An annual report from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has shown a record number of complaints against motoring advertisements.
Through 2008, complaints against motoring ads rose 80.3 per cent compared with 2007, with 1,745 adverts complaints. Overall advertising complaints were up 9.3 per cent in 2008, with 2,475 adverts being changed or withdrawn. The automotive sector was the sixth most complained about sector, after leisure, food and drink, computers and telecommunications, non-commercial, and health and beauty.
Although the statistics seem bad, 743 complaints related to one single advert from Volkswagen featuring a singing dog. The ad portrayed a dog singing confidently while sitting in the front passenger seat of a car – but shaking and looking cowed once outside. Some complainants were concerned about the welfare of the dog during filming. Others claimed the ads condoned animal cruelty or broke the Highway Code. No complaints were upheld, but the advert became the second-most complained about advert of the year.
Complaints regarding environmental claims were down in 2008, however the number of upheld rulings increased. In 2008, ASA carried out its first dedicated ‘Environmental Claims Survey’ and found that 94 per cent of ads with environmental claims were compliant with the advertising Codes. However, emerging technologies and differing scientific opinions meant there is a lack of official consensus on definitions and what can be called ‘green’. Set against this, ASA research last year revealed little basic understanding of environmental claims. It is not surprising, therefore, that complaints about environmental claims increased significantly over the last few years, reaching an all time high in 2007.
The ASA launched several initiatives in 2008 to help advertisers and the public understand what claims such as ‘environmentally friendly’, ‘renewable’ and ‘carbon neutral’.
Chairman of the ASA, Lord Smith said: “Companies should be aware of the rise in consumer awareness of environmental and ethical issues alongside confusion and scepticism. The ASA does not want to discourage companies from communicating their initiatives but to help them to do so in a credible and responsible way.”
