15% rise in ad complaints

The number of complaints about advertising rose by 15 per cent in the past year, with alcohol advertising registering more objections…

The number of complaints about advertising rose by 15 per cent in the past year, with alcohol advertising registering more objections than any other type.

The findings come from the annual report of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASAI), the industry regulator, which was published yesterday.

In all, the ASAI received 495 complaints about 391 advertisements. Ninety cases were upheld and the advertisers were required to amend, withdraw or not repeat the offending advertisement. Travel or holiday advertisements were the second-most complained about sector but the level of complaints was half that of the previous year.