Ad description
A TV ad for Richmond Sausages, seen on 26 and 29 July 2017, featured a voice-over that said, “Richmond, proud to be the nation’s favourite”.
Issue
Three complainants challenged whether the claim “the nation’s favourite” was misleading and could be substantiated.
Response
Kerry Foods provided correspondence from a third-party market researcher. The information provided confirmed that their research showed that Richmond Sausages was the highest ranked brand in Value and Unit sales in the Fresh Sausage category in Great Britain for a 52-week period, including July 2017.
Clearcast said that because the evidence was supplied by an independent data company and was the most recently published data, they were satisfied that the claim had been substantiated.
Assessment
Not upheld
The ASA considered that “Richmond, proud to be the nation’s favourite” was an objective claim. We considered that consumers would interpret the claim to mean that Richmond was the best-selling sausage in Great Britain.
We considered that Kerry Foods had provided sufficient evidence to show that, at the time the ad appeared, Richmond Sausages was the best ranked and best selling sausage in Great Britain. We therefore considered that the claim had been substantiated and did not breach the Code.
We investigated the ad under BCAP Code rules 3.1 (Misleading advertising), 3.9 (Substantiation) and 3.33 (Comparisons with identifiable competitors), but did not find it in breach.
Action
No further action necessary.
