Oven chips company McCain has been reprimanded by advertising watchdogs over an ‘exaggerated’ promotion with a slim chance of winning.
The competition, which was linked to ITV soap Emmerdale, promised 28,000 prizes worth £3million, including Mini cars, pub meals and spa retreats.
But just 159 prizes were handed out – making the chance of winning anything just 0.05 per cent, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found.
Oven chips company McCain has been reprimanded by advertising watchdogs over an ‘exaggerated’ promotion with a slim chance of winning
The ASA said the packaging for McCain French Fries featured a ‘Great Village Raffle’ promotion stating: ‘Win instantly online – £3million of prizes available.’
The promotion said they could pick up ‘amazing prizes’ including ten Mini One Countryman cars, 5,000 gastropub meal vouchers and 500 country spa retreat vouchers.
Players were required to visit a website to enter a code from the McCain’s packet. The company said there were some 28,515 prizes in total, which included 10,000 chances to ‘Adopt a Piglet’ as well as Emmerdale acting classes.
The competition, which was linked to ITV soap Emmerdale, promised 28,000 prizes worth £3million, including Mini cars, pub meals and spa retreats
But the ASA found only 159 people won anything, and not a single car was won.
Upholding a complaint against McCain, the ASA said it had ‘significantly exaggerated the likelihood of consumers’ chances of winning prizes’. It also said any future so-called ‘instant win’ promotions must be conducted fairly.
McCain said players were told not all prizes would be won. It said its awarding system would not be used again.
The ASA also upheld a complaint against Highland Spring water which ran a promotion promising 10,000 instant prizes, including family breaks, train journeys and cinema tickets.
Players were given the impression that entering a code from the bottle into a website would determine whether a prize would be won. In fact, prizes were awarded according to the time and date people entered. As a result, the ASA said the promotion was misleading.