Why are my ads showing digital cameras?

If you are using our Product Pods or Top Search Result ads, chances are that you have noticed a change either in your published ads or in ads that you are trying to create.  The change that I am referring to is the appearance of digital cameras inside the ads instead of the products you had selected.  The reason this is happening is because we have made digital cameras our default content in the event that your chosen content is not available.  So, instead of seeing an error message, a blank spot, or any other funky stuff, you will now see digital cameras.

Why digital cameras?  Well, it’s hands down one of the most popular categories.  That being said, we’d like to be sure you’re displaying what YOU want to display! 

Here are some ways to handle the appearance of digital cameras in your Product Pod ads:
1. IMPORTANT!  Product Pods are simply not available for any product that is what we call “non-compacted”.  Product Pods only work for products that are compacted, meaning that they are offered by many merchants and each of those offers are aligned to one another to facilitate comparison shopping.  Products like iPods and GPS Navigation Systems are compacted, meaning that you can see offers from several merchants so that you can compare prices to find the best deal.  Many "soft" products like clothing, home & garden equipment and most electronic accessories are not compacted, meaning a user can not compare prices on exact product matches.  We are constantly expanding our compacted product offering, however, so it’s worth updating your ads periodically.

2. So, if you try to make a product pod for a non-compacted item, the Product Pod will show (you guessed it!) digital cameras.  This does not mean the Product Pod is broken or that you are doing something wrong, the pod simply can not be made for the particular product you have chosen.  For products that will not work in a Product Pod, it is best to link to them using either Text Links or our Top Search Result ads found here: https://publisher.shopzilla.com/pp/links/dynamic/index.xhtml

Here are some ways to handle the appearance of digital cameras in your Top Search Result ads:
1. Wait at least thirty minutes to see if the ad showing digital cameras returns to normal or check our blog under ‘Announcements’ for any alerts as to whether or not we’re experiencing service issues.  Again, cameras are our default content for when something goes wrong.  We might simply be performing routine maintenance or experiencing brief program errors, so your ad might correct itself.

2. If the ad does not return to normal, try making a new ad.  We have been making lots of changes to our dynamic content service and altering some of our program rules.  It is possible that some products that you used to be able to link to are no longer available.  You might want to try using a slightly different keyword or not limit your search by category.

3. If you try to create a new ad and it simply will not let you, then you can either choose a new product/keyword or contact us for assistance. 

If you have any questions about this, please contact Talia Drake at tdrake@shopzilla.com.

Thanks!
Shopzilla Publisher Team