Day 042 - 31 Oct 94 - Page 10

     
     1        their costs.
     2
     3   Q.   Does this happen on a national scale?  For example, let us
     4        say the Evening Standard -- it is not a national, it is a
     5        London daily paper -- they give us free McDonald's
     6        vouchers, they have some kind of promotion with McDonald's
     7        vouchers given out; yes?
     8        A.  Yes.
     9
    10   Q.   Is that some kind of mutual agreement, as well?
    11        A.  As in all these things, when two companies get
    12        together, it is a complete -- it is just a business
    13        arrangement.  They would be looking to us to provide
    14        something that meets their objectives and, similarly, we
    15        would be doing the same.  Depending on how much each of
    16        those is worth to you, you then try to come to an amicable
    17        agreement on who pays what costs.
    18
    19   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  What is the problem, Mr. Morris?
    20
    MR. MORRIS:  The problem is, if me and the next door neighbour
    22        have an agreement, so that I fix his windows if he looks
    23        after my kid once a week, there is no actual costs involved
    24        of that arrangement; it is a mutually agreed thing.  What
    25        we are trying to say is that McDonald's get an enormous
    26        amount of publicity, yes, in this country -- and probably
    27        everywhere else, as well -- and much of it does not seem to
    28        be in the area of strict advertising or contractual
    29        promotional activity.  Would that be a fair thing to say?
    30        A lot of it is generated through informal links, mutual
    31        agreements, general publicity, as news items?
    32        A.  Well, there are about three or four different things in
    33        there.  I think we basically generate publicity through the
    34        advertisings and the promotions and the activity we do,
    35        most of which, in some way, shape or form, is a business
    36        arrangement with someone.  Then, on the other side, if you
    37        are looking at what might be seen as, effectively, free
    38        publicity, you are talking about communications or public
    39        relations.  That is something totally separate.  It is also
    40        not under my remit.
    41
    42   MS. STEEL:   Do you know anything about nutrition?
    43        A.  Very little.
    44
    45   Q.   Because you were asked yesterday (sic) some question about
    46        whether it was true to say that -- hold on, I will find
    47        it -- that advertising might be bad, because the food
    48        served in your restaurants was bad for the children that
    49        went there, and you said that was not true.
    50        A.  I do not recall that. 
    51 
    52   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I do not recall it just like----- 
    53
    54   MS. STEEL: "There is a fourth possibility suggested by the
    55        Defendants in this case, and that is this:  a very good
    56        reason for keeping children out of your restaurants and for
    57        not advertising directly or indirectly in any way to
    58        children or their parents so as to get them into the
    59        restaurants is that when they get there what they are
    60        getting to eat is bad for them and may even be poisonous";