Day 054 - 24 Nov 94 - Page 24
1 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I think I can probably remember that. If
2 there is a specific point, do refer to it, but I remember
3 the part or I remember a part along those lines.
4
5 MS. STEEL: It might be appropriate to go through some of the
6 characters listed. Have you the one for 1987?
7
8 MR. JUSTICE BELL: What are you in now?
9
10 MS. STEEL: It is pink volume VII, tab 7?
11 A. I do not have a page number for this, but it is a page
12 entitled "Who is ronald mcdonald"?
13
14 Q. That is page 93 in the bundle. Is there anything that you
15 wanted to point out in terms of that and any problems?
16 A. Yes, in the second paragraph it says: "Kids as well as
17 other characters look up to him, respect him and like him a
18 lot."
19
20 Q. Are you saying that is an example of the loyalty that you
21 were talking about, or are you saying something else?
22 A. Yes, I think ronald mcdonald has been specially created
23 to be a character to which children are encouraged to feel
24 warmly towards and, in that sense, to feel loyalty towards.
25
26 Q. Is there a problem with feeling loyalty towards characters
27 used in advertising?
28 A. Yes, I think there is a fine line as to what maybe
29 considered acceptable and what is not. In fact, the
30 Independent Television Commission Code on Advertising does
31 say that advertisements should not exploit children's sense
32 of loyalty.
33
34 I would consider that ronald mcdonald does play on
35 children's sense of loyalty and, in that sense, can be said
36 to be exploiting their emotions. This is not done in an
37 overt way, and that is, presumably, why the ITC does not
38 judge it to be unacceptable but, nonetheless, I believe
39 that it is done.
40
41 Q. You think that is the end effect?
42 A. I believe that is one of the effects of using Ronald
43 McDonald.
44
45 Q. There is actually a mention on the following page about the
46 relationship of Ronald with children in a commercial should
47 be emotional and not physical. Do you want to say anything
48 in relation to that?
49 A. Well, it is obviously acknowledging that there is an
50 emotional link between Ronald and the children in the
51 commercial. We have already -- I have already talked about
52 the relationship that children will have with children in
53 the commercial. So, to that extent, I think it is quite
54 clear that there would be an emotional relationship between
55 children viewing the commercials and ronald mcdonald.
56
57 I think there is also a degree to which it can be said that
58 ronald mcdonald confuses fantasy and reality. Ronald
59 McDonald is like a living cartoon character. He is
60 portrayed as a clown but, nonetheless, he is a real person
