The latest Ad Standards Review of Operations has been released, highlighting the concerns and complaints of the Australian public over the last year around the advertising they engage with.
More than 4,500 complaints were lodged in 2021, an increase of 33% when compared to 2020. The Ad Standards Community Panel considered a total of 315 cases and upheld complaints about 85 individual ads.
The most complained about ad in 2021 was a Crazy Domains TV ad that received almost 300 complaints and was subsequently taken off the air.
The top issues of concern in 2021: sex, sexuality and nudity, followed by health and safety.
Ad Standards also received a higher number of complaints compared to previous years about distinguishable advertising, following the update to the Code of Ethics in 2021 in response to the growing influencer marketing industry in Australia. The most complained about product category was food and beverage.
The report also found that while complaints about environmental claims were low, this was increasing year on year as brands try to align their products and services to the environmentally-friendly expectations of consumers.
As with past years, ads seen on free-to-air TV generated the greatest number of complaints, followed by social media. Ads seen on TV on-demand attracted more complaints than ever before as Australians continue to subscribe to on-demand services in increasing numbers.
Research conducted that looked at community perceptions of advertising and what Australians consider acceptable and unacceptable revealed that 1 in 3 Australians has seen advertising they found unacceptable.
Unsurprisingly, given the top issues of concern the report unveiled, 56% are concerned about the use of sexual appeal, while 49% of Australians are concerned about advertising targeting children.
Ad Standards administers the advertising industry codes and manages the complaint resolution function of Australia’s advertising self-regulation system.
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