Day 043 - 01 Nov 94 - Page 23
1 we put it.
2
3 Q. Is there any advertising targeted directly at the "tweens"?
4 A. Yes, there is.
5
6 Q. Post-Ronald, but pre-adult?
7 A. Yes, there is.
8
9 Q. What sort of form does that take? I assume by this time
10 you are afraid that they will be embarrassed about Ronald,
11 or something. Anyhow, you do not use him. So what do you
12 use?
13 A. Essentially, we show that age group of child in the
14 commercial, and what we try to do is show them that we
15 understand their lifestyle, we understand that age and the
16 life they are going through, and we try to make sure that
17 they feel that McDonald's completely understands them.
18
19 Q. In these terms, at what age does childhood stop?
20 A. Well, again-----
21
22 Q. That is not a philosophical question.
23 A. It is a difficult question, but we treat them
24 differently at somewhere around the age between eight and
25 10.
26
27 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I wonder if you and Mr. Rampton are looking
28 at the same thing, because that was more or less the age
29 where Ronald stopped and the "tweens" started?
30 A. Yes, that is correct.
31
32 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I think Mr. Rampton was asking you when the
33 "tweens" stopped.
34
35 MR. RAMPTON: (To the witness) Yes, I was, really.
36 A. Usually, it is about the time that they reach a bit
37 more independence, and it is about 15 or 16 years age.
38
39 Q. I am coming to regulation in a moment, Mr. Green, but, from
40 your point of view as an advertiser, really what I am after
41 is this: is it correct to try to draw what I call definite
42 or clear lines between one age and another, so far as
43 younger people are concerned?
44 A. No. I think it really relies on the maturity of the
45 individual child. Sometimes it is different from one child
46 to the next. Obviously, over the years, I think that
47 children have gotten a bit more mature earlier.
48
49 Q. So whilst you might have a 13 year-old who still thought
50 Ronald was lovely, equally, you might have an eight
51 year-old who has grown out of him and wanted something a
52 bit more grown up?
53 A. I think that is a correct statement.
54
55 Q. As to regulation in the United States, regulation of
56 children's advertising, how is that achieved?
57 A. The networks themselves regulate to some degree what
58 advertising can be shown. Then individual advertisers may
59 have their own standards which they abide by, as well.
60
