The internet has overtaken television as the most complained-about advertising medium in the UK, with campaigns from “fake” government websites causing a surge of concerns among consumers.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) reported a rise of 35 percent in the number of people complaining about digital campaigns last year. The number of complaints generated by online adverts increased by almost 3,500 to 13,477, with consumers using social media and petition websites to register their hostility to campaigns they considered misleading.
The total number of complaints about all UK advertising rose by a fifth last year to a record 37,073 complaints.
In its annual report, the ASA said: “We're responding to and ensuring we keep pace with the rapidly changing media landscape, such as our ongoing work with vloggers [video bloggers].
“The importance of that is underlined by the fact that, for the first time, the internet overtook television as the most complained about medium with 13,477 complaints about 10,202 ads.”
A new trend of concern is the rise of copycat websites, which mislead people by appearing to be official government websites and often charge a premium for their services. Two cases involving companies which offer passport renewal services appeared in the top 10 most complained-about adverts across television, print and online.
The ASA upheld complaints against IQ Channels, which advertised a “check and send” passport service with the claim “Welcome to the UK Passport application assistance service.” The company was told not to “misleadingly imply that it was the official HMPO” and also criticised it for failing to make clear that the fee for the service did not include the fee levied by HM Passport Office for a passport.
The body also took action against a website offering a “European Health Card” for a fast-track fee of £24.99 (R463) . This was misleading since consumers would not have been aware that the European Health Insurance Card could be obtained from the NHS for free. Instead of including clear disclaimers on the site, the website europeanhealthcard.org.uk published an application form on its home page, perpetuating the impression that it was an official channel.
The ASA launched a wider investigation into misleading claims, imagery and logos on “fake” government websites. It backed the awareness campaign #StartAtGOVUK.
Guy Parker, the ASA chief executive, said: “Social media platforms helped mobilise mass complaints about a small handful of controversial ads, but the total number of ads complained about was actually down.” – The Independent