AD COMPLAINTS RISE IN 2002
By Adnews Staff
Consumers submitted 1,828 complaints about 870 advertisements to Advertising Standards Canada last year, according to the organization's 2002 Ad Complaints Report released yesterday. The number of complaints is up from the previous year. In 2001, 1,164 complaints about 815 ads were received. According to the standards body, the increase is mainly due to two out-of-home campaigns that together received approximately 600 complaints. One of those campaigns was for radio station K-Rock 97.3 in Alberta. The other campaign was not identified, as advertisers are only named in the report when complaints about their advertisements are upheld, said Janet Feasby, director of public affairs and communications for Advertising Standars Canada. In 2002 a total of 206 complaints about 51 ads were upheld. The year before 161 complaints about 75 ads were upheld. Last year the three categories of advertising which received the most complaints were media (182), retail (148) and food (139). The three media to receive the most complaints were out-of-home advertising with 840 complaints, television with 591 complaints and newspapers with 96. Advertisers named in the report include Discovery Computers, Westfair Foods, Dollar Max Superstore, Carter GM Pontiac Buick, Microcom 2002, Vidéo Super Choix, Grand Prix Auto, Wal-Mart Canada, The Buck A Day Company, Le Bifthèque Restaurants, RadioShack Canada, Les Aménagements Lamontagne, Eagle Ridge Pontiac Buick GMC, Saeco Ontario, MINI Canada, Rock 101, Clothing For Modern Times and Contak Audio Sport. An additional 27 unnamed advertisers were also cited. These advertisers withdrew or changed their ads after they were informed a complaint had been received.