Advertising Standards Bureau - Review of Operations 2013 | Page 30

The Board’s view
Applying the Codes and
Initiatives
When considering complaints about advertising,
the Advertising Standards Board is bound by
section 2 and 3 of the AANA Code of Ethics.
This Code determines what issues the Board can
look at when considering complaints. These issues
fall broadly into 10 categories:
•

discrimination

•

e
xploitative and degrading images

•

violence

•

p
ortrayal of sex, sexuality and nudity

•

u
se of language

•

h
ealth and safety

•

a
dvertising to children (including the
AANA Code for Advertising and Marketing
to Children)

•

m
otor vehicle advertising (the FCAI
Voluntary Code for Advertising of
Motor Vehicles

•

•

28

f
ood and beverages advertising (including the
AANA Food and Beverages Marketing and
Communications Code, the Quick Service
Restaurant and Australian Food and Grocery
Council Initiative)
e
nvironmental claims (Environmental Claims
in Advertising and Marketing Code)

The most complained about issue in 2013
was the portrayal of sex, sexuality and nudity
accounting for 23.2 per cent of the complaints.
This is a change from the previous year where
discrimination and vilification was the most
complained about issue.
Complaints about violence almost tripled from
5.9 per cent in 2012 to 16.1 per cent in 2013