> When I looked into the claim a bit more, I was slightly annoyed to learn that the “nearly 2:1” claim is based on a study of just 1,000 participants. To be sure, I’ve often published studies with similarly small datasets, but it’s a little cheeky for Microsoft to base what might be a multi-million dollar advertising campaign on what I’m guessing is a low six-figure study.
He's right, but a sample of 1,000 is rigorous compared to most studies used in adverts. Give a product to 50 people and ask if they like it or not. That turns into 97% of people recommend our product!!
Since I live in a country with heavily regulated advertising I'm surprised that there isn't something to cover "sounding sciencey" or "sounding mathy". Certainly if the math is wrong you can get it changed.