Day 046 - 04 Nov 94 - Page 50
1 along.
2
3 MR. MORRIS: I would prefer to avoid the break today and just to
4 continue.
5
6 (To the witness) Just a couple of other points. Can you
7 remember any clauses in your code of advertising practice
8 that relate to healthy eating?
9 A. The only one that I remember is that, if you are going
10 to be doing any kind of advertising in the nutritional
11 area, you are to get that checked off by the Creative
12 department and the Legal department and some other
13 departments. There was something in there that was about
14 that, but I believe that was the only part.
15
16 Q. So, in other words, the only thing in your codes relevant
17 to public health and nutrition is to get it checked out by
18 the department; there are no guidelines, apart from that?
19 A. There are no guidelines, apart from that.
20
21 Q. It does not really seem to have a very high priority, does
22 it, as opposed to the development of the characters and all
23 the other matters in the code?
24 A. You can make your own assessment of that.
25
26 Q. Yes. Finally, on this point, would it be fair to say that
27 you have an enormous task, as the person in charge of
28 promotions and advertising, or number 2, someone who is
29 here to represent that department, in dealing with a huge
30 credibility gap between the actual message you are trying
31 to get over when it is compared to the product which you
32 are trying to promote?
33 A. I do not believe so.
34
35 Q. Would you say that, in general, in advertising, the larger
36 the credibility gap, the more would have to be spent on
37 advertising to overcome it?
38 A. Again, I am not sure what you mean by a "credibility
39 gap". Many people enjoy going to McDonald's and so,
40 obviously, I think we feel very credible to those people.
41
42 Q. But in advertising would you say it is a general----
43 A. If you do not deliver of-----
44
45 Q. The poorer your product, the more you have to really
46 advertise to convince people to eat it?
47 A. I do not think so. I think at a point in time the
48 product is either accepted or rejected by the people that
49 use it. Advertising overall is not make that much
50 difference on a long term. If you are in the business for
51 30 years, or however long you are in business, the product
52 itself is the one that is going to determine whether people
53 patronise you or not. Advertising cannot work miracles.
54
55 MS. STEEL: Do you spend more money on children's advertising
56 than your competitors?
57 A. I believe so.
58
59 Q. Right. Quite a lot more?
60 A. Again, I am not familiar with the direct proportion of
