A pub belonging to former Tipperary hurling star Lar Corbett has been rapped over the knuckles by the advertising watchdog for its use of an image of Jesus drinking a pint, while the Dealz retail chain was deemed guilty of objectifying men.
Auctioneering firm DNG Doyle fell foul of the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) because a property advert it ran claimed a house it was selling was 35 minutes from the centre of Dublin when the peak travel time typically ranged from 45 minutes to more than an hour.
Independent News & Media incurred its wrath for suggesting league tables showed "the best schools" when they showed schools with the highest percentage progression rates to third-level colleges.
Details of these complaints and more were contained in the ASAI's independent Complaints Committee report published on Monday.
All told, 15 of 20 advertisements were found to have been in breach of the ASAI code with misleading advertising, decency and recognisability among the reasons cited.
The person who complained about the Lar Corbett-owned Coppinger’s pub advert had two problems with the poster.
"She felt it was promoting alcohol in a way that could be harmful and, as a Catholic, she was highly offended by the picture depicting Jesus Christ holding a pint," said the ASAI.
Objectifying man
A person was moved to complain about Dealz because its Harry the Hunk adverts “objectified man’s body in an unnecessary way which had no connection to the products that were being sold”, according to the report.
“He felt this type of advertisement would not be allowed if it featured a woman in her underwear advertising the same products. He said the advertisements for cleaning products could have been viewed by anyone on the advertiser’s website, including children,” it adds.
Social media influencers Dominique Nugent and Grace Mongey, who operates under the moniker Faces by Grace, fell foul of the watchdog because their posts had not been identified as advertising material.
Another person complained about a house advert from DNG Doyle because he believed it was misleading as it claimed a property was 35 minutes from Dublin city centre.
"He said this was clearly not the case as a search on Google Maps revealed that at peak times travel time from the property to Dublin city centre typically ranged from 45 minutes to one hour and five minutes," notes the report.
Another complaint was made about INM’s school league tables as they did not show “the best schools”, as an advertisement stated, but those with the highest percentage progression rates to third level colleges “which was not a definition of ‘best school’ ”.
VHI just not there
Not all complaints were upheld. One person objected to the VHI slogan “when you need us, we’re there” on the basis that an eye procedure for her daughter was not covered by the VHI. “She said that contrary to the advertisement VHI are not there when you need them.”
"The last complaints bulletin of 2018 once again highlights our ability to handle complaints across a large number of mediums," said ASAI chief executive Orla Twomey.
“In particular, the ASAI has seen significant growth in the area of influencer marketing in recent years.
“Bloggers and those who carry significant influence on social media are becoming increasingly more prevalent within the world of advertising. However, it is essential that bloggers observe the ASAI code and recognise their responsibilities both to their audiences, to consumers and to society.”
