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
