Day 048 - 08 Nov 94 - Page 43

     
     1        those same commercials -- Ronald commercials, for instance,
     2        which obviously skew younger -- as you go back in time,
     3        they did have an older age appeal.  Ronald as a character
     4        had an older age appeal, right up to nine, ten, maybe 11.
     5        Recently, the age has come down, and it is much more below
     6        the nine category.  There were a couple of commercials, for
     7        instance, let us say the hip pouch----
     8
     9   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Well, there was a girl in the blue jacket who
    10        puts the toys in, and there was the chap, the boy who put
    11        on his cool dark glasses.
    12        A.  That is right, my Lord.  Those particular commercials
    13        would skew slightly older.
    14
    15   MR. MORRIS:  Well, they do not skew.  They are actually directed
    16        at tweens, are they not?
    17        A.  They do skew older towards tweens, because we have not
    18        used Ronald.  But, obviously, you will probably find seven,
    19        eight year-olds, who are Ronald age, would also be
    20        attracted by that particular proposition.  But in the vast
         array of advertising that we have done over the years,
    22        there are just like one or two examples of where that has
    23        come through.  If it is Ronald, it is younger, generally.
    24
    25   Q.   And if it is Happy Meals, it is younger, as well, in
    26        general?
    27        A.  Yes.  In general, that would vary by the actual
    28        Happy Meal itself.  But, in general, yes.
    29
    30   Q.   So this category, the tweens.  Tweens are the people that
    31        are about to become adults, are they not?
    32        A.  Yes.
    33
    34   Q.   They are about to start making choices for themselves?
    35        A.  That is correct.
    36
    37   Q.   And loyalties for themselves?
    38        A.  That is correct.
    39
    40   Q.   So if a company was interested in winning the loyalty of
         adults, is it not general good marketing practice to win
    42        that loyalty as they become adults or on the eve of them
    43        becoming adults; would you say so?
    44        A.  If you can successfully do that then, obviously, yes,
    45        there is a big advantage to it.
    46
    47   Q.   So what is the reason for your assertion that you do not
    48        feel you need to make hardly any commercials specific to
    49        tweens?
    50        A.  Because it has always been one of the priorities for 
    51        McDonald's in the UK.  The first priority is always -- 
    52        without going over old ground -- family position in 
    53        children and adults, and the young adult market, which is
    54        this key; and it is that area that we have concentrated on
    55        over time.
    56
    57        The reason I said if you can successfully appeal to tweens,
    58        as well, is that it is very difficult with any product to
    59        be all things to all people, and sometimes the very things
    60        that are appealing to young children just do not appeal to