Complaints about discrimination and vilification have dominated consumers’ gripes to the advertising watchdog this year, with complaints about car brand Ultra Tune’s treatment of sex and sexuality landing three of the brand’s ads in a list of the most complained about ads in 2016.
However, the Advertising Standards Board only upheld complaints against one of the Ultra Tune clips, which featured two women in a car that breaks down on train tracks. That particular ad received 208 complaints.
Read more: The 10 most complained about ads in 2015
Lingerie brand Honey Birdette also made it into this year’s list, after 59 complaints were lodged about one of its store window posters. The Ad Standards Board upheld the complaints on the basis that the images in the poster did not treat the issue of sex, sexuality and nudity with sensitivity, given the broad audience that could see the material in shopping centres.
An ad from Medibank Private that featured different family groups, including a lesbian couple and mixed race parents, was subject to 66 complaints. However, the watchdog dismissed the concerns.
Meanwhile, Meat & Livestock Australia took out three places on this year’s list, thanks to more than 700 complaints about its Australia Day commercial featuring SBS newsreader Lee Lin Chin.
The Ad Standards Board dismissed the complaints, which were in response to the content appearing on both free-to-air television and social media accounts, but the campaign is now the third-most complained about ad of all time, according to the Ad Standards Board.
“Discrimination and vilification is consistently one of the most complained about issues, along with sex, sexuality and nudity,” said Ad Standards Bureau chief executive Fiona Jolly in a statement.
“What we can see from this list is that the community is concerned about discrimination across a range of categories, including gender, race and lifestyle choices.”
The Ad Standards Board received more than 5000 complaints in 2016, which compares to more than 400 in 2015. Over a third of the complaints received were for the 10 ads listed below.
Broadcast on free-to-air TV; complaints dismissed.
Broadcast on free-to-air TV; complaints dismissed.
Broadcast on free-to-air TV; complaints dismissed.
Distributed on the internet; complaints dismissed (see above).
Broadcast on free-to-air TV; complaints upheld.
Distributed on the internet and via social media; complaints dismissed (see above).
Broadcast on free-to-air TV; complaints dismissed.
Broadcast on Free-to-air TV, complaints upheld.
Broadcast on free-to-air TV; complaints dismissed.
A poster that appeared in the windows of Honey Birdette stores; complaints upheld.
News Editor
Prior to joining SmartCompany, Eloise was news editor at Books+Publishing, the trade press for the Australian book industry. Eloise has degrees in media and communications, marketing and business management, and political science. You can follow her on Twitter at @ellykeating.
