Advertising Standards Canada (ASC) is preparing to introduce the newest iteration of its ongoing “Truth in advertising” campaign.
The new campaign from Anderson DDB, “Creativity is subjective – but the truth isn’t,” is ASC’s first since 2010. It was developed under the leadership of Anderson DDB’s executive creative director, Tony Miller.
The bilingual TV, print, radio, out-of-home and digital campaign launches in January, with Canadian media companies expected to donate approximately $10 million in time and space over the course of the year.
Janet Feasby, vice-president, standards at ASC in Toronto, said consumer research found that Canadians are naturally skeptical of advertising, and the campaign is intended to communicate that there are standards in place for advertisers.
“The more consumers know that there’s a code and that the industry supports it, the more confidence they have in advertising,” said Feasby. “People have different perceptions about whether they find something offensive or not, but the truth is black and white.”
The campaign is built around forms of creative expression that could be perceived as genius or head-scratchingly awful. One 30-second spot, “Painting,” features an artist working in his studio, flinging paint at a canvas and occasionally stopping to appraise his work.
The result is an entirely white canvas entitled “The Pensive Blizzard” that is selling for $14 million. The spot ends with the super “Creativity is subjective – but the truth isn’t,” and a callout to ASC. Another spot, “Pianist” shows a concert pianist taking the stage to applause, before giving a performance that consists of banging his head on the keys.
A series of static ads continue the theme, with one showing a home painted purple with floral patterns, and another featuring a screenplay entitled “Rubber bands have feelings too,” all accompanied by the “Creativity is subjective…” tagline.
ASC’s most recent consumer research report, Consumer Perspectives on Advertising, found that 67% of Canadians have at least a “somewhat favourable” view of advertising.
However, 42% of respondents said they have recently been exposed to unacceptable advertising. The top reason for an ad being deemed “unacceptable” was for a misleading or unrealistic depiction of an advertised product or service (24%), while a sexist portrayal was the second most cited reason (21%), followed by sexually explicit content (15%). At the other end of the spectrum, 1% of respondents deemed an ad unacceptable because of poor grammar.
Concerns over truth in advertising have supplanted traditional complaints about sexist and sexual portrayals in advertising in recent years, which the ASC ascribes to the current economic climate. “As Canadians are more focused on their pocketbooks, they may also be less patient with advertisements that promise the product as a ‘better value for money’ than it actually is,” the report stated.
