Does a program's segment about desserts cross the line when the hosts praise a particular brand of butter?
Here's the Situation:
The culinary program DELICIOUS & DECADENT includes a segment about desserts. During the segment, the hosts fret about the bland taste of many popular butters, making them poor choices for buttercream frosting and other sweets. The hosts then discuss the creaminess of the gourmet brand Buttery Best. While the hosts never actually mention Buttery Best by name, the Buttery Best packaging appears prominently on screen four times. The packaging includes the name Buttery Best; it also has a lavender color that is easily recognizable to consumers.
There are two close-up shots, about two seconds each, that show the hosts preparing to slice the butter so that they can taste it. There are two other close-up shots, about five seconds each, that show the packaging while the hosts chat about the butter’s taste, making comments such as “Wow, this butter is so rich and flavorful!” and “This butter is perfect for baking.”
In preparing for this segment, the producer of DELICIOUS & DECADENT researched different butters and identified Buttery Best as a well-reviewed product. The producer then asked if Buttery Best would supply DELICIOUS & DECADENT with butter for the hosts to review. Buttery Best enthusiastically agreed, sending the program several dozen sticks of the gourmet butter at no cost.