Klm Skyway Ads

The KLM Royal Dutch Airlines ad from 1952 published by the New Yorker shows two tourists being wheeled around by an Asian worker in the "Far East" ("Ad Access"). Surrounding them are drawings of Asian objects, architecture, and people. A paragraph lists the opportunities that the consumer can experience. The airline boast about their "smooth KLM skyway," which will get travelers from point a to point b in "no time," and the various destinations they offer anywhere from Europe to the Far East ("Ad Access"). If the consumers decide to linger in these destinations they will not be charged any extra fare. A superficial interpretation of the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines ad would point out that they will service their financially conscious consumers like royalty and take them too many exotic places. Less obvious is the way they reinforce racial and ethnic stereotypes by how they depict Asian people. A huge discrepancy exists amongst all the people depicted. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines ad perpetuates the divide between the”Others” (Asians) and the middle class white Americans. True to the social attitudes of the …show more content…
Its reputation contributes to how the consumer thinks and reacts when they see the ad. The logo is KLM with a crown above the letters and sprouting wings on each side which gives off a sense of status and luxury. The focal image of the ad shows a wealthy, seemingly white couple being wheeled by a darker shirtless person wearing a straw hat. One can assume that this person wheeling the couple around is from the Far East. A typical white American consumer looking at this ad will feel as if they will be treated like royalty. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines gives off an impression that potentially choosing them will place the consumer on a pedestal and bring them to wherever their hearts