Whiskas’
claims that “nine out of ten cats prefer” its cat food pouches to other products are unscientific, ruled advertising watchdogs the Independent Television Commission (ITC) yesterday.Go deeper with GlobalData
Responding to a complaint lodged by rival pet food producer Friskies, the ITC claimed that some of the information given on Whiskas’ television commercials was misleading and ambiguous.
Whiskas claimed that 90% of respondents to a survey preferred the pouches to tinned foods however, only 12% of the 1.4m consumers sent the survey, and the free food samples, actually responded. The Commission ruled that the survey was unscientific, but did uphold the 90% figure despite the small number of respondents.
Whiskas was also vindicated in its handing out of free samples, which the ITC says did not make the survey biased or unfair.
