Day 047 - 07 Nov 94 - Page 09
1
2 Q. I know this is an obvious question, but please answer it
3 just the same: why is that?
4 A. In the case of alcoholic drinks, the law stipulates
5 that you must be 18 before you are allowed to partake. I
6 am not quite sure what the law is with regard to cigarettes
7 but, similarly, there are provisions. You are certainly
8 not allowed to buy cigarettes if you are below a certain
9 age. So there are laws which provide the framework for
10 those codes/rules.
11
12 Q. Beyond what the law actually requires, do the regulatory
13 authorities take an interest in advertisements which may
14 persuade their child to buy that which is perceived to be
15 harmful to it?
16 A. Yes, they do.
17
18 Q. Can you think of some examples beyond tobacco and alcohol?
19 A. Not immediately, but there are certainly provisions in
20 the codes against, for example, anything which might
21 frighten a child; that is not allowed. Even though an
22 adult might regard it as a perfectly normal item in a
23 commercial, if a child ran the risk of being frightened by
24 it, then that would be taken out.
25
26 Q. One final thing Mr. Miles: when a sort of incentive, a
27 special offer, what advertisers call a premium, is included
28 in an advertisement as an inducement to the person to buy a
29 product, if the target of the advertisements is children,
30 are there any special rules which govern the content of the
31 advertising of the premium?
32 A. Yes. In this country in particular -- it is different
33 in different countries -- in this country, the premium must
34 not be misleading to suggest that the toy is larger than it
35 is or can do more than it actually can do without a battery
36 or without the individual person's aid. So there, too,
37 there are rules which must say it must not mislead.
38
39 Q. What about the question of size?
40 A. Size comes in it. Size is a part of the way in which
41 -- apparent size could mislead. So they are normally
42 shown in relation to a hand or an individual, so that a
43 rough idea of scale can be shown.
44
45 Q. Have you over the years seen quite a lot of children's
46 advertising on television?
47 A. Yes.
48
49 Q. Against that background of experience and knowledge, how do
50 you rate McDonald's advertising to children, in point of
51 responsibility?
52 A. I think it is very good. Most companies for whom
53 children are an important part of their market, or parents
54 with children are an important part of their market, do
55 have their own ideas about what is appropriate and what is
56 inappropriate.
57
58 I know of a number of companies, McDonald's being one of
59 them, that have their own set of rules which may in some
60 respects go beyond the formal codes or laws. That is
