Kia and Volvo ads draw most complaints

Australia’s advertising watchdog has released its Top 10 most complained-about advertisements for the first six months of 2021 – and, as usual, the car industry has featured.

Two of the Top 10 ads on the latest ‘list of shame’ by Ad Standards – all of which were TV commercials shown on free-to-air channels – were from Kia and Volvo.

At number seven on the list is a Kia ad depicting three vehicles performing a J-turn simultaneously – the new Kia Sorento, Kia Seltos and Kia Carnival.

The ad drew 15 different complaints from people concerned it promoted “hoon behaviour” and “inflamed young impressionable minds”.

The Ad Standards board assessed whether the advertisement breached two clauses of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries’ Advertising Code for unsafe driving practices.

The Ad Standards panel assessed the advertisement and found that it breached Clause 2(a) of the FCAI Code for unsafe driving. Kia discontinued the ad on March 8.

Sitting at number eight on the list was a perhaps surprising nomination concerning the Volvo XC60.

The typically conservative Swedish brand raised 12 pairs of eyebrows for an advertisement that showed a woman falling asleep behind the wheel of an XC60, which prompted the SUV to automatically engage the lane keeping aid.

Complainants described the ad as “disturbing” and said it encouraged people to drive while fatigued.

The Ad Standards panel deemed the advertisement breached Clause 2(d) of the FCAI Code, which states that “advertising or marketing communications shall not depict material contrary to prevailing community standards on health and safety”.

“This year’s list of advertisements received 496 complaints between them, the lowest recorded in the history of Ad Standards’ reporting on mid-year case and complaint statistics,” Ad Standards said in a media statement.

“Seventeen advertisements have already been withdrawn this year after advertisers voluntarily modified or discontinued the offending content.”

At number one on the list was an advertisement which featured a man urinating on a building in promotion of an online domain provider.

Complainants raised a number of issues including discrimination against men, suggestions of nudity, and unhygienic behaviour. The complaints were upheld and the ad was removed.