There was a time when the mention of Club Med conjured up visions of a tropical paradise where only singles vacationed. Not any more. Club Med is now the place to go for families with kids--whether for strolling the beaches or for frolicking in the surf (Birnbaum, 1989, p. 32). Indeed, Club Med is now the answer to parents who want a romantic vacation for themselves as well as fun activities to keep their children busy. For parents at the Club Med, there now is a great psychological freedom in knowing that one's children are taken care of by on-site child care (Culbreth, 1993, p. 26-29). What caused this drastic change in Club Med--from a singles orientation to a family orientation--will be explored in this research.
Club Med began over four decades ago, with just a few canvas tents scattered along a Majorcan beach--now there are more than 100 Club Meds around the world. What is equally impressive is that Club Med spent the 1970s retooling its operations and restructuring its image--away from the old singles-oriented scene. This was because, by 1989, 50 percent of all Club Med members were married, and 40 percent had children (Birnbaum, 1989, p. 32).
It was no surprise, therefore, that in 1989, Club-Med began a $12 million advertising campaign to change its image before the public from an endless, global singles bar to one having a family image. Said one Club Med marketing official, the club also wanted the fat rich guy who just wants to eat all day (Levine, 1989, p. 136).
The drastic shift from the playboy-playgirl image that the Club projected for the first 21 years of its history was because this image turned off much of the crucial American market. A married woman did not enjoy watching Club Med commercials showing the beautiful woman diving into the water--a woman that might steal her husbands.
Club Med had known for some time that an aging, more family-oriented America was outgrowing the sexy formula t...