Day 046 - 04 Nov 94 - Page 04
1 Q. What about going back further, though; was there a time
2 when it was greater than it is now?
3 A. The proportion, as far as I can remember, has been
4 about the same. I cannot really give you an exact answer,
5 because I do not recollect what it was, say, 10 years ago.
6 But my impression is that the percentages have been
7 relatively the same for a long period of time.
8
9 MR. MORRIS: Maybe we should move on from this.
10
11 MR. JUSTICE BELL: You have quite a lot of information on that
12 aspect now. What I suggest you do, when you have a moment,
13 is sit down and see what you make of it.
14
15 MR. MORRIS: (To the witness) When you wrote your statement,
16 you said you read the pleadings in the action; yes?
17 A. Yes. I read a summary of that, yes.
18
19 Q. The issue, this particular issue, was about the amount of
20 exposure, was it not -- in fact, about how many times
21 commercials went out to children, as compared to adults,
22 and the exposure; is that correct?
23 A. Certainly, it is about how we spend our dollars.
24
25 MR. MORRIS: No, it was not that. It was not about spending,
26 was it; it was about exposure and the number of times
27 commercials are shown?
28
29 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Is that fair, Mr. Morris?
30
31 MS. STEEL: I do not think there is anything about the price of
32 advertisements in our pleadings.
33
34 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No. But it started off, I think: "Nearly
35 all McDonald's advertising is aimed at children." One
36 approach to it is to look at the finances, I suppose.
37 Anyway, what----
38
39 MR. MORRIS: (To the witness) I want to know -- obviously, we
40 spent a long time trying to work out exposure -- why you
41 thought that the monetary spend was the only criteria, when
42 you did your statement; why is that the most important, or
43 the only criteria?
44 A. Again, from my perspective, that is what was
45 specifically asked about and that is why we gave it.
46
47 Q. But the money criteria is deceptive, is it not?
48 A. No.
49
50 Q. In terms of a real indication of what is happening on the
51 ground?
52 A. No. It has to do with the resources that are spent.
53 But I do not have problem in discussing exposure, either.
54 That is why we have been talking about it for the last two
55 days.
56
57 MS. STEEL: You have a problem, though, do you not, in
58 discussing the number of ads that are put on to children's
59 television and adults' television?
60 A. Yes, because it is a meaningless number.