In a record year, a gambling advertisement showing a man naked from the waist up presumably ‘manscaping’ is now the most complained about ad in Ad Standards’ history. The previous most complained about ad was in 2014 for an online dating website, aimed at married people looking to have an affair, with 481 people lodging complaints against the ad.
“It’s been the biggest year yet for Ad Standards, with two of the most complained about advertisements in 20 years, and stats that show the community understands the advertising codes protect community standards and that Ad Standards acts on their concerns,” Ad Standards Chief Executive Officer, Ms Fiona Jolly commented.

Ms Jolly explained that Nearly 800 complaints were received about the 2018 manscaping ad, reflecting ongoing community concerns about sexuality and nudity, violence, and health and safety in advertising. The new record second place is a TV ad showing a woman aggressively hitting a piñata in front of a group of children. The 715 community complaints received raised issues of concern about the depiction of anger and violence especially in front of children. Ms Jolly also said that the new figures from Australia’s independent advertising complaints adjudicator, Ad Standards, show a record number of over 6,600 complaints received in 2018, with a third of these related to advertisements in the top 10 list. Jolly added that in 2018, four of the 10 most complained about advertisements were upheld by the Ad Standards Community Panel. These were found to breach the AANA Code of Ethics and were removed by the advertisers. This included two advertisements for films with violent or horror content.

“All of the ads in the top 10 list are from free-to-air television which highlights the importance for advertisers to ensure their content is appropriate for the relevant audience,” Ms Jolly commented.
Ms Jolly said that while community concern about violence was prominent in the list, other issues covered under the AANA Code of Ethics were also raised in complaints received about the top 10 ads in the list. The top three community concerns in 2018 were violence, sex/sexuality/nudity, and discrimination or vilification in advertising.
“Sex and discrimination or vilification are consistently some of the most complained about issues. This year shows increased community concern about discrimination across gender and disability,” Ms Jolly commented.
To help advertisers ensure ads comply with the advertising codes, Ad Standards now provides a copy advice service online through their website.