Day 065 - 09 Dec 94 - Page 12
1 A. Yes.
2
3 Q. So I repeat my question. To what extent, in your view, is
4 advertising aimed at children, a factor in whatever
5 influence children may bring to bear on household food
6 purchases?
7 A. You made the connection between household food
8 purchases.
9
10 Q. I do not mind. Put it how you like. Food, generally, if
11 you wish?
12 A. Right. OK. Advertisers are well aware that they
13 advertise their products to encourage people to consume
14 them. McDonald's advertises to children in order to
15 encourage children to want to consume McDonald's. That is
16 normal, that is the part of, that is advertising's
17 intention. Therefore, what would be the purpose of
18 advertising to children if it were not effective in
19 bringing children in through the doors of McDonald's, for
20 example?
21
22 Q. It is not your fault. Sometimes my questions are rather
23 long and sometimes necessarily so. My question was not
24 really about whether it had an effect. I agree with you
25 that McDonald's would not spend all that money on
26 advertising to children if they thought it had no effect.
27 What I asked you was, to what degree do you think -- I am
28 not asking for percentages, obviously -- that it has an
29 effect on children's influence on food purchases? In other
30 words, do you think it is a major or large or most powerful
31 influence, or do you think it just has some influence?
32 A. Are you talking about in relation to other influences
33 rather than in terms of consumption patterns?
34
35 Q. All influences.
36 A. Yes, I believe that advertising has a significant
37 influence, not only directly, and a number of studies that
38 have looked at this have failed to look at the indirect
39 effect of advertising. The effect that advertising has on
40 peers particularly, and on parents and influences that it
41 may be termed more generally as reinforcing cultural
42 influences or changing cultural influences. Many studies
43 have failed to measure that; that is not to say that it
44 does not exist, and, indeed, I have heard advertisers
45 themselves talking about the importance of indirect effects
46 of advertising.
47
48 I particularly remember people who made some successful
49 adverts for milk, encouraged children to drink more milk,
50 showing that the major effect of the advertisement was
51 through the indirect effect that the adverts had through
52 peer group pressure.
53
54 Q. I do not know -- it is more recently for you than it is for
55 me -- if you can cast yourself back a few years to when you
56 were a small child, say six, seven, eight, something like
57 that, even nine, 10, 11; do you remember the word "crazes",
58 playground fads or fashions at school?
59 A. Yes.
60
