Same ad in two units

Seeing the same ad presented in two units

[btas2]

OK, so AdSense now allows multiple ad units on a page.

So I tried a 5 ad skyscraper (600 x 160) and a 4 ad skyscraper (600 x120) on the same page. I got ads in both - but on one of the ads appeared in BOTH units!

I though that this was now supposed to be impossible.

In fact the bottom ad in the 600 x 160 skyscraper (which comes first in the source code) seems always to appear as the top ad in the 600 x 120 skyscraper.

Anyone else seeing this "bug"?

Since it violates AdSense rules I'm a little worried about runing two units on a page.

[kotetsurain]

Check the page again in a few mintues. I have two at one of my sites, and one of them was merely a mirror image of the other until a few minutes had passed.

[Jenstar]

Could also be affiliates using the same cookie cutter adwords ad (some programs "suggest" PPC ads and many affiliates don't change them). I have seen what I thought were the same ads, but a right click will show a different affiliate URL.

[camper]

Or no ads in either unit. I put up two ad blocks on my top-earning page, both showed ads, then just one showed ads, now neither one is showing ads.

[btas2]

Well, no change in the last hour. I'm still getting 5 ads in the large skyscraper and 4 in the small one, so all the "slots" are filling. Bottom ad in the 160 x 600 block is the top ad in the 120 x 600 block.

Identical ad, identical wording, identical URL. It's the same ad.

Maybe it's just this 600x160 plus 600x120 combination that's finding a bug in the AsSense server software.

I suppose if I still see it tomorrow it's time for email to Google.

[spharalsia]

So why does the TOS still state that running duplicate ads on the same page is a violation? I'm also worried about getting booted because of the same ad appearing twice in different ad units. Are they just covering the possibility that someone will manipulate the code to force the same ads to appear twice? ASA...?