AN ADVERT for spreadable butter featuring celebrity chef Gary Rhodes was banned for a misleading use of statistics, it was revealed today.
The TV ad, for Flora Buttery, stated that more people preferred its taste to that of competitor Lurpak Lighter Spreadable.
But the research upon which the claim was made was based on just 200 participants, of which 96 selected Flora Buttery, representing a 3% difference between the two brands.
Advertising watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found that the result, from a sample size of 200, was insufficient to support a “preference” claim.
The ad features Gary Rhodes laden with buttered crumpets approaching shoppers and asking them to decide which was their favourite spread in a blind tasting.
Some of the crumpets are covered with Flora Buttery while others are smeared with Lurpak Lighter Spreadable.
