Top 10 most complained about ads

An Ultra Tune television commercial (TVC) featuring two women dancing around in skin-tight latex outfits and the tagline 'we're into rubber' has emerged as Australia's most complained about advertisement for 2016.

The Ultra Tune ad, which also ranked as the second most complained about ad of all time behind an Ashley Madison TVC featuring married men singing ‘I’m looking for someone other than my wife’, attracted 418 complaints in 2016.

Despite this and claims of discrimination, exploitation, sexuality and nudity, the complaints were dismissed and the TVC allowed to continue on air.

In fact, seven of the top 10 most complained about advertisements, as reported by the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB), attracted criticism for discrimination and vilification.

“Discrimination and vilification is consistently one of the most complained about issues, along with sex, sexuality and nudity,” said ASB CEO Fiona Jolly.

“What we can see from this list is that the community is concerned about discrimination across a range of categories, including gender, race and lifestyle choices.

“But while discrimination and vilification were prominent, the other five issues covered under the AANA Code of Ethics were also raised in complaints received about the 10 advertisements in the list,” Jolly said.

She said in 2016 two big campaigns, which were broadcast over a variety of media, were the recipients of larger numbers of complaints. This resulted in two advertisers taking up six of the spots in the top 10 list.

In 2016, three of the 10 most complained about advertisements were upheld – meaning they were found to breach the AANA Code of Ethics and had to be removed or modified.

“Of the three upheld complaints one was upheld on discrimination against women, another for violence and the other was upheld for both exploitative and degrading depiction of women and inappropriate use of sex, sexuality and nudity,” said Jolly.

The ASB received more than 5000 complaints about advertisements in 2016 – more than a third of which (1941 complaints) were for advertisements in the list of 10 most complained about.

No other automotive ads featured in either list, but two subsequent Ultra Tune TVCs, which launched the company's ‘Unexpected Situations’ ad series, ranked fifth and seventh on the 2016 list.

One featured the same two women – Laura Lydall and Parnia Porsche -- stuck in a car on train tracks, which was upheld, while the other showed the women in a car that goes off a cliff after being put into the wrong gear, which was dismissed.

The latex-clad 'Ultra Tune girls' first made their TVC debut in 2014 and following a public outcry the first ad was removed, only to be reinstated a month later on both commercial and free to air TV.

Following the public criticism to the TVC promoting Wimbledon and tyres in January this year, which included 3AW's Michael Carr-Gregg and Neil Mitchell labeling the Ultra Tune ad as disgraceful and sexist, the 'rubber girls' wrote an open letter to The Age and 3AW defending their work and asking why they didn't see the funny side.

"Surely as independent strong women, we are allowed to choose without fear of prejudice or hurtful judgments about what we wear, how we look and the form of work we choose?" they wrote.

"We think you are being too politically correct, taking cheap shots and missing the whole point of the commercials. Don’t you have a sense of humour? Don’t you see the point of the adverts? Can’t you see the funny side?"

Last year a number of complaints were levelled at McDonald's and KFC TVCs -- as well as Holden for its VFII Commodore TVC -- for bad driving behaviour , but all three cases were dismissed.

Ten most complained about ads 2016:

1. Ultra Tune Australia
TV -- free to air
Two women in skin tight outfits dancing with the tagline ‘we’re into rubber’.
Dismissed
Complaints: 418
Issues of concern: Section 2.1 - discrimination, Section 2.2 - exploitative and degrading and Section 2.4 - sex, sexuality and nudity.

2. Meat & Livestock Australia Ltd
TV -- free to air
Newsreader Lee Lin Chin gives the instruction to commence ‘Operation Boomerang’, a mission to rescue Australians from various countries so that they will be able to eat lamb on Australia Day.
Dismissed
Complaints: 376
Issues of concern: Section 2.1 - discrimination, Section 2.3 - violence and Section 2.6 - health and safety.

