Day 044 - 02 Nov 94 - Page 45

     
     1        and promote a worldwide food service corporation and make
     2        profits out of the children?
     3        A.  No.  I think most of those other characters are in the
     4        business of entertaining children, as well as selling and
     5        promoting those characters as well.  If you go into any toy
     6        store, I think you will see those characters available, as
     7        well.
     8
     9   Q.   Yes.  But they buy the toys because they like the
    10        characters, do they not?  There is no ulterior motive?
    11        A.  There is no ulterior motive in how we use Ronald,
    12        either.  Ronald is very clear:  he represents McDonald's.
    13        We like the child to like ronald mcdonald and like the
    14        experience at McDonald's.  They reinforce each other.
    15
    16   Q.   Have you ever said to any parents -- in your recollection,
    17        can you think of a single document where McDonald's
    18        Corporation has told parents or children:  "Do not forget,
    19        ronald mcdonald is a strong marketing tool, and we are
    20        using him to exert phenomenal influence over parents to
         bring you in, so that we can make profits out of you"; have
    22        you said anything like that to-----
    23        A.  I do not believe we have used those exact words, but
    24        I believe that parents really understand who Ronald
    25        McDonald is and how ronald mcdonald is used.  We spend a
    26        lot of time talking to parents to make sure that they agree
    27        with the use that ronald mcdonald is put to and that they
    28        like the advertising and they like the way that Ronald is
    29        portrayed.
    30
    31   Q.   I notice in that TV ad about rainforests, booklets as a
    32        free promotion; yes?
    33        A.  Yes.
    34
    35   Q.   There was a ronald mcdonald in it.  It was not just a
    36        booklet, was it, concerned with rainforest protection; it
    37        also had images of ronald mcdonald in it; is that correct?
    38        A.  I do not remember.  It could well have, but I do not
    39        remember if it did or it did not.
    40
    Q.   It showed ronald mcdonald.  In other words, these free
    42        educational booklets, where you said you would like to have
    43        an educational theme occasionally in your ads, are in fact
    44        also promoting ronald mcdonald and the Corporation?
    45        A.  Well, part of the booklet is -- in many cases, Ronald
    46        is presenting that booklet as well, yes.
    47
    48   Q.   So some of your educational materials are also promotional
    49        materials, are they not?
    50        A.  They include McDonald's logos and McDonald's 
    51        characters, yes. 
    52 
    53   Q.   So that is the real reason, is it not:  that you are, in
    54        that case, for example, distributing books, educational
    55        books, with pictures of ronald mcdonald in them, because
    56        the real reason is that you are promoting the company by
    57        doing that?
    58        A.  Yes.  There is no reason why we have to have any kind
    59        of promotion or educational tool.  We could do the
    60        promotion with or without it, but we feel it fits in within