Richard Tresidder

Reading food marketing: the semiotics of Marks & Spencer!?

Purpose – This paper aims to introduce a social semiotic methodology for the analysis of food marketing and to explore the complexity of reading representations of food within promotional texts.Design/methodology/approach – The work develops a social semiotic reading of Marks & Spencers promotional campaigns utilising images from television and web‐based campaigns. This reading is located within a conceptual framework that underpins and identifies the influences that direct the interpretation process and subsequent consumption patterns of the reader/consumer.Findings – By analysing the relationship between food marketing and the consumer, it is possible to identify a language of food that has its meaning and significance embedded within both culture and society. It is argued that the individual hermeneutically interprets and negotiates this semiotic language of food to reach their individual understanding of food advertising.Research limitations/implications – The conceptual model presented within this p...

Experiences Marketing: A Cultural Philosophy for Contemporary Hospitality Marketing Studies

This article explores the landscape of contemporary hospitality marketing. It is argued that the teaching and academic discussions that surround the subject area adopt a predominantly positivistic approach; although important, that does not adequately reflect the nature of the industry or the products offered. Such a metrics-oriented position, although significant in the formulation of marketing strategy, does not reflect the complex experiential, nontangible nature of the hospitality product. This article presents a culturally located philosophy that reflects the multifaceted nature of the industry. The philosophy is underpinned by three precepts that draw from a multidisciplinary theoretical framework to create a more subject-specific approach to marketing, that when woven with traditional approaches can create a more effective and informed contemporary approach.

What no pasties!? Reading the Cornish tourism brochure.

ABSTRACT This article introduces a conceptual model for the analysis of tourism marketing texts, and provides a social semiotic reading of the Visit Cornwall brochure to demonstrate how the model may be applied. The conceptual model provides an insight into how the cultural meaning of tourism moves from culturally constituted world of tourism marketing, to that of the individual consumer. By understanding how individuals interpret marketing texts, and how they relate to the signs and images used within tourism marketing, it is possible to develop coherent strategies that are tailored to market segments or groups, while identifying the significance, ethics, and validity of the discourses utilized within contemporary tourism marketing practices.

Eating ants: understanding the terroir restaurant as a form of destination tourism

This paper explores the idea that there is a new form of restaurant that requires definition recognition that it fulfils a significant role in contemporary tourism. The adoption of foraged foods frequently reflects the historical and cultural foundations of place; in this respect, it is possible to adopt the French notion of ‘Terroir’ to conceptualize this new hospitality movement. The paper utilizes Noma in Denmark as a case study of this new gustatory movement and provides an exemplar of the terroir restaurant. The terroir restaurant provides a space in which the diner can consume tangible elements of both culture and landscape; often, this involves entry into a constructed visceral ‘sensescape’ where the dining experience becomes elevated to a higher level. The terroir restaurant provides the tourist with a gustatory concept and philosophy that move far beyond the notion of food as fuel, to one that is underpinned by a geographical and cultural aesthetic that reinforces the consumers ‘being in the world’ and their individual identities.

Post-disaster tourism: building resilience through community-led approaches in the aftermath of the 2011 disasters in Japan

Abstract Post-disaster tourism is often perceived as a form of Dark Tourism associated with death, loss and destruction. In Japan, the term Dark Tourism has gained prominence following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. This paper focuses on a community-led approach to post-disaster tourism development, initiated in the coastal area of Minamisanriku and labelled by the locals Blue Tourism. From its inception Blue Tourism incorporated non-dark activities which concentrated on the beauty of nature, social and environmental sustainability and the development of an enriched tourist experience. Its co-creational ethos helped transform some of the negative narratives of loss associated with Dark Tourism into positive accounts of communal renewal and hope. The paper highlights the limitations of Dark Tourism to post-disaster recovery and contributes new insights to the community-based tourism literature. We argue that Blue Tourism is not a type of Dark Tourism but a form of resilience which builds around local place-based practices and traditional community knowledge. Consequently, it is capable of achieving sustainable disaster recovery and tourist satisfaction simultaneously.