ADVERTISING STORIES OF SECOND HOMES IN THE SWEDISH WELFARE STATE

The aim of this article is to discuss the greatest expansion of vacation housing in Sweden for the period of 1960-1980. In focus are product advertisements related to new vacation houses for sale by producers of prefabricated wooden vacation houses. The empirical exploration is based on a content analysis of all issues of a widespread Swedish lifestyle magazine, published monthly between 1960 and 1980. A limited selection of advertisements is further analyzed from a perspective of discourse analysis. The selected advertisements are telling stories, a basic approach in advertising. As a result of the analysis a number of recurring stories can be constructed; the story of freedom of choice and of modern life, the story of multiple dwelling and of the good life, and of family unity. The stories could be stated to be closely connected to crucial values of the "people's home," the core principle of the Swedish welfare state.