TKN Network Policy
At The Keller Network, we recognize that quality is far more important to premium Advertisers than quantity. To that end, we've invested significantly in an integrity assurance department that upholds the highest standards for traffic and lead quality. While other advertising networks operate at or below industry standards, The Keller Network consistently exceeds current best practice standards. And we do this knowing that it may negatively impact our short term revenue.
Why does The Keller Network take compliance so seriously?
We understand that premium Advertisers demand quality and that consumers, Regulators and advocates are increasingly holding Advertisers accountable for the actions of their business partners. Similarly, Publishers recognize that the highest payouts go to the Publishers that deliver the highest quality traffic. The Keller Network' enables top tier Advertisers to obtain quality traffic and leads via our best of breed network of Publishers.
What is The Keller Network's approach to compliance?
Our Compliance team developed an industry leading monitoring and enforcement program. We've invited leading experts in online privacy and consumer protection to test, critique and augment the program. And we've brought in some of our leading Advertiser clients to obtain their feedback as well.
Specifically, how does The Keller Network ensure compliance?
For the same reasons that a security firm or a virus protection software company can't publish the exact steps they use to keep the "bad guys" out, we do not outline our entire compliance process. Generally, our approach includes the following steps: Education, Collaboration, Detection, and Action.
Education: Publisher Agreements
Each Publisher coming into the The Keller Network network must agree to our Publisher Terms & Conditions (T&Cs) and Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs). These policies provide set criteria that all Publishers on our network must agree to adhere to. For example, the T&Cs prohibit link farms, fraud, websites with objectionable content, and those that spawn exit pop-ups. Moreover, the AUP references and requires that Publishers adhere to The Keller Network's policies governing Email, Adware, Search and Mobile. (More on those policies below.)
Collaboration: Ensuring compliance via strong relationships and communication
We recognize that some Publishers may not properly internalize our terms and policies upon first read. With that in mind, as part of our Publisher initiation process, an The Keller Network publisher manager has a one-to-one contact with every Publisher within 24 hours of their completion of our registration form. We do this to ensure awareness of our policies, and to communicate our willingness to enforce those policies. Similarly, our publisher managers will schedule regular calls with Publishers who have sudden spikes in volume, and as part of those calls, we reiterate the policy or policies that apply to that Publisher's business. And we periodically send out a newsletter – On Tap for Publishers – that informs Publishers on emerging trends and other compliance related issues.
Detection: Policing for Violations
Unlike other performance advertising networks, we don't charge our Advertisers extra for compliance monitoring services. We understand the importance of having multiple mechanisms to help us monitor for compliance and overall network quality. We have a staff that proactively audits offers and network accounts for inconsistencies and issues. Moreover, we established feedback and compliance mechanisms so that consumers, Advertisers or other interested parties may easily bring potential issues to our attention.
Action: when The Keller Network confirms a violation
Once our Integrity Assurance team has identified and confirmed a policy violation, we have a number of methods of redress. Depending on the severity of the violation, and our previous history with a Publisher, we will cut that Publisher's links, recoup commissions, and/or suspend or terminate a Publisher's account.
Email Policy
The Keller Network began a process in October 2005 to dramatically enhance its compliance around the use of email marketing as a channel of distribution. We require all Publishers using email on our network to provide us with the IP addresses that they distribute mail from. This allows us to investigate the history of those IPs, utilizing various sources, (e.g., Spamhaus' SBL, SpamCop, and other blacklists) as a way of weeding out those that have demonstrated a history of deploying spam or otherwise engaging in fraudulent or deceptive emails. Moreover, our account team performs a five part check on email offers to ensure compliance with CAN-SPAM and best practice standards for email marketing.