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En resa till naturen på reklamens villkor

Thelander, Åsa LU orcid (2002) In Lund Studies in Media and Communcation
Abstract
It is commonly believed that we live in a culture that is increasingly permeated by visual images. One category of images that we encounter everyday in different media, and that constitutes a large and growing part of media content, is advertisements. Advertisements also have a specific purpose and the images represent, make meaning of, and convey sentiments about phenomena. In this dissertation, the phenomenon of interest is nature – how is nature represented in travel advertisements? The aim is also to study how the representations are perceived by tourists and how they, in turn, represent nature in their photographs. In order to restrict the scope of the study, travel advertisements for charter trips have been chosen. A semiotically... (More)
It is commonly believed that we live in a culture that is increasingly permeated by visual images. One category of images that we encounter everyday in different media, and that constitutes a large and growing part of media content, is advertisements. Advertisements also have a specific purpose and the images represent, make meaning of, and convey sentiments about phenomena. In this dissertation, the phenomenon of interest is nature – how is nature represented in travel advertisements? The aim is also to study how the representations are perceived by tourists and how they, in turn, represent nature in their photographs. In order to restrict the scope of the study, travel advertisements for charter trips have been chosen. A semiotically inspired analysis focused on images has been conducted and over a hundred advertisements have been analysed. Interviews with charter tourists have been made. Selected images from advertisements were shown and discussed and the interviewees showed and talked about their photographs. The analysis of advertisements revealed four categories of images of nature. The main differences between the four categories are the degree of authenticity and creative strategy. Simplified, one could say that these images display artificial nature (arranged and controlled, where human artefacts and groups of people are a desirable component); tamed nature (often along the waterfront such as beaches with the presence of many people and characterized by human activities); untamed nature (also along the wa-terfront, but more authentic and with very few people and human objects in view); and accessible wild nature (preferably tropical, long-stretched and seemingly void beaches shown in telephoto shots and at a large distance, with no people). Despite the differences, these images have several features in common which, taken together, form the myth of nature in a travel context. Nature is meant to be the setting for various activities, it is beneficent; there are never any unexpected or unwanted features that can threaten a pleasant experience. Furthermore, nature seems to be an endless resource for people to use without showing any consideration. Thus the status of nature represented in travel advertisements is that of a recreational resource. The interviewees can be described in three ideal types: those who visit nature on terms set by advertisements, those who visit nature on several terms and those who visit nature on terms set by themselves. The ideal types are based on roles in relation to the images of advertising, motive for travelling, preferred type of nature and type of photographs taken. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

Avhandlingen handlar om naturföreställningar i resereklam och bland re-senärer. Syftet var att analysera hur natur framställs i reklambilder för resor, vad reklamens framställning av natur har för betydelse för vad resenärer vill uppleva och upplever i samband med sin resa samt med vilka argument och bilder resenären själv väljer att återskapa upplevelserna av sin resa och natur. Studien avgränsades till att omfatta reklam för charterresor. Arbetet vilar på flera empiriska material. Dels genomfördes en semiotiskt inspirerad bildanalys av ett hundratal reklamannonser som hämtats från en rikstäckande svensk morgontidning, och dels genomfördes intervjuer med charterturister. I samband med... (More)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

