Day 300 - 14 Nov 96 - Page 26
1 homes as a constant reminder of McDonald's. That is bundle
2 page 149.
3
4 MR. JUSTICE BELL: This is pink 7 still is it?
5
6 MS. STEEL: No, this is pink 10, the operations manual.
7
8 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Page again?
9
10 MS. STEEL: 149, bundle page. It is 653 of the actual
11 operations and sales manual. On that page is says, "The
12 McDonaldland Fun Times magazine is the most widely
13 circulated children's magazine in the world." Obviously,
14 that is a massive advertising about children effort,
15 whatever.
16
17 Another thing that should be added to the McDonald's
18 advertising budget to children is that on page 154 there is
19 a reference to school shows which says that "Through a
20 series of magical and funny, non-commercial events, each
21 with a lesson, ronald mcdonald can entertain and teach
22 children in schools in your trading area. They are 40
23 minute shows and the book with Ronald emphasises reading
24 and the kids receive a bookmark which gives them a free
25 cheeseburger or hamburger at McDonald's..." et cetera, et
26 cetera. The most interesting part to McDonald's is that
27 this brings them and their families into McDonald's, which
28 is obviously what it is all about. It is not about being
29 helpful to children and encouraging them to read. It is
30 about encouraging them to come into McDonald's and spend
31 money.
32
33 On the point that Mr. Rampton was saying this morning,
34 about children not being any more impressionable to ads
35 than adults, on day 44, page 43, line 24, Mr. Green said
36 that certainly children are impressionable, and then you
37 asked, "What I think is being put to you is this, children
38 are particularly easy to impress via advertising or in any
39 other way. Do you agree with that?" He said, "I think
40 that children are relatively easier to impress than may be
41 someone who is older, but I do believe, at least from my
42 point of view and experience, that children are fairly
43 sophisticated about what they like or do not like." That
44 part is really by the by. Then he says, "The most
45 impressionable, which would be the very young children,
46 really I believe look at McDonald's and McDonald's
47 advertising as entertainment and not much more than that."
48
49 Well, that is precisely the point. They do not see it as
50 advertising, they see it as entertainment. They associate
51 McDonald's with fun, rather than with selling them
52 products, and so they are being duped by the company to
53 either go and spend money there themselves or to hassle
54 their parents to go and spend it for them.
55
56 Further on on that page there was reference to Ronald
57 McDonald being a strong marketing tool. Over the page,
58 page 44, Mr. Green said, "Yes, he is a strong marketing
59 tool." He was asked, "So effectively he is being used to
60 increase the profits of the corporation?" He answered
