The most complained-about ads of 2022 are pretty tame compared to last year’s

Ad Standards, which manages the complaint resolution process of advertising’s self-regulation system, has released its list of the most complained-about ads of 2022.

PointsBet’s free-to-air commercials starring retired US basketballer and media personality Shaquille O’Neal took the top spot, mostly due to offence taken by some Aussie viewers who thought it depicted them in a negative light.

The ad received 42 complaints, but Ad Standards did not find it to be in breach of any of its rules.

Interestingly, with 42 complaints, the PointsBet ad would have only landed in eighth place in last year’s standings. In the most complained-about ads of 2021, there were two spots with more than 100 complaints, and a further five between 50 and 100.

The number one spot last year was Crazy Domains ‘Don’t get pissed on’, which provoked 285 complaints that were upheld by the Ad Standards Community Panel.

So, were the ads just a little more spicy last year? Or are fewer people watching TV or engaging with advertising in general? Or all of the above?

“The fact that none of the ads we investigated this year attracted a significant volume of complaints is a positive sign,” an Ad Standards spokesperson told SmartCompany. “It shows that advertisers are likely aware of the rules and would rather not cause offence or harm.”

All of the complaints in the list below were dismissed bar one: Nimble Australia’s ‘Bill Shock’, which was upheld. The complaints about this ad, featuring a man who cannot shut his mouth, described it as “degrading to the man and his disability”, “aimed at vulnerable people in our community and their carers” and degrading to people with facial disabilities.

In response to Ad Standards’ finding the ad in breach of section 2.1 of the advertising code, that “advertising shall not portray people or depict material in a way which discriminates against or vilifies a person or section of the community on account of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability, mental illness or political belief”, Nimble agreed to make a selection of changes to the ad.

1. PointsBet: Shaq and The Inspired Unemployed, with 42 complaints

2. Nimble Australia: ‘Bill Shock’, with 24 complaints

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3SmgrjvBrU

3. Uber Eats: Paris Hilton and the Irwin Family, with 23 complaints

4. Gotham City House of Sin’s billboard ad, with 21 complaints

5. Universal Pictures, The Black Phone trailer, with 18 complaints

Crazy Domains, Aussie Broadband, Grill’d, Wisr, It’s Normal, Honey Birdette and the SA Police all had ads last year that received more complaints than this year’s top spot. Granted, last year’s entries featured a drunk man urinating on a shop and a Ronald McDonald ripoff appearing to flash children in an alley, but plenty of others, too, received more complaints than this year.

“A high number of complaints about a particular ad can be indicative of widespread offence,” said the spokesperson, who also pointed out that it only takes one complaint for Ad Standards to raise a case, “as that one complaint can also be an indication of general community sentiment.”

Were commercials just a little more offensive last year? See for yourself here.