Avhandlingen handlar om naturföreställningar i resereklam och bland re-senärer. Syftet var att analysera hur natur framställs i reklambilder för resor, vad reklamens framställning av natur har för betydelse för vad resenärer vill uppleva och upplever i samband med sin resa samt med vilka argument och bilder resenären själv väljer att återskapa upplevelserna av sin resa och natur. Studien avgränsades till att omfatta reklam för charterresor. Arbetet vilar på flera empiriska material. Dels genomfördes en semiotiskt inspirerad bildanalys av ett hundratal reklamannonser som hämtats från en rikstäckande svensk morgontidning, och dels genomfördes intervjuer med charterturister. I samband med intervjuerna har utvalda reklambilder använts som underlag för samtalen. Dessutom har resenärerna visat och berättat om sina fotografier från resan. Analysen visade att det förekommer fyra typer av natur i reklamens bilder nämligen artificiell natur, tuktad natur, otuktad natur och tillgänglig vild natur. Graden av autenticitet och val av fototeknik skiljer de olika typerna åt. Trots skillnaderna finns flera gemensamma drag i framställningen. Naturen framställs som en fritidsråvara. Den är en oändlig resurs som kan utnyttjas utan vidare eftertanke. Analysen av intervjuerna visade att förhållningssättet till reklam var betydelsefullt för vad resenären ville uppleva och upplever på sin resa. När det gällde intervjupersonerna fanns det tydliga skillnader i förhållningssätt till reklam, vilket visade sig vara betydelsefullt för vad resenären vill upp-leva och upplever i samband med sin resa. Det gick det att skilja mellan tre olika idealtyper, nämligen de som reser till naturen på reklamens villkor, de som reser till naturen på olika villkor och de som reser till naturen på sina egna villkor. Dessa olika typer hade även olika resmotiv, naturpreferenser och eftersträvade att ta olika fotografier. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
supervisor
opponent
  • Professor Becker, Karin, University College of Arts Crafts and Design, Stockholm, Sweden
organization
alternative title
A trip to nature on terms set by advertisements
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
qualitative research, photography, tourist, media reception, nature, advertising, image, representation, empirical analysis, Press and communication sciences, Journalistik, media, kommunikation
in
Lund Studies in Media and Communcation
pages
215 pages
publisher
Department of Sociology, Lund University
defense location
Edens hörsal
defense date
2002-10-05 10:15:00
external identifiers
  • other:ISRN: LUSADG/SAMK-02/1004/SE
ISSN
1104-4330
ISBN
91-7267-125-4
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
055fcde4-1654-4423-8ce8-65b70739fb3f (old id 20405)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:03:04
date last changed
2021-11-24 17:15:31
@phdthesis{055fcde4-1654-4423-8ce8-65b70739fb3f,
  abstract     = {{It is commonly believed that we live in a culture that is increasingly permeated by visual images. One category of images that we encounter everyday in different media, and that constitutes a large and growing part of media content, is advertisements. Advertisements also have a specific purpose and the images represent, make meaning of, and convey sentiments about phenomena. In this dissertation, the phenomenon of interest is nature – how is nature represented in travel advertisements? The aim is also to study how the representations are perceived by tourists and how they, in turn, represent nature in their photographs. In order to restrict the scope of the study, travel advertisements for charter trips have been chosen. A semiotically inspired analysis focused on images has been conducted and over a hundred advertisements have been analysed. Interviews with charter tourists have been made. Selected images from advertisements were shown and discussed and the interviewees showed and talked about their photographs. The analysis of advertisements revealed four categories of images of nature. The main differences between the four categories are the degree of authenticity and creative strategy. Simplified, one could say that these images display artificial nature (arranged and controlled, where human artefacts and groups of people are a desirable component); tamed nature (often along the waterfront such as beaches with the presence of many people and characterized by human activities); untamed nature (also along the wa-terfront, but more authentic and with very few people and human objects in view); and accessible wild nature (preferably tropical, long-stretched and seemingly void beaches shown in telephoto shots and at a large distance, with no people). Despite the differences, these images have several features in common which, taken together, form the myth of nature in a travel context. Nature is meant to be the setting for various activities, it is beneficent; there are never any unexpected or unwanted features that can threaten a pleasant experience. Furthermore, nature seems to be an endless resource for people to use without showing any consideration. Thus the status of nature represented in travel advertisements is that of a recreational resource. The interviewees can be described in three ideal types: those who visit nature on terms set by advertisements, those who visit nature on several terms and those who visit nature on terms set by themselves. The ideal types are based on roles in relation to the images of advertising, motive for travelling, preferred type of nature and type of photographs taken.}},
  author       = {{Thelander, Åsa}},
  isbn         = {{91-7267-125-4}},
  issn         = {{1104-4330}},
  keywords     = {{qualitative research; photography; tourist; media reception; nature; advertising; image; representation; empirical analysis; Press and communication sciences; Journalistik; media; kommunikation}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  publisher    = {{Department of Sociology, Lund University}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  series       = {{Lund Studies in Media and Communcation}},
  title        = {{En resa till naturen på reklamens villkor}},
  year         = {{2002}},
}