According to the latest report from Advertising Standards Canada (ASC), Canadian consumers are taking greater offence at ads that impact their wallets, not their sensibilities.
The latest Ad Complaints Report notes a “real uptick” in consumer complaints about ads deemed misleading or inaccurate, particularly when it comes to financially motivated claims.
Report author Janet Feasby, ASC’s vice-president of standards, ascribes the increase to various factors, including lingering economic malaise and ongoing consumer concerns about finances and employment.
“I’ve been with ASC for over 12 years and there’s definitely a big change in the types of complaints from when I first started,” said Feasby. “Most of them were about taste issues and ads that people found offensive, and now people really are concerned with price.”
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In 2003, for example, less than 17% of the 1,133 complaints made to ASC were about ads perceived to be inaccurate or misleading, while the majority were focused on Clause 14 of the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards (Code) pertaining to unacceptable depictions or portrayals. Fast-forward to 2012, and more than 40% of the 1,310 complaints made to the ASC were about misleading ads.
Feasby theorized that the shift could be attributable to several factors: evolving societal norms, changing demographics, increased exposure to international creative and more plentiful media choices.
Feasby said that ongoing public service announcements by ASC regarding ads that are truthful, fair and accurate might also have contributed to the increase in complaints about misleading ads. “We are highlighting that aspect in our PSA campaign, so that may also have something to do with it,” she said.
By The Numbers
ASC received a total of 1,310 consumer complaints regarding 1,057 advertisements in 2012. While that marked a 28% decline from 1,809 complaints about 1,153 ads the previous year, it was consistent with traditional complaint volumes.
ASC upheld 116 complaints regarding 87 ads last year. The majority of the upheld complaints, 95, regarded complaints alleging misle;ding or inaccurate advertising, including products that were unavailable during a promotion period, omitting relevant information, not clearly stating all pertinent details of an offer or containing unsubstantiated claims.
Consumers also launched 297 complaints about unacceptable depictions and portrayals, of which 16 were upheld against five advertisements. There were also 18 complaints made about safety, four of which were upheld against two advertisements.
In 2011, there were 553 complaints about unacceptable depictions or portrayals, 43 of which were upheld against eight ads. However, Feasby said that year was something of an “anomaly,” with some highly controversial ads – including an online ad for an Edmonton hair salon depicting a beaten woman – generating considerable consumer outrage.
Retail advertising generated the most complaints (247) in 2012, consistent with previous years. It was followed by the service category (157) and food (126). Automotive rounded out the top four most complained categories with 55 complaints.
ASC reported that a surge in ads promoting price-match guarantees also led to an increase in consumer complaints – a trend expected to continue as the retail environment grows more competitive.
The report cited an ad in a Canadian Tire flyer touting the retailer’s “Price Match Guarantee” that read “We’ll not only match any competitor’s price, we’ll beat it… on an identical item.”
Complainants to the ASC alleged that even though they provided proof that a competitor offered two of the advertised products at lower prices, staff at a Canadian Tire store in Winnipeg refused to honour the guarantee.
ASC found no language in the ad that excluded any Canadian Tire store from participating and concluded that the ad “contained a misleading claim, did not state all pertinent details of an offer and omitted relevant information.” Canadian Tire appealed the decision, but an appeal panel confirmed the original decision, said the report.
Television once again led all media with 559 complaints (43% of all complaints), nearly twice as many as the internet (280) and ahead of out-of-home (92) and direct marketing (88).
“I get a sense that [the public] is very vigilant,” said Feasby. “And we often get complaints from people who are quite knowledgeable.”
