Traveling is a great way of unwinding and relaxing. It's also a way to learn and discover. At the same time, it is also a way to get money.
Countries are thinking of means to get tourists visit them because tourism also means jobs. And to get those tourists/consumers, they use advertisements. To get there, we usually use airplanes, and when we see airplane advertisements, we also see the country it flies to. But the question is, what do we see and what do we don't see in these ads?
Here is an advertisement of the airline Cathay Pacific, an airplane company that usually flies from Hong Kong to other countries, consists of four different yet interrelated pictures.
The picture on the upper left is an image of a woman in her twenties perhaps inside a spa or a boutique. Personally, the facial expression and body position of the woman does not work for me because the emotion is not clearly projected.
The next picture on the upper right is a picture of a couple in about their early thirties shopping in the city. This image really works for me because if captures the beautiful city of Hong Kong and it really makes you feel that you want to be there. The faces of the couple are hardly seen though.
The third picture on the lower left is a picture of a cell phone with keywords to Cathay Pacific's service, "notiFly" 1, on the monitor. The picture is also very effective because it successfully emphasizes on the screen of the cell phone. The last picture is that of an airplane by Cathay Pacific.
I have to say that it is a magnificent shot of the sky and the plane on action. It also the perfect picture to put on the bottom the airline's logo and slogan.
Together, these pictures form the advertisement for Cathay Pacific.
The first picture shows us the side of Hong Kong which is for relaxation, an escape from your stress. With the colourful silks in the background, it also conveys the Chinese culture that you can uncover once you arrive there.
The second picture depicts the globalized component of Hong Kong and the comforts the modernity of the city brings. Plus, if you feel like you've been too far away from home, you can visit these globalized parts of the city and lessen your homesickness.
The third picture shows the advantage of convenience in choosing Cathay Pacific with the use of technology.
The fourth picture is just a simple way of showing the plane's elegance in flight.
These are all connected to say that you are going to have a good time traveling with Cathay Pacific. You'll have pleasure, satisfaction, expediency and fun all in one. You would want to ride the plane to Hong Kong right away.
The ‘front regions' of that the images convey that Hong Kong is place of great shopping both great for yuppies and for families. It is also a place where all people live in luxury.
These ‘front regions' are seen in the pictures where, as said, the couples shopping in the city with tall buildings wearing fashionable clothes and also in the first picture of a woman in a spa denotes the ‘front region' of relaxation and pleasure.
By looking at the pictures as a whole, all of it symbolizes Hong Kong in a way. You can't really take one out and say it symbolizes Hong Kong because then, it would be incomplete when you have all four pictures relating to Hong Kong.
It implies that it is a very rich country (although Hong Kong is not really a country) with the latest technology and high-end boutiques. It is a place where businesses flourish and the corporate world of Asia is very progressive.
One myth we can detect out of this picture is that Chinese are rich and hardworking people. The Chinese people portrayed in this ad seem to be well-off with the location they are in and their physical appearances.
However, in truth, it hides the reality of poverty in Hong Kong.
I've been there, and I can testify that not all people living there are that well-off, especially the overseas Filipino workers who are treated with discrimination at times.
What is interesting about this advertisement is that there are no stewardess or waitress serving and showing hospitality like a usual advertisement of airplanes. I guess what they wanted to say with this is that you do not need to be served submissively to genuinely feel the travel experience.
They wanted the consumers to see that Hong Kong is the representation of the modern world in Asia and Cathay Pacific is just the perfect choice to get there.
These not only apply on airline ads but also to all other tourism ads there are such as brochures, maps and postcards.
What these all mean is that what you see in tourism advertisements is not what it really seems. Although you may be enticed you take the trip because of the ad, expect that not all of your anticipations will be met because what you saw in the ad isn't everything in reality.
