Guide
Ad Creative Validation Checklist: What to Check Before Launch
A creative can look finished and still fail the booked placement. The dimensions can be wrong, the format unsupported, the file too heavy, an asset missing, or the landing URL incorrect. Those gaps turn into avoidable follow-ups before launch.
Use this checklist to review the files and campaign materials you received. It does not guarantee campaign approval, and it does not mean the creative complies with every advertising platform.
Ad creative validation checklist
Tick each item as you review this campaign. Nothing is saved.
0 of 15 checks completed
Check creative file specifications
Start with the placement that was actually booked. A homepage banner and a newsletter unit are different files. Confirm you are looking at the creative for that placement, then check the rules that placement uses.
Exact dimensions mean a specific width and height in pixels. If the placement asks for 300 × 250 px, a larger file with a similar shape is still the wrong size. Aspect ratio is the proportion, such as 2:1, and it can allow more than one pixel size. Use the rule the placement wrote down. Aspect ratio vs dimensions explains why those checks are not interchangeable. Banner ad sizes lists common display dimensions as reference points, not as a size every publisher must accept.
Also check the accepted format and the maximum file size for that asset. JPG, PNG, and WebP are common examples for still images. They are not a universal set, and there is no single file-size limit that fits every placement. Pixel dimensions and file size are different measurements: a correctly sized image can still be too heavy. Ad creative specifications covers how those technical pieces fit together. Open the file and confirm it displays. A format name alone does not prove the image is usable.
Check that every campaign asset has arrived
One campaign often needs more than one file. A homepage banner, a newsletter creative, and a mobile placement can each have their own size and format. Missing one of them delays the handoff, even when the files you did receive look fine.
Check the version as well as the count. An old export for the right placement is still the wrong file. Ad creative requirements is the list of what the request should have asked for, including how many files to expect.
When the placement needs a click destination, the landing URL should arrive with that creative, not in a separate thread. Then open the URL and confirm it is the page this campaign is supposed to use. Collecting a landing URL with the file keeps the destination attached to the right asset. It does not, by itself, prove the page is the right one.
Review what technical validation cannot confirm
Technical file validation answers measurable questions: size, proportion, format, file weight, and whether a required URL field was filled in. Human creative review answers whether the ad should run.
A person still needs to look at spelling, visual quality, branding, messaging, legal or campaign-specific claims, and whether the destination is suitable. Final approval stays with the team's normal process. None of those judgments come from a pixel check. DropAsset does not review them for you.
What can be automated in creative validation?
A check can be automated when the rule is deterministic and the tool supports that file type. For a DropAsset slot, supported checks are exact image dimensions, aspect ratio, accepted formats, a maximum file size, and whether a required landing URL was submitted. The request shows whether the asset is Ready or Needs attention.
DropAsset can require the landing URL and store it with the creative. It does not check that the URL loads, that the page is the intended destination, or that the link is safe.
It also does not automatically verify spelling, brand compliance, legal compliance, subjective image quality, creative messaging, HTML5 click tags, animation behavior, campaign deadlines, or final campaign approval.
When a supported still image is larger than an exact-dimensions target and already has the right proportion, Safe AutoFix can downscale it. It can also compress or convert a supported still image when that applies. It does not crop, stretch, or upscale. The original file stays available. A prepared Ready file is added only when that safe processing applies.
What to do when a creative fails validation
- Identify which requirement failed.
- Check the booked placement specification.
- Request a corrected file, or apply a safe preparation only when it is technically appropriate.
- Validate the replacement.
- Confirm the required campaign assets are ready.
Not every invalid file can be fixed automatically. A wrong proportion, a file that is too small, an unaccepted format, or a bad destination still needs a new file or a human decision. The ad creative submission workflow is the wider path from the request through the trafficking handoff.
Final ad creative QA before launch
Before you hand the files off, run the list once more. The creative matches the booked placement. Dimensions or aspect ratio, format, and file size match that placement's rules. The file opens. Every required asset and the current version are present. Required landing URLs are included and point to the intended pages. A person has reviewed text, branding, claims, and approval.
This checklist covers creative intake and QA. Ad-server setup, targeting, tracking, scheduling, and launch monitoring are separate checks. DropAsset is not an ad server, and it does not automate trafficking. Media sales teams collecting campaign materials, and regional media teams taking in local advertiser files, can run the same checklist before those files move on.
Questions about ad creative validation
What is an ad creative validation checklist?
It is a review list for the files and campaign details a team receives before launch. It covers whether each creative matches the booked placement, whether the required files and landing URLs are present, and which items still need a person to review. It does not approve a campaign or prove compliance with every advertising platform.
What should I check before accepting an ad creative?
Confirm it is the file for that placement. Check exact dimensions or aspect ratio, the accepted format, and the file-size limit. Open the file. Then confirm every required asset arrived, the landing URL is the intended page when one is required, and a person has reviewed spelling, branding, and any claims.
What is the difference between creative QA and file validation?
File validation checks measurable rules, such as pixel size, proportion, format, file size, and whether a required landing URL was submitted. Creative QA is a human review of spelling, visual quality, branding, messaging, legal claims, and whether the destination is the right page. A file can pass the measurable rules and still fail QA.
Can ad creative validation be automated?
Some checks can, when the tool and the file type support them. Exact dimensions, aspect ratio, accepted formats, a maximum file size, and the presence of a required landing URL are deterministic. Spelling, brand fit, legal claims, and final approval are not. Passing an automated check is not campaign approval.
Can a creative pass file validation but still need human review?
Yes. A file can be the right size and format and still have a typo, the wrong logo, a claim the team cannot run, or a landing URL that opens the wrong page. Someone still needs to review those items before launch.
What happens when an ad creative fails validation?
Note which requirement failed and compare it with the booked placement. Ask for a corrected file when the creative itself is wrong. A supported still image can sometimes be downscaled, compressed, or converted without cropping, stretching, or upscaling. Not every failure can be fixed that way. Check the replacement before you treat the asset as ready.