The values and attitudes that the Thomson ad appeals to are wisdom, pleasure, happiness, a comfortable life, well-being, relationships, and personal happiness. These values and attitudes mean making the most of one’s time, but in a peaceful way that places experience and spending time with family and friends over the bustle and rush of everyday life. Although the speaker is a child, the target audience is adults with families. The audience is at least of an age of having children or even grandchildren, and it can be either male or female. The scenery of the ad is luxurious, so the socio-economic status of the target audience is at least middle-class or higher.
The basic message of this ad is to encourage people to take a vacation. The advertiser is trying to remind people that being busy with work and daily life can keep people from experiencing the pleasures of life that are essential to living a full life. With words like, “It’s time you stopped—switched off—forget about time—put down your phone and hold your loved one’s hand. Nice, isn’t it?” the ad demonstrates that people can experience these pleasures in small ways even in their daily lives (“Thomson”). However, the ad emphasizes that it would be even better if a week or two was dedicated to enjoying time with loved ones without the distractions of daily life. It is an excellent message and realistic for people who can afford to take the time and have the money to take a vacation.
The message is a good one, made very engaging by its delivery via a young boy speaking. The child-speaker will appeal very much to parents who are often too busy to spend time with their children and would like to find a way to do so. I find this ad to be very appealing with its serene settings and images of people having a wonderful time.
Works Cited
“Thomson advert 2011 ‘Time for a holiday?’ 90.” YouTube, 19 Oct. 2011. Web. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8B1ZNv9m4s