3. BCF
TV -- free to air
Advertisement promoting boating camping and fishing gear which used the phrase ‘BCFing fun’.
Dismissed
Complaints: 248
Issue of concern: Section 2.5 - language

4. Meat & Livestock Australia Ltd
Internet
Newsreader Lee Lin Chin gives the instruction to commence ‘Operation Boomerang’ - a mission to rescue Australians from various countries so that they will be able to eat lamb on Australia Day.
Dismissed
Complaints: 241
Issues of concern: Section 2.1 - discrimination, Section 2.3 - violence and Section 2.6 - health and safety.

5. Ultra Tune Australia
TV – free to air
Two women are in a car which breaks down on train tracks.
Upheld
Complaints: 208
Issues of concern: Section 2.1 - discrimination, Section 2.2 - exploitative and degrading and Section 2.4 - sex, sexuality and nudity.

6. Meat & Livestock Australia Ltd
Internet – Social – Other
Newsreader Lee Lin Chin gives the instruction to commence ‘Operation Boomerang’ - a mission to rescue Australians from various countries so that they will be able to eat lamb on Australia Day.
Dismissed
Complaints: 130
Issues of concern: Section 2.1 - discrimination, Section 2.3 - violence and Section 2.6 - health and safety.

7. Ultra Tune Australia
TV – free to air
Two women are in a car which goes off a cliff after being put into the wrong gear.
Dismissed
Complaints: 113
Issues of concern: Section 2.1 - discrimination, Section 2.2 - exploitative and degrading and Section 2.4 - sex, sexuality and nudity.

8. Roadshow Film Distributors Pty Ltd
TV – free to air
Advertising for upcoming horror movie.
Upheld
Complaints: 82
Issue of concern: Section 2.3 - Violence

9. Medibank Private Ltd
TV – free to air
Showed different family groups and highlighted that their product would be good for all of them.
Dismissed
Complaints: 66
Issue of concern: Section 2.4 - sex, sexuality and nudity.

10. Honey Birdette
Poster
Window poster showing woman from behind in revealing underwear.
Upheld
Complaints: 59
Issues of concern: Section 2.1 - discrimination, Section 2.2 - exploitative and degrading and Section 2.4 - sex, sexuality and nudity.

Five most complained about ads of all time:

1. Ashley Madison - Avid Life
TV – free to air
Married men singing ‘I’m looking for someone other than my wife’.
Dismissed (although later upheld in case 0036/15)
Complaints: 643
Issues of concern: Section 2.1 - discrimination, Section 2.2 - exploitative and degrading and Section 2.4 - sex, sexuality and nudity.

2. Ultra Tune Australia
TV – free to air
Two women in skin tight outfits dancing with the tagline ‘we’re into rubber’.
Dismissed
Complaints: 418
Issues of concern: Section 2.1 - discrimination, Section 2.2 - exploitative and degrading and Section 2.4 - sex, sexuality and nudity.

3. Meat & Livestock Australia Ltd
Internet
Newsreader Lee Lin Chin gives the instruction to commence ‘Operation Boomerang’ - a mission to rescue Australians from various countries so that they will be able to eat lamb on Australia Day.
Dismissed
Complaints: 376
Issues of concern: Section 2.1 - discrimination, Section 2.3 - violence and Section 2.6 - health and safety.

4. Nando’s Australia Pty Ltd
TV – free to air
Woman in business suit describes how she can't afford to have cravings at work -- then we see her wearing a g-string and pole-dancing.
Dismissed
Complaints: 359
Issues of concern: Section 2.1 - discrimination and Section 2.4 - sex, sexuality and nudity.

5. Stuart Alexander & Co Pty Ltd
TV – free to air
Man's nipples get longer as he eats Mentos and he walks around town using them to do various things.
Dismissed
Complaints: 283
Issues of concern: Section 2.1 – discrimination, Section 2.4 - sex, sexuality and nudity and 2.6 health and safety.