Day 044 - 02 Nov 94 - Page 62


     
     1        jumping up?
     2        A.  They may have, yes.
     3
     4   Q.   That might have been a different ad.  What is the
     5        impression that a child gets about McDonald's food, about
     6        its hamburger, fries and shake when they all jump about and
     7        kiss the child in the advert?
     8        A.  Well, I think the children enjoy playing with
     9        characters and, if you watch them, they use puppets and
    10        other things that they are used to play with.  Often they
    11        will jump around and do the things that you are talking
    12        about, so I think that children enjoy watching that and
    13        enjoy the puppets.
    14
    15   Q.   Yes, they enjoy that, but you could have put anything on
    16        that children enjoy.  You actually put something with your
    17        food products kissing the child.  Is that to give some
    18        impression to the child about your food products?
    19        A.  No, I think it was just generally that they were having
    20        fun.  We put puppets in all those commercials that do
    21        represent or are characterisations of the food, but I do
    22        not have any significance to the actions that you describe.
    23
    24   Q.   Why do you not just have pictures of McDonald's food, real
    25        pictures of the food, in those ads for children, just:
    26         "There you are, this is what we are actually selling2?
    27        A.  Because I think characters and ronald mcdonald
    28        characterisations like that are the way that children
    29        relate to things at that time.  They enjoy those kinds of
    30        characters.  That is the way it talks about McDonald's
    31        being a fun experience and, certainly, going to McDonald's
    32        and eating the food is a fun experience.
    33
    34   Q.   But the food does not jump about in the stores, does it?
    35        A.  No, I do not think it does.
    36
    37   Q.   So why is eating the food such a fun experience then in
    38        McDonald's stores?
    39        A.  Because I think that they relate to those characters,
    40        they relate to ronald mcdonald and they relate to the
    41        experience in the store as well.
    42
    43   Q.   Right.
    44
    45   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Is it any more complicated than it is fun to
    46        watch the ad, it will be fun to go to McDonald's?
    47        A.  I think in its best form, that is exactly right.
    48
    49   MR. MORRIS:  They carry a memory of the ads with them when they
    50        go to McDonald's, so when they see the food -- I cannot 
    51        remember what you said -- if they carry it with them, 
    52        whatever, the ad? 
    53        A.  I am sure they have some impression that they carry
    54        with them as well.
    55
    56   Q.   Yes.  So, in fact, you are reducing food to the status of a
    57        toy or a cartoon character.  That is the child's
    58        experience, is it not?
    59        A.  I disagree with that.
    60

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