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At Epic Advertising, we recognized long ago 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, Epic Advertising consistently exceeds current best practice standards. And we do this knowing that it may negatively impact our short term revenue.

Why does Epic Advertising 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. So, Epic Advertising's Integrity Assurance group enables top tier Advertisers to obtain quality traffic and leads via our best of breed network of Publishers.

What is Epic Advertising'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 Epic Advertising 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 Epic Advertising 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 Epic Advertising'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 Epic Advertising 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 Epic Advertising 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.

What are Epic Advertising's policies for email, adware, search and mobile?
As mentioned above, the AUPs are an integral part of the Integrity Assurance Program. They complement the T&Cs by providing subject matter-specific guidance to Publishers and Epic Advertising staff

  Adware Policy
Historically, downloadable software has been responsible for a disproportionate amount of compliance issues on performance networks. To properly address these challenges, Epic Advertising's policy has 21 separate mandates designed to ensure that any downloadable software on our network operates transparently, and delivers real value to both the consumer and the Advertiser. For example, downloadable software must clearly disclose major functionality and obtain the consumer's informed consent prior to download. Moreover, software should be able to be easily removed, and should not cause harm to a consumer's computer.

As many Adware companies have one piece of software they demonstrate to Advertisers, and other software that is distributed, our policy requires that software companies operating on our network maintain controlled distribution. Moreover, software companies and their vendors must demonstrate a substantial track record of compliance over time prior to being allowed into the Epic Advertising network. At present, none of the major players in the Adware space have been able to consistently meet our standards. While this has certainly impacted our short term revenue, we strongly believe that it has created a much healthier ecosystem for our Advertisers and Publishers alike.

  Search Marketing Guidelines
We recognize that premium Advertisers may not want their brand associated with particular keywords or phrases, and are particularly sensitive to Publishers outbidding them on certain keywords. Our Search AUP and offer-specific guidelines prohibit Publishers from engaging in trademark infringement, restrict the use of potentially misleading terms (e.g., “Free”) or utilizing certain images (e.g., unauthorized pictures of celebrities) as part of their search marketing efforts.

Our monitoring and enforcement processes are more proactive than many of the major search engines. We provide our Advertisers with the ability to customize restrictions (e.g. provide their own list of prohibited keywords and ad-copy requirements). We also offer the flexibility to update those guidelines at any time across multiple campaigns. As part of raising the bar on Search Marketing, we restrict the use of potentially-misleading keywords within URLs, meta tags, and copy. The Integrity Assurance Team proactively monitors search campaigns and works closely with Advertisers to ensure compliance with applicable AUPs and guidelines.

  Email Policy
Epic Advertising 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.

  Mobile Policy
The mobile channel continues to grow at an unprecedented rate. We understand that continued growth depends in part upon the overall health of the mobile ecosystem. With that in mind, Epic Advertising has developed and deployed the industry's first comprehensive policies for mobile marketing, the Publisher Marketing AUP for Mobile Content. Our Mobile AUP was created in accordance with the standards set forth by the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) – the same standards which have been praised by the Federal Trade Commission as an example of sound industry self-regulatory standards.