TORONTO – Canadian consumers complained more about advertising in 2016, particularly about ads that they believe are inaccurate, misleading, or do not clearly disclose all details and important conditions of an offer, says the Advertising Standards Canada (ASC).
In its annual Ad Complaints Report, the retail advertising sector continued to generate the most complaints with 225, followed by 184 for non-commercial, a category that includes advertising by governments, charities, advocacy groups, and other not-for-profit organizations. The cars and motorized category received 157 complaints, closely followed by health and beauty with 144, while telecommunications ranked fifth out of the 10 categories with 118 complaints. Over half (59%) of pursued complaints alleged inaccurate or misleading advertising.
Due to its broad reach, advertising on television, with 652 complaints, garnered the highest number of complaints of any medium. Digital advertising generated the second highest number with 439, primarily related to advertising on advertiser-owned websites. This was followed by complaints over brochures/flyer advertising with 165, the out-of-home medium with 155, and advertising on the radio with 82 complaints.
Overall, the ASC received 1,639 complaints from consumers about 1,237 advertisements last year. Of that, 1,108 complaints met the criteria for acceptance under the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards. While 178 were administratively resolved by staff, the independent Councils adjudicated 86 complaints about 51 advertisements. Of these, 44 complaints were upheld about 30 advertisements.
Advertising Standards Canada is the national, independent, not-for-profit advertising self-regulatory body that administers the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards, the principal instrument of advertising self-regulation in Canada.
