MMS sample images must not be placeholder or stock artwork

The requirementstatement

The attached MMS sample media must show the artwork the campaign will actually send, not a placeholder graphic or an unlicensed stock image standing in for it.

Severityseverity: HighHIGHRejected by at least one carrier or provider, and a common cause of failure at the rest.
When it bitesphase: Gates approvalapprovalGet this wrong and the brand or campaign is refused at registration.
What is checkedobject: campaign.mms_sample_media
Where it liveslayer: Message contentMESSAGE_CONTENT
How Ekas settles itdetectability: AI · visionVISION; Needs the pixels: a screenshot of the opt-in surface, a scanned paper form, an MMS attachment.
What the fix involvesfailureClass: Fix the fieldRETRY_FIELD; A better value in the form fixes it. Ekas can rewrite it and re-check.
Who requires itauthorities: AWS
When it appliesapplicabilityText: Applies when `mmsEnabled` is true.

Why this rule existsrationale

The picture is how a reviewer decides whether an MMS programme is what it claims to be, so a grey "image goes here" block or a generic stock photo leaves them judging the campaign on the caption alone — and campaigns that register with filler artwork are the ones that later send something else. The honest cause is usually sequencing: the artwork is still with the designer when the registration goes in, and a stand-in feels harmless.

How to fix itremediation

Replace each attachment with the finished creative for that message, carrying your own branding and your own products. Done when someone who has never seen your business could name it from the image alone.

A compliant exampleexample

acme-summer-sale.png: the Acme Coffee wordmark over a photo of the espresso blend on offer, with "20% off this weekend" set in the brand typeface.

Common mistakespitfalls

A licensed stock photo is still a fail here when nothing in the frame identifies the sender — the objection is anonymity, not the licence.

Provider rejection codescodes

The code you get back when this rule is what failed, and whether that provider lets you resubmit.

Provider	Code	Resubmit
AWS	NON_COMPLIANT_MESSAGE_SAMPLES	Yes

Rules you will hit next

2 other rules read campaign.mms_sample_media. Fixing one field to satisfy a single rule is how a resubmission trades one rejection for another, so read these before you change anything.

MSG-018An MMS campaign must attach at least one sample media fileBlockingBLOCKING MSG-019Each MMS sample file must sit under its per-type size ceilingBlockingBLOCKING MSG-049Opt-out instructions must name a recognised keywordHighHIGH MSG-060The opt-in confirmation must be the first message sentHighHIGH MSG-095Any shortener used must be dedicated to this senderHighHIGH MSG-098Links must not pass through multi-hop redirectsHighHIGH

All message content rules

MSG-020 is one of 122 message content rules in the 915-rule 10DLC registry. Free to cite under CC BY 4.0.