Guy Parker, chief executive of the ASA, said that the total number was on track to reach 28,000, about 1500 more complaints than last year.
Parker attributed the upward trend to a 'more than typical amount of oddities' that had attracted high levels of complaints. He cited the 'There's probably no God'
bus-sides campaign, run by a coalition of atheist groups, as one example. The ad was the subject of 326 complaints before the ASA closed the case, dismissing gripes from those who said that they found it offensive and disrespectful.
However, the total number of ads that have attracted complaints is set to be down on last year to about 14,500 cases, 1000 fewer than in 2008.
Parker argued that the increase in complaints should be seen as a 'measure of success', adding that it reflected a high level of public awareness of the ASA, rather than a deterioration of advertising standards.
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