Half of Americans Voice Frustration with Cold, Stick Butter

Business Wire, Nov 16, 2007

Recent Country Crock (R) Survey Reveals Many Consumers' Frustrations with the Daily Fight to Spread Stick Butter on Toast

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. -- Everyday, thousands of innocent pieces of toast are being torn apart by stick butter. More than half (53%) of U.S. adults admit to being annoyed with this un-spreadable reality, according to a Shedd's Country Crock(R) Save the Toast survey.

The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive among 2,800 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, helped gauge America's frustration with stick butter and was a step towards making toasts feel "whole" again. Americans rank spreading stick butter on toast as a top frustration (53%) just behind waiting for ketchup (59%) to drip out of the bottle. Women are more likely than men (59% vs. 47%) to be annoyed by the challenge of spreading stick butter.

To help bread lovers liberate themselves from stick butter, Country Crock started a "toast-a-lution" on SaveTheToast.com earlier this month. To date, over 10,000 toast enthusiasts have joined the online movement. On the site, toast lovers learn how to live stick-butter-free, watch toastimonials from the bread victims and sign a petition to Save the Toast, for a high-value coupon for Country Crock Spreadable Butter with Canola Oil.

In the past three months, nearly 3 in 5 adults (57%) have spread stick butter on a toasted bread item. Among these adults, only 10 percent find it easy to use stick butter right from the fridge, and more commonly, half (50%) claim that stick butter is hard to spread and tears their bread. Further, of these butter-and-toast eaters, more than half (60%) leave the stick butter out of the fridge before use and 15 percent actually microwave it.

Country Crock Spreadable Butter is made with real butter and just a touch of canola oil so it spreads straight from the fridge. Plus it contains half the saturated fat and half the cholesterol per serving (9 grams total fat and 3.5 grams of saturated fat) versus regular butter. Available nationally in 12 oz and 18 oz tubs that retail for $3.30 and $4.65 respectively.

Methodology

This Toast study was conducted online within the United States on behalf of Country Crock between October 19 and October 23, 2007 among 2,818 U.S. adults ages 18 . Results were weighted as needed for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region, and household income. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online. All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the U.S. adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to be invited to participate in the Harris Interactive online research panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About Unilever

Unilever (NYSE: UL, UN), one of the world's largest consumer products companies, aims to add vitality to life by meeting everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care. Each day, around the world, consumers make 160 million decisions to purchase Unilever products. The company has a portfolio of brands that make people feel good, look good and get more out of life.

In the United States these brands include recognized names such as: Axe, "all," Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Hellmann's, Knorr, Lipton, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Snuggle, Suave, Sunsilk and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever in the United States employs approximately 13,000 people in more than 60 office and manufacturing sites in 24 states and Puerto Rico - generating nearly $10 billion in sales in 2006. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com.