Page 25 - The Disneyization of Society

THE DISNEYIZATION OF SOCIETY

Why Theme?
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From the point of view of the consumer of the themed environment, theming
offers the opportunity to be entertained and to enjoy novel experiences. It is
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sometimes suggested that we live in an entertainment economy in which the
constant exposure to forms of entertainment – most notably through television,
the movies, and computer games – leads us to expect that we will be entertained
even when entertainment is not the main focus of the activity. Relatedly, when
so much of the consumer’s landscape is made up of homogenized, standardized
fare – near identical malls, shops, restaurants – entertainment provides an addi-
tional level of enjoyment that adds a layer of charm to, and helps to differentiate,
the same and the similar. Ritzer, for example, argues that theming and similar
strategies help to enchant sites of consumption in an increasingly McDonaldized
and hence standardized world. 2
As the balance of many people’s consumption has shifted from goods to
services, they begin to seek more from those services. However, it is well known that
consumers’ enjoyment and dislike of a service is only partly conditioned by the
objective quality of the service itself. The servicescape is crucial to the consumer’s
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response. The servicescape is made up of a host of features in addition to the ser-
vice itself (though in practical terms, it may be difficult to remove the service
from the context within which it is embedded). The servicescape will involve cues
to the consumer concerning the enjoyment of the service. The most notable of
these components of the servicescape is the physical environment within which
the service is delivered and the manner in which it is delivered. Theming forms
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an important component of a servicescape.
Clearly, services that entertain are more likely to be enjoyed than those which
not, particularly among consumers who are well primed with the appropriate
cultural capital to produce positive – perhaps even ecstatic – impressions. Services
that entertain and that are memorable – that provide fun – are the kinds of experi-
ence that are increasingly becoming expected features. Developments like theme
parks may bear some responsibility for this inflation in expectations of the provi-
sion of services, resulting in services in the form of shopping and eating that take
place in themed and thereby entertaining environments. The service-cum-theme
principle pervades these locations and generates experiences that are more likely
to be memorable to consumers, especially when they return to blander service-
scapes. Increasingly, then, we live in an experience economy in which consumers
seek out services that will be provided in an entertaining way and will result in a
memorable experience. 5
From the point of view of the service suppliers, they know that many con-
sumers are increasingly bored with the standardized services and settings with
which they are typically confronted. Theