real-time Bidding API guide (opens in a new tab)Google for Developers, Authorized Buyers
- About the creative review process (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
- Best practices for getting creatives approved (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
- Troubleshoot your deals and line items (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
- Best practices for setting up deals (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
- Protections overview (opens in a new tab)Google, Ad Manager Help
- Understand protections eligibility for transaction types (opens in a new tab)Google, Ad Manager Help, checked October 22, 2026
- Review and block ads (opens in a new tab)Google, Ad Manager Help
- OpenRTB 2.6 specification, Deal and Bid objects (opens in a new tab)IAB Tech Lab, OpenRTB repository
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.