Automotive brands were responsible for two of the top 10 most complained about advertisements in 2013.
Ads for the Nissan Pulsar and Jeep Compass ranked fifth and sixth respectively on the list complied by the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) based on official complaints submitted by members of the public.
Nissan was forced to modify its commercial for the Pulsar SSS hatch twice this year after an original edit failed to adequately address concerns that it demonstrated dangerous and illegal behaviour and promoted unsafe driving.
The Pulsar SSS hatch commercial – which features a man racing through the streets to get his pregnant wife to the hospital and recording a personal best time – attracted 31 complaints from offended viewers.
Also attracting 24 complaints was Fiat Chrysler Group Australia’s ad for the Compass, which features a woman’s dog urinating on and humping the legs of men in a park.
Despite being widely criticised for being unnecessarily vulgar, the ASB dismissed all complaints, allowing Jeep to continue to air the ad unchanged.
The most offensive advertisement of 2013 was a television commercial for Tooheys Extra Dry that features a man at a party whose mouth detaches from his face and jumps onto the bench to talk to him. It attracted 66 complaints – 24 more than the second-ranked ad – but like the Jeep ad all were dismissed by the ASB.
ASB CEO Fiona Jolly revealed this year’s crop was relatively inoffensive compared with previous years, however, with some advertisements attracting up to 220 complaints in the past.
