Kadam review: banner, native, push and popunder ads for publishers and advertisers

What is Kadam?

Kadam (kadam.net) is a self-serve advertising network operated by Kadam Advertising Ltd in Limassol, Cyprus; its site dates the service to 2012. It connects publishers who sell ad space with advertisers, media buyers and agencies who buy traffic, and also trades through RTB partners.

Formats on both sides:

• Banner (display) ads in standard sizes such as 300x250, 728x90 and 160x600
• Native teaser widgets that blend into the page
• Push notifications and in-page push
• Popunder (Kadam calls it clickunder), a tab that opens after a click
• Video (VAST) and Direct Link traffic

Each account gets a personal manager, and an in-house anti-fraud system checks traffic.

Kadam for publishers

Moderation has two stages. First the content: Kadam rejects unfinished or nearly empty sites, sites built from stock website-builder templates, Blogspot blogs, iframe traffic, homework and essay sites, "wrapping" and paid-to-click services, and anything illegal. Then the numbers: the site needs at least 500 unique users a day over the last 14 days. After launch the traffic quality team can stop traffic or ban a partner for bots, iframe traffic or technical losses.

Useful tools for publishers:

• Direct Link can be generated at once, without moderation; until you have one approved site the number of links is limited.
• Smart Mediation connects your accounts in other ad networks by API to a Kadam ad unit and shows the best-paying offer per traffic segment.
• A publisher API, detailed statistics and an integration guide for AdSpyGlass.

Some sensitive ad categories are off by default. You can change the blocked categories only through support or your manager, not in the panel. Kadam's public pages don't say how publishers are paid (revenue share or fixed CPM), so ask your manager before you place the code.

Publisher payouts

Payday is Thursday; a withdrawal must be ordered by Wednesday 15:00 UTC. First you add a wallet with your details, and Kadam moderates it before the first payout.

You can order several payouts in a row if your balance exceeds a method's maximum.

Kadam for advertisers: pricing and rules

Advertisers can run campaigns themselves or hand them to Kadam's team, which offers full campaign management at no extra charge: creatives, landing pages, GEO selection and ongoing optimization.

• Payment models: CPC, CPM and CPA Target, where you set a target cost per conversion and the algorithm adjusts bids (push, in-page push and popunder only; needs postback).
• Deposit: the first top-up is at least $100, by PayPal (handled manually), Paxum, USDT or bank card in USD/EUR; wire transfer for companies.
• Limits: up to 30 campaigns per account and 20 creatives per campaign; a daily spending cap starts at $50. Push campaigns can't start with $20 or less on the balance, and popunder campaigns stop at $10.
• Moderation: a teaser is reviewed in 30 minutes on average.
• Targeting: site categories, GEO, device, gender, age and interests (Kadam warns these are estimates), black and white lists, retargeting pixel.

Kadam publishes a refund procedure for bot traffic: if a check by site finds bots, you get a full refund; if bot-generating platforms are found, twice the amount; and if an extra check you requested confirms your claim, five times.

Alternatives

For a publisher with a smaller site, the Mondiad review covers push, native and banner ads with low payout thresholds, and the EvaDav review covers a network with no minimum traffic. If you already work with several networks, AdSpyGlass is a mediation tool that Kadam integrates with. For advertisers buying popunder and push traffic, compare AdOperator. More options are in affiliate and ad networks.