Featuring dangerous driving in an Austin Mini, line dancers versus the Open Polytechnic and the many misdemeanours of Hell Pizza. Originally published by The Spinoff. For as long as there have been ads in New Zealand, there have been people complaining about them.
Fifty and a bit years ago, a lightning rod for those complaints was established in the form of the Advertising Standards Authority. The Committee of Advertising Practice, as it was known back in 1973, was set up with the goal of “ensuring advertising was socially responsible, truthful and not misleading”, says ASA chief executive Hilary Souter. And while both advertising and society have changed a lot in the last 50 years, that goal remains pretty much the same today.
Back in the early 70s, controversial ad fodder included things like dangerous driving, smoking, “slimming” and the depiction of bank notes. These days, meanwhile, “stereotyping and advocacy issues” account for an increasing number of complaints. Released this week, the ASA’s 2023 Annual Report includes a look back over its first half-century, revealing the top five most-complained-about New Zealand ads of all time.
Yes, the Toyota “bugger” ad is in there, but it’s only number five. We’ll get to that list soon, but first, some other facts, figures and milestone complaints. By the numbers The ASA has received over 25,000 complaints in its lifetime, with 98 per cent of those complaints in the last 33 years.
The highest number of comp.