The AANA’s Ad Standards has published its annual list of the top 10 most complained about ad from the more than 4,000 complaints the advertising complaints handling body deal with in 2024.

The Ad Standards Community Panel assesses whether an ad breaches the advertising rules by considering factors such as current community standards, the likely audience, and the context in which the ad appears. If an ad is found to be in breach of the rules, Ad Standards directs the advertiser to change or remove it.

Topping the list was a KFC ad, which drew 69 complaints. The ad featured a woman leaving the bedroom of a younger man, much to the surprise of her daughter. Complaints concerned the depiction of sexual themes.

Following closely behind in second place was Red Rooster, for the second consecutive year. Their ad, which depicted a skateboarder stealing chicken, drew 55 complaints revolving around the promotion of anti-social behaviour and theft.

In third place, with 45 complaints, was a spot from Rest superannuation that depicted a woman holding a disfigured cake followed by a man letting out a high-pitched scream. Complaints raised issues with the ad’s depiction of distressing sounds, insensitivity and discrimination.

Two of the top ten ads were found to be in breach of the advertising rules. One was a mobile digital billboard from Gotham City promoting a brothel, which received 28 complaints to rank seventh on the list. The other was a home insurance ad from Budget Direct featuring a pool cleaner that comes to life, which was complained about 22 times to land in tenth position. The remaining eight ads, despite receiving complaints, were found to comply with the advertising rules by the Ad Standards Community Panel.

Also making it into this year’s top ten were online gaming site Zynga, KFC (in a second appearance), men’s healthcare retailer Pilot, Monash IVF, and Youi insurance.