TORONTO – The gross, the overly sexual and the misleading were – as usual – the top types of advertisements Canadians complained about in 2005.
Advertising Standards Canada today released its 2005 Ad Complaints Report. ASC received 1,271 complaints from consumers about 804 advertisements (a drop of 17.5% over 2004) and:
* 58 complaints concerning 52 advertisements were determined to contravene the Advertisers’ Code by the independent volunteer Consumer Response Councils (Councils)
* The retail advertising category garnered the highest number of complaints (209)
* 46% of all complaints related to advertising on television.
Click here for the report and here for a few examples of bad ads.
"In 2005, many consumers cited concerns about advertisements they
believed were inaccurate, lacked clarity, or omitted pertinent information," said Janet Feasby, vice-president, standards. "Councils upheld more complaints under Code Clause 1 (Accuracy and Clarity) than under any other clause," added Danielle Lefrançois, communications manager (French Canada).
Advertising Standards Canada is the advertising industry self-regulatory body. ASC administers the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards, the principal instrument of advertising self-regulation in Canada, and accepts complaints from consumers about advertising. ASC’s members include leading Canadian advertisers, advertising agencies, and media organizations.
