Flora Buttery – Gary Rhodes’ Mission
4 November 2008 by SilkyGary Rhodes is on a mission.
A mission to see if taking the bucketful of dirty cash from Flora makes up for sobbing himself to sleep every night since selling his spiky haired soul to a margarine company?
No, not really, Silly.
He’s on a mission to see which is better: Flora Buttery or a euphemistically named “leading spreadable from a butter brand” (or Lurpak Lighter Spreadable as the small print simultaneously tells us).
And there’s only one way to find out which is better… FIGHT!
Oh no, that’s a different programme.
It turns out the only way to actually find out which *is* better is to travel round the shopping centres of this once great country in a bright yellow VW Camper Van with a giant, half-eaten crumpet on the roof.
A feat that is so undignified that he may as well have strapped himself to the bonnet naked from the waist down, covered his buttocks with lashing of Flora Buttery and screamed “FLORA BUTTERY MAKES YOUR BUNS TASTIER” at passers-by as he’s slowly driven round the Coventry ring road.
Ironically kissing good bye to his last ounce of self-respect with his own ring, as he goes.
And amazingly there’s worse news yet for Gary; after doing all the terribly derogatory stuff in the shopping centres it turns out that the survey produced results that would make a cosmetics company hang its head in shame.
48% of the 200 people Gary Rhodes could bring himself to ask chose Flora Buttery. That’s a whopping 96 people.
Only 45% chose Lurpak Lighter Spreadable. That’s a minuscule 90 people.
The small print on screen also has the decency to tell us that 7% had no preference. These 14 heroes of our time are the only glimpse of sanity in this ridiculous “6 people prefer our spread” fiasco of an advert by simply stating that they had no preference as to what they spread on their crumpets before cramming them down their offence hole.
I imagine that Lurpak are devastated by these findings and I really can’t see a way for them to find a way back into the spreadables – or “butterique”, as I like to call it – market after that result.
I. Really. Can’t.
Or as I mean to say: 3% variance on such a small sample actually means “Sweet Fanny Adams”.
Spread that one on your crumpet Flora.
UPDATE
As Robert says in his comment below, the ASA has banned this advert in it’s current form. They’ve concluded that :
We concluded that the claim “More people prefer the taste of Flora Buttery” had not been supported with sufficiently robust evidence and was therefore, likely to mislead.
Most shockingly of all, this whole affair has revealed a more sinister and worrying un-truth: it wasn’t Gary Rhodes who did the survey after all – it was a “third-party research organisation”! And I thought Gary really cared about whether we preferred Flora Buttery or Lurpak but it turns out he was just pretending all along.
Shame on you, Gary Rhodes! Shame on you!
Just How Bad is this Ad?
(22 votes, average: 4.45 out of 5)
22Responses:
Hannah
Said on the 4 November 2008
PLUS- Gary Rhodes features on UKTV Food which is sponsored by Lurpak! The hypocrisy!
Helsie
Said on the 4 November 2008
I love these adverts, if only for the bad-ad-maths. Wow! 48% of people- well, that must be at least a gazillion then. Or 96 back on planet reality.
I’m blinded with science! But with modern educational standards being what they are ie easy peasy no-one will really notice the truth, written in teeny writing at the bottom of the screen for half a second. Phew. Do you think the crumpet might roll magestically off the roof, flattening Gary Rhodes and ending the whole sordid affair?….
Ian
Said on the 5 November 2008
As an economist, I wouldn’t use that sample to show anything, especially when he’s travelling across the country. What did he only manage to speak to 5 people a day?
Pete
Said on the 5 November 2008
Gary Rhodes buttery buttocks , curse you Silky, that’s an image that will take much drink to make disappear
Helsie
Said on the 6 November 2008
Maybe Gary only managed to speak to 5 people a day re his buttery crumpets as they were the weak, the sick & the lame i.e. those not quick enough to escape the spiky haired, wooden-limbed, cyborg dancing fool, driving around in a crumpet topped VW camper….
Well really, would you chat to him, or avoid eye contact eh?
Mrs Anne Adams
Said on the 29 November 2008
wher can you buy Flora Buttery as I cannot find in my local suppermarket?
Lynsey
Said on the 30 November 2008
I made my first ever complaint to Advertising Standards when I saw this advert! And now they’ve changed it. Respect statistics forevermore!
Silky
Said on the 2 December 2008
Good for you, Lynsey!
I’ve not noticed the changes yet, I must pay more attention…
richard
Said on the 6 January 2009
what have the statistics been changed to? i’ve watched the shameless advert twice recently and it’s still got the same horrendous statistics at the bottom.
the only thing those statistics prove is that actually there are more people who don’t prefer flora buttery (52%, = 45% + 7%) to those who do! (48%).
shocking.
Robin Irwin
Said on the 8 January 2009
I was outraged by this ad and came across this post! If you account for the full stats in the sample, more people do not prefer Flora -> fact!
