As of August 1, you will find us in our new office in Toronto at 33 Bloor Street East, suite 303 (just down the street from our current location). We’ve been at 175 Bloor St. E for 15 years and are all very excited about the change! The new office is an open-concept work space, which encourages better collaboration and more shared experience.

On July 1, we are moving our Montreal office from 2015 Peel Street to 505 René-Lévesque Boulevard West, 12th Floor, Suite 1250. We are happy to share the new space with two industry associations, the Association of Creative Communication Agencies (A2C) and the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA).

With moving comes a new Ad Standards work flow, which combines traditional in-office time with a two days a week work-from-home program. We are currently piloting this part-time work-from-home program and ensuring that we will continue to provide outstanding service and results.

We will send out official address change notices once we’re moved-in and we encourage visits to our new spaces.

On June 1, we officially began working with Spirits Canada to independently re view and report on complaints filed under its Code of Responsible Advertising and Marketing . This initiative will help ensure that Canadian spirits advertising is truthful, fair, and accurate. Industry self-regulation complements, supports and enhances governmental alcohol regulations, including the CRTC Code for Broadcast Advertising of Alcoholic Beverages and provincial liquor advertising guidelines.

Learn more: Spirits Canada’s  Code of Responsible Advertising and Marketing  Complaint Procedure

Bill C-45 entered its third reading in the Senate on May 31. Ad Standards recently had a call with Health Canada to seek clarity on a broad range of questions we have been asked by industry. Further questions for Health Canada can be sent to [email protected]  

On May 1, we released our latest consumer research. Conducted in 2018 by The Gandalf Group with a representative sample of 1,581 Canadians, the research studied consumer perceptions of truth and accuracy in advertising across media types, examined Canadians’ perspectives on Influencer Marketing and Social Responsibility Messaging, and compared Millennials to the general population.

Click here to view the research and findings.

This WFA Gender Portrayal study was recently released and is certainly worth a read. It makes a social and business case for ‘unstereotyping’ ads, includes real life case studies, and actionable tips for brand marketers. Ad Standards’ 2018 Consumer Perspectives Research also has a series of gender portrayal questions which align with the WFA’s focus.

Related to the Gender Portrayals Guide, Ad Standards supports the Canadian Creative Industries Code of Conduct , which aims to prevent and respond to harassment, discrimination, bullying and violence in creative industry workplaces. This important initiative represents a commitment by engaged stakeholders to shift the culture and ensure every workplace is one where safety, respect and professionalism are the norm.

In early June, the Competition Bureau issued their perspective on Influencer Marketing in their Deceptive Marketing Practices Digest - Volume 4. Their outlook is very consistent with the Ad Standards Influencer Marketing Steering Committee's Disclosure Guidelines. The Bureau also makes strong reference to the Committee and links to Ad Standards' website.

Join us on Tuesday, June 19, for the release of the new Influencer Disclosure Guidelines in French, which illustrate best practices for influencer marketing disclosure. Held at Infopresse in Montreal (4310 Saint-Laurent Boulevard), the event will feature presentations from Keisha Gnomes, Account Director, IZEA Canada and Aurélie Sauthier, President and Co-founder of Made In. It will also include a roundable discussion between knowledgeable industry professionals and an expereinced YouTube influencer. For more information, please contact Danielle Lefrançois.

Read the English Guidelines.

Ad Standards’ consumer complaint council recently reviewed a Pro Life OOH ad running in Lethbridge, AB. It was found to contravene the Code . Read more about the complaint and council’s findings .

Ad Standards received such a high volume of complaints about the ad that we placed a notice on our website advising all interested parties that the matter was being reviewed. Our 2018 Ad Complaints Report noted that these types of advocacy ads are becoming more common, and their use of public media space and direct tactics are attracting consumer attention. Consumer complaint numbers are a bellwether for Canadian public opinion, and the increasing number of complaints indicate that consumers are taking notice of ads they believe are not truthful, fair and accurate.