Day 065 - 09 Dec 94 - Page 11
1 children at home because they wished to avoid some of this
2 pester power. I think the point I was trying to make was
3 that this pie chart says to me that there is influence
4 except in six per cent of cases.
5
6 What I am also saying, I am not saying that the
7 influence -- what I am trying to say is that this
8 particular pie charts relates to children on shopping
9 trips, but what I am also adding to that is, that is not
10 the only way in which influence occurs; it is not just on
11 the shopping trip. Yes, that is a major influence, if
12 mothers take their children, but it is not the only one.
13
14 MR. RAMPTON: I will just finish, if I may, reading this
15 document, or the part I want to read, on page 7: "As figure
16 1 illustrates, 15 per cent of mothers claim that their
17 children had a large influence on the type of food items
18 bought." Is "large", Ms. Dibb, in your mind a word which
19 has a different meaning from the word "major", which was
20 the one you used?
21 A. I used the word "major" in, I think, a broader sense
22 than just "large" to mean a significant one. As you see
23 there, if you read on the rest of the sentence: "A further
24 33 per cent claimed that their children had a fair amount
25 of influence". Again, that is ----
26
27 Q. Making less -- sorry?
28 A. - a significant amount of influence.
29
30 Q. Significant. So, your explanation is that you intended
31 "major" to mean the same as "significant"; is that right?
32 A. You said I did not mean -- I mean, I do think that it
33 has -- I meant "significant" in the sense that it is a
34 considerable influence. That degree of influence may be
35 perceived as being of greater or lesser extent, but
36 "influence" was exerted in 94 per cent, if one adds up all
37 of that and excludes the no influence at all.
38
39 Q. Can we turn then back in this file to one of your early
40 references, but before I tell you where to go, I would like
41 to ask you this: To what extent, in your view, is
42 advertising -- let me start again: Whether or not we may
43 agree about the extent of children's influence on
44 households food purchases, to what extent, in your view, is
45 advertising to children a factor in the influence which
46 children bring to bear on household food purchases?
47 A. Again it is a significant influence, in my opinion.
48
49 Q. As greater ---?
50 A. There are other influences and one has to look at
51 indirect influences; advertising effects on peers as well
52 as on children directly. As I make clear, it is a very
53 complex web of interacting factors.
54
55 Q. The reason, Ms. Dibb, that my question was specific, and
56 that it related to advertising targeted at children is
57 this, that the issue in this case, or the principal issue
58 in this part of the case, is what is the effect of
59 McDonald's children's advertising on children; do you
60 understand that?
