Q4 2023: a visual guide to ASA rulings

Have a look at our latest advertising infographics summarising key aspects of ASA decisions for the quarter (17 August 2023 to 16 November 2023). 

This quarter saw a 25% increase in the number of rulings published compared to Q3 (107 rulings this quarter, and 85 rulings last quarter), which is almost a 75% increase on rulings published in Q2 (64 rulings). Despite this, there have been fewer complaints this quarter (377 complaints, compared with 517 in the last quarter).

The average number of days between publication of the advert and the date of the decision is the same as last quarter (189 days). However, there was one ruling (EE Ltd t/a EE) where the advert was seen three years ago, which may skew the data, so the average number of days between publication of the advert and the date of the decision might in fact be lower than last quarter.

A higher proportion of rulings were upheld in full (92% of rulings this quarter compared with 86% of rulings last quarter), and fewer rulings were partially upheld (2% this quarter, compared with 5% in Q3 and 13% in Q2).

Most of the adverts complained of continue to feature on the internet or social media. This quarter, the main issues related to harm/irresponsibility, while last quarter misleading adverts were by far the most common issue. The topics most frequently seen in Q4  were "vaping, smoking and drugs", "health conditions" (which includes "medicines, remedies and therapies"), and "holidays, travel and motoring". 

Headlines 

• No. of rulings: 107

• No. of complaints (leading to a ruling*): 377

• Average no. of complaints per ruling: 3.5

• Average no. days between publication of ad and ruling: 189

Most complained about:

• Unilever UK Limited (8 November 2023): 137 complaints
• Eliza Rose Watson t/a elizarosewatson (23 August 2023): 30 complaints
• Norfolk Dinosaur Park Ltd t/a PrimEvil (15 November 2023): 12 complaints
• ThruDark Ltd (18 October 2023): 11 complaints
• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Foundation t/a PETA (23 August 2023): 10 complaints

We discuss the first and last rulings - Unilever and PETA - in more detail here.

Outcome of rulings

Type of complainant

Topic

In order of most common, the 'Other' category includes the following topics: Sports, leisure and hobbies; Medical devices; Gender, sex and relationships; Clothing, shoes and jewellery, Gambling; Promotions and competitions; Food, drink and supplements; Utilities, energy and environment; Home and garden; Computers, phones and telecoms; Beauty products, grooming and hygiene; Weight and slimming; Medical procedures and services; Privacy and popular culture; Animals and farming; Property sales and lettings.

There may be multiple topics for one ruling. 

Issue

There may be multiple issues in one ruling. 

Media type 

*An additional 173 complaints were informally resolved but, as details are not published, these are not included in any of our figures