Day 054 - 24 Nov 94 - Page 34
1 2.00 p.m.
2
3 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Where shall I put these in due course?
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5 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, I will, if I may, think about that.
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7 MR. JUSTICE BELL: If you tell me at the end of the afternoon.
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9 MR. RAMPTON: It will be one of the pale green bundles,
10 I suspect.
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12 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Thank you. Yes.
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14 MS. STEEL: I think we were talking about the techniques
15 employed by McDonald's. I think we were coming towards the
16 end of it, but I am not sure whether you feel you have said
17 everything you wanted to say about the techniques or not;
18 whether there were any other areas or whether there was any
19 summary that you wanted to say?
20 A. In summary, I think I would like to say that
21 advertising to children in the McDonald's adverts is
22 significantly different from advertising to adults,
23 particularly, in its use of techniques. These are
24 techniques which tend to have their effects on what could
25 be described as an unconscious level rather than a
26 conscious level and, therefore, I think can bring with them
27 a degree of deception, or exploitation particularly when
28 talking about young children who do not fully understand
29 the purpose of advertising, and whose sense of loyalty, for
30 example, may be being exploited.
31
32 Q. Was there anything else you wanted to say on that or not --
33 if not, we will move on?
34 A. I think I feel I have made the points that I wanted to.
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36 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It does not necessarily mean if Ms. Steel
37 asks you that that she thinks you have missed something
38 out; she is just giving you the opportunity, so do not
39 hesitate to move on if you do feel you have said all that
40 is helpful.
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42 MS. STEEL: Are these criticisms that you have made? I mean,
43 are McDonald's particularly unusual or are these criticisms
44 you would make of food advertising to children in general?
45 I do not know if there is anything you would want to say in
46 relation to that?
47 A. I think there are two points to make, one in relation
48 to the techniques and one in relation to the frequency of
49 the advertising that McDonald's undertakes. In relation to
50 the techniques, whilst it is true to say that many other
51 advertisers use the same or similar techniques, I think
52 particularly in relation to the collectables, in my
53 experience of children's advertising, I have not seen
54 another advertiser that places such an emphasis on such a
55 regular basis as McDonald's appear to do from the
56 advertisements that I have seen.
57
58 The second point relates to the frequency of advertising.
59 Obviously, there is a great deal difference between an
60 advertisement that may be seen -- the effects of an
