More than 1,400 written complaints about nearly 960 advertisements were received last year by the country’s advertising watchdog, it emerged today.
This was a 12% fall on the number of objections received in 2020.
A total of 1,450 written complaints concerning 959 advertisements were received by the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) in 2021.
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The travel and holiday sector attracted the greatest number of objections (207), followed by ‘leisure’ (151), and ‘household’ (145).
New rules were introduced last year aimed at restricting the promotion of food and drink that is high in fat, salt and sugar [HFSS products]
The regulations apply to non-broadcast media and while the ASAI Code is not legally binding it is considered best practice.
Orla Twomey, CEO of the ASAI, said: “[Last year] saw the ASAI continue to deeply engage in all our service offerings.
“In particular, there was a valuable increase with both our influence and strong contributions in the area of policy and code, including recognising and supporting that the new media commission will oversee the new regulatory framework for online platforms based in Ireland and the introduction of new rules for advertising of high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products that apply to non-broadcast media and include both restrictions on the amount of HFSS advertising and on the content itself.
We also continued our engagement with influencer marketing through the #InfluencerMarketing webinar we hosted where we outlined the research previously carried out, showing the importance of authenticity and transparency.
“The requirement for ASAI contributions in these areas, all of national importance, are indicative of the place we hold as an acknowledged expert on setting standards for advertising.”
Elsewhere, the ‘digital media’ area had the highest number of complaints in the media sector (696), representing 48% of all protests.
Other complaints related to broadcast media (TV and radio combined) totalled 603, while outdoor media attracted 67 complaints, an increase of almost 50% on 2020.
The ASAI annual report found that 73% of the complaints made last year were on the basis that an advertisement was misleading, while nine per cent were made on the basis that an advertisement was offensive.
There were also a wide range of other issues raised by members of the public, including concerns about health and beauty, motoring, food and beverages, telecommunications and alcohol advertising.
There were 1,614 complaints received by the ASAI last year and 1,903 in 2019.
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