TORONTO – Driven by complaints about the non-commercial advertising sector, Canadians lodged more complaints about advertising in 2017, says Ad Standards.
In its annual Ad Complaints Report, Ad Standards said that it received 1,808 complaints from consumers about 1,322 advertisements in 2017, up from 1,639 complaints about 1,237 ads in the previous year. Of that, 1,172 complaints met the criteria for acceptance under the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards. While 224 were administratively resolved by staff, the independent Councils adjudicated 218 complaints about 72 advertisements. Of these, 173 complaints were upheld about 46 advertisements.
For the first time ever, Ad Standards received the highest number of complaints about advertising by non-commercial entities, with 320 complaints. This can be attributed to the 100 plus complaints submitted by consumers about images they found unacceptably graphic and disturbing used in advertising by an advocacy organization, reads the report. Retail advertising, the category that traditionally generates the highest number of complaints, followed with 200 complaints, while the health and beauty products category placed third, with 137 complaints. The telecommunications category placed eight in the top 10 with 93 complaints.
As usual, advertising on television, with 716 complaints, garnered the highest number of complaints of any medium. Digital advertising generated the second highest number of complaints with 410, and complaints regarding advertising in this category primarily related to advertising on advertiser-owned websites. Advertising on billboard, transit and other out-of-home media followed with 198 complaints.
Ad Standards is Canada’s national, independent, not-for-profit advertising self-regulatory body.
