{"id":6755,"date":"2022-02-11T11:38:15","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T10:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sortlist.co.uk\/blog\/?p=6755"},"modified":"2022-02-11T11:38:17","modified_gmt":"2022-02-11T10:38:17","slug":"uk-ad-complaints","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www-uk.sortlist-test.com\/blog\/uk-ad-complaints\/","title":{"rendered":"Ad Complaints in the UK: The Most Complained About UK Adverts of All Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Advertising is the major form of communication between a company and its potential consumers and advertisements have the main goal of informing or influencing their viewers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaining and holding the attention of consumers is never straightforward, and modern advertisers often employ novel and creative ideas to try and achieve this. From time to time, however, this sort of out-of-the-box thinking can lead to more negative outcomes than positive ones.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key to avoiding complaints in advertising campaigns is to stay relevant to your audience and communicate with them in clever, fun, and novel ways, without causing offense or breaching ASA codes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Sortlist<\/a>, we help put talented people together by pairing companies with creative agencies that are right for them. Whether you’re looking for advertising agencies<\/a>, animation studios, or SEO experts, Sortlist can find the right agency for you no matter where you are in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By exploring the official ASA<\/a> website, we were able to record ad complaint rulings for 35 well-known UK companies. Data on the number of complaints, rulings, and reason for ruling have all been investigated, so we can show you which ads rack up the most complaints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Top Ten Most Complained About Ads of All Time <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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To explore what really made the public livid when it came to advertisements we scoured the internet to locate and report the ads which received the greatest total complaints. From car crashes to animal cruelty, we count down the UK\u2019s top ten most complained about ads of all time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Paddy Power – Oscar Pistorius<\/strong>: 5,523 Complaints<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The most complained about ad of all time, with a whopping 5,523 complaints is Paddy Power\u2019s 2015 campaign. The bookmakers offered punters their money back if Pa<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    ralympian Oscar Pistorius was cleared of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp after the tragic incident in 2013. The advert featured Pistorious superimposed on a statue of an Oscar award alongside the tagline \u201cIt\u2019s Oscar Time. Money back if he walks\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Many of the complaints resulted from the mockery of Pistorious\u2019 disability and the jovial attitude towards Steenkamp\u2019s death. Pistorius was convicted later that year and sentenced to 13 years in prison.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Tesco – Father Christmas\u2019 COVID Passport<\/strong>: 3,000 Complaints<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      In the runner-up position for most complained about advert of all time is also 2021\u2019s winner, with over 3,000 complaints so far. This TV campaign featured Father Christmas on his way to deliver presents across the world and using a COVID vaccine passport to get through airport security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The vast majority of complaints asserted that the ad was coercive and encouraged medical discrimination based on vaccine status, likely receiving negative attention from the anti-vax movement.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0P7QSCLtRwI\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
      1. Booking.com – \u201cBooking\u201d<\/strong>: 2,500 Complaints<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        In 2015, Booking.com decided it was a clever idea to employ the repeated use of the word \u201cbooking\u201d as a substitute for something much more explicit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Over 2,500 members of the British public complained and suggested that the adverts were likely to encourage swearing in children where the ad was aired during ad breaks for children\u2019s films such as Harry Potter and Paddington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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