48% – prefer flora
45% – Lurpak
7% – no preference.
So how can you say that more people preferred Flora – lie! Only true if you were to ignore some of the sample i.e. the 7% , and I’m afraid you can’t choose to ignore some of your sample just cause they don’t give a damn!!
Naomi
Said on the 26 January 2009
couldnt agree more. spotted the outrageous figures at the bottom. been wanting to compain to advertising standards agency and get a public apology from them. anyone in?
Also has anyone thought that the comparrison was between a full fat product and a low fat product. o the test itself if unfair to begin with. and EVEN that didnt produce a win for flora.
it is utterly incorrect and must be removed and a public apology made for trying to manipulate the public. now how to i go about complaining!!??
Adam
Said on the 9 February 2009
I complained to Advertising Standards about this abuse of statistics. They tell me that “it has already been brought to our attention and is being investigated”. Actually, putting a complaint in was very easy. Naomi, I suggest you google ASA and complete the online form yourself!
Better than all these people worrying about if Jeremy Clarkson is being offensive.
CovertJellyfish
Said on the 9 February 2009
You can’t trust the survey, even if you asked ten thousand people, because if you present two samples to one person and ask if he has a preference nine times out of ten they will say one or the other, no matter if they have a preference or not. This is proven by simple games theory. Your test is flawed, your sample is undersized, and you emulsify vegatable oil and call it “buttery”. Don’t spread shit on my toast and tell me it’s “buttery”. I’d tell them to stick their spread up their arse, but surely they are saving that for the German Ad…..
Robin Irwin
Said on the 10 February 2009
I should have said that I also complained… same response: “it has already been brought to our attention and is being investigated”.
Joshua
Said on the 12 February 2009
The voiceover man says “Most prefered Flora Buttery”, but that’s clearly wrong. 48% said they prefered it, 52% didn’t say they prefered it.
If my Maths GCSE serves me well, 48% is less than 52%.
Susan
Said on the 21 February 2009
And another thing…I’ve just bought Flora Buttery out of necessity because it was all that was available in my local corner shop. It tastes bl@@dy horrible. I’m a spreadable butter fan, usually Lurpak lighter and this stuff does NOT in ANY WAY resemble butter. THAT has got to be wrong hasn’t it? Who says it’s buttery? Flora do, certainly. But who the heck. I’d like to know, in their development department tasted this $h!t and said “Mmmmm tastes so buttery”. It doesn;t taste buttery and it certainly doesn’t taste better than any spreadable butter I’ve tasted. Did they mention the age of the 48% who “preferred” it? I bet they were 90 and had lost most of the sensitivity in their tastebuds. What a con
Robin
Said on the 22 February 2009
Lynsey and others – you may be aware of some developments on the complaint to advertising complaints. I plan to post some stuff in due course this week to update you. It is very interesting!!!!
Robin Irwin
Said on the 25 February 2009
ASA upheld my complaint and others:
http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Public/TF_ADJ_45824.htm
NJL
Said on the 28 July 2009
I was in this advert….the 3 nano-seconds at the beginning and genuinely chose Flora Buttery over the alternative. I take your point that the numbers don’t stack up at all, and that needs to be redressed, but those who are in it, including Gary Rhodes are rarely privy to this information. It was not scripted or set-up, i’m not 90, nor am I blind, stupid or hard of hearing…….I was in it and I only ever saw the ad twice so it strikes me as a sad inditement that you must have watched it enough times to discuss the finite numbers instead of policing your OWN words used on this forum about those less fortunate than yourselves such as the ‘weak, sick or lame’. Time to get a life me thinks!!
Robin Irwin
Said on the 28 July 2009
I guess you could give Gary the benefit of the doubt NJL. I guess its possible you do an ad, get paid and not pay attention to the facts and how you and the product may be misrepresented. And for you NJL – I guess you were just used. I recommend checking out the advertising standards statement. Maybe you should concentrate on tasting butter, learning some basic maths and upholding civil rights for everyone – I’m sure you’ve got a valid point in there somewhere – can’t quite see the relevance myself of your rant.
Tarquin Fintimblimwimlim Biscuit-Barrel
Said on the 28 July 2009
Is it tongue-in-cheek that the sponsored ad on this Flora Buttery page is for a company that does spread betting, ‘Spreadco’?
Another Ad Hater
Said on the 30 July 2009
This advert had “FAIL” written all over it to begin with. I was thinking “what the fuck?” when I saw the godawful statistics on the screen. A 3% difference really is so insignificant and is too low for anyone to give a damn about it. So glad this got banned!
Now the Flora adverts still suck and we get someone banging on about how drinking Flora Pro-Activ can lower cholesterol. One of the most boring piece of shit ads ever!
Also, the Flora Pro-Activ Challenge “episodes” were just stupid. It’s like watching some shitty documentary. And what happens after they’ve shown all 5? They fucking REPEAT them the next week after the last one has been shown. Goddamn it Flora, stop boring us!