Advertising over the internet has attracted more complaints than direct mail for the first time this year, triggering concerns over stricter policing of web campaigns. According to the annual report of the Advertising Standards Authority, complaints about online advertising shot up by 33 per cent in 2006, making the web the third most criticized medium after television and the national press and go beyond direct mail. On the other hand, there was a 14.5 per cent drop in the total number of complaints across all media even as the number of individual campaigns criticized reached a record high of 12,842.
The ASA has received complaints about over 12,800 advertisements, its annual report revealed. Approximately 2,500 advertisements were then changed or withdrawn. The biggest rise was witnessed in online advertisements, for which the ASA wants tighter rules. The television advertisements attracted the most complaints in 2006.
Religious offence, violent imagery and same-sex kisses dominated the top ten most complained-about advertisements of the year. An advertisement launched by the Gay Police Association, featuring a Bible to highlight religious motivation behind homophobic incidents, was the most complained advertisement for the year 2006. It received a total 553 complaints, with people finding it offensive to Christians and discriminatory in tone.
