Large Cosmetic Companies TV Ads

maginot

To get your actual number of people, just divide the total number of people asked by 100.

This will give you 1% of those asked e.g. 2.21 people.

Then multiply this number by the percentage you are trying to find.

So in this case, 2.21 x 79.

The percentage does not change if you reduce the sample size. However 221 people is not really a big sample. Also, as mentioned above, questionnaires can be easily skewed, depending on previous questions asked and also how the question itself is asked. I would say 79% is rubbish, if carried out by themselves.

Apples2

marmitepotato wrote: »

What is the percentage in real 100% terms?

Something to raise a smile on a Sunday morning..:)

paddyrg

What strikes me most about those statistics (which may as well be made up)...

Sample size (I have seen as low as a sample size of 44 women)
Sample population makeup (the exclusions will get rid of anyone too old/young/wrinkly/etc who skew the results away from the ideal demographic)
Subjective clauses (..."who expressed a preference...", "...said they thought their wrinkles appeared less visible..." (Than bare skin? Than another product? Than an elephant?)
Spurious white coats
Highly leading/skewed questions

And even with all this balls-out manipulation they have to use numbers like 79%. More than one in five of the sample group couldn't find anything positive to say about the product, despite all the statistical manipulation.

fadetogrey

paddyrg wrote: »

What strikes me most about those statistics (which may as well be made up)...

Sample size (I have seen as low as a sample size of 44 women)
Sample population makeup (the exclusions will get rid of anyone too old/young/wrinkly/etc who skew the results away from the ideal demographic)
Subjective clauses (..."who expressed a preference...", "...said they thought their wrinkles appeared less visible..." (Than bare skin? Than another product? Than an elephant?)
Spurious white coats
Highly leading/skewed questions

And even with all this balls-out manipulation they have to use numbers like 79%. More than one in five of the sample group couldn't find anything positive to say about the product, despite all the statistical manipulation.

I seen those ads also and always wonder about the sample being 44 or 72 etc,why not round it up or down to either 40 or 70?or is that part of the hoodwinking?

barbiedoll

To steal a quote from Ben Goldacre (author of "Bad Science").......

"79% of women who were given a free pot of expensive face cream, said that their faces felt smoother"

Well, they would say that, wouldn't they?

:rotfl:

paddyrg

fadetogrey wrote: »

I seen those ads also and always wonder about the sample being 44 or 72 etc,why not round it up or down to either 40 or 70?or is that part of the hoodwinking?

I suspect they start with far more but adjust the sample group to reject dropouts, unsuitable candidates, etc.

Maysie

I am very dubious of any of these statistics after taking part in a trial for a well known shampoo. After a week i was constantly itching my head. Week 2 i was drawing blood and my hair was really greasy. so i stopped using the product. When they rang me to go through results i said i stopped using it so i was told they could not take any more details from me. So that was me out of the results (would have been very negative!).

Back to the op Out of 221 .....very odd number..... how many where originally in the trial i wonder and why did they drop out?

paddyrg

Good one this morning - 88% agree that it is better than other creams they've used (or something like that). Turn that statistic inside out, 12% think it is worse than any other cream they've ever used. Turning those claims inside out gives you great insights

soolin

I'm also fascinated at the make up adverts that appear to suggest their products are terrible. They show a full set of lashes with mascara and then say at the bottom of the screen 'model styled with added lashed and photo enhanced. So false lashes and photshopped- basically therefore they are admitting their product is terrible.

Or watch the small print at the bottom of some of the hair products- they often state that model has additional hair extensions or 'not models own hair'- so again 'our product is so rubbish we have to use a wig!'

Limey

Lies, damned lies and cosmetics adverts. :rotfl: