Nothing Beats a Family Holiday: Analysing the Emotional Appeal of Package Holiday Advertisements.

Abstract

I. Research Focus and Questions

This study investigates how family is represented in contemporary package holiday advertising, with a particular focus on the visual and linguistic strategies which are used to evoke an emotional appeal. The research is guided by the following questions:

To identify how nuclear family structures are visually represented in package holiday advertisements.

Analyse the use of settings and activities in constructing a positive image of family life.

To examine the emotional language and storytelling devices used to support family-oriented narratives.

To determine the specific emotional responses these adverts aim to evoke in parents with young children.

To apply Stuart Hall’s encoding decoding model to explain how audiences may interpret or resist these family representations.

To provide practical recommendations for marketers on how to use family imagery more effectively to enhance consumer engagement and brand trust.

II. Research Design and Methodology

The study adopts a qualitative content analysis approach, analysing twenty specifically selected adverts from leading holiday brands, TUI, Jet2holidays, Centre Parcs and Disneyland. Both visual and linguistic elements were examined, including group composition, setting, body language, taglines and voiceovers. The analysis is framed through Stuart Hall’s encoding and decoding model, enabling a critical reading of how emotional and cultural meanings are constructed and potentially received.

III. Key Findings and Insights

Findings reveal that adverts largely depict nuclear, white, heteronormative families engaging in idealised leisure and holiday activities, framed within warm, aspirational settings. Emotional appeal is driven by themes of togetherness, nostalgia and escapism. However, the relationships are often limited in diversity, often excluding single-parent, extended or non-traditional families. The research also found a lack of representation of race, LGBTQ+ and families with disabilities. Audience interpretation is likely to vary, with dominant readings supporting the emotional narrative and oppositional reading identifying the lack of inclusivity.

IV. Implications for Policy and Future Research

The study highlights the need for more inclusive representations of family in tourism marketing. It suggests that brands could enhance consumer engagement and trust by reflecting the diverse realities of modern family life. Future research could expand cross-cultural comparisons or examine audience reception directly through interviews or surveys.