Australia's Most Controversial Ads In 2024: 4,000 Complaints, Few Violations

Despite receiving 4,000 complaints about ads this year, reflecting an increased public scrutiny, Ad Standards found that only two of the top 10 most controversial commercials actually broke the rules.

Among the most complained-about commercials were three fried chicken ads and a superannuation promotion that featured a "distressing" scream, reported The Guardian.

A total of 278 ads were reviewed, with complaints upheld for 88 of them, while the rest were resolved informally. The food and beverage industry attracted the highest number of complaints, followed by lingerie, entertainment, and gambling.

One particularly controversial ad featured superannuation provider Rest, where a man screamed after seeing a disfigured cake. This ad, which attracted 45 complaints due to the "distressing sounds," became the third most complained-about commercial of the year.

Red Rooster's ad, showing a young man stealing chicken at a skate park, sparked 55 complaints for "promoting antisocial behavior."

However, the most complained-about ad, with 69 complaints, came from KFC. In it, a daughter was surprised to find her mother emerging from the bedroom of a younger man. Sexual innuendo in this ad, along with another KFC ad featuring an awkward bedroom interaction, led to the complaints.

Other controversial ads included a mobile billboard for a Melbourne brothel, a Budget Direct ad with violent imagery, and ads for gambling, erectile dysfunction, and IVF treatment.

The majority of complaints focused on sexual references or nudity, with Ad Standards' communications manager, Rachel Tunney, pointing out that people often raised concerns about "mild" or "implied" sexual imagery.

"Issues around sex and nudity are our most complained about issue, which can be mild, like for example in the case of the KFC ads, where the sexual themes were more implied," Tunney said.

In another case, a poster of a woman draped in lingerie stands boldly at the entrance of a bustling Honey Birdette store, drawing the attention of shoppers in the heart of a crowded shopping center. While some saw it as eye-catching, others found it troubling, prompting a wave of complaints to Ad Standards.

Over the past year, the lingerie brand faced backlash for 31 of its ads, with 16 of them found to violate the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) code of ethics, ABC reported.

Complaints about ads have been rising year on year. In 2024, complaints surged from nearly 3,500 in 2023, which itself saw a 23% increase from 2022.

Are ads impacting community values?

Professor Gayle Kerr, an advertising expert from the Queensland University of Technology, believes this trend shows people are becoming increasingly aware of advertising and its impact on community values.

According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, ads must not be misleading or deceptive, with breaches potentially leading to penalties of up to AU$50 million. But, the AANA code of ethics, enforced by Ad Standards, requires companies to modify or cease ads that violate the code, though it does not impose financial penalties.

In 2023, Ad Standards updated the AANA Children's Advertising Code to cover all ads targeting children, not just those for children's products. Since the update, Ad Standards has received about 200 complaints related to children's ads.

As influencer advertising continues to rise, there have also been complaints about the failure to properly label sponsored posts. Since 2021, ads must be clearly marked as sponsored, and at least nine complaints have been filed regarding posts that didn't comply with this rule, with six of them upheld.