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Some of the ads on Twitter aren’t looking quite right. Several users on the platform’s mobile app say they’re seeing an image of Twitter’s logo in place of the advertisement paid for by Amazon, Sky, and the sportswear company On Running.
The ads affected by this issue show the advertiser’s name, along with what looks like the intended caption. However, instead of linking to the advertiser’s website, the busted ads link to Twitter.com and have “DPA_Placeholder” as the heading for the link. In advertising, DPA stands for “dynamic product ads,” which suggests there might be an issue affecting Twitter’s ability to display the right ads.
I wonder how much @amazon paid for this ad with a placeholder pic that links to twitter dot com p…
So far, the issue only seems to be affecting ads on mobile from the main Amazon account and its Amazon Fashion sub-brand, along with On Running and Sky. A search for “DPA_Placeholder” on Twitter revealed that a New Balance ad was also affected by the issue in August 2022.
Some of the ads from Amazon received over 15 million views, according to users’ screenshotted view counters, while ads from On Running and Sky reached over 1 million people. It’s not clear how many people saw the ads without the right content or exactly what is causing the problem. Either way, it’s not a great look for a platform that’s attempting to court advertisers and just hired longtime ad executive Linda Yaccarino as its CEO to repair those frayed relationships.
The Verge reached out to Amazon, Sky, and On Running with requests for more information but didn’t immediately hear back. Twitter responded to The Verge’s email with a poop emoji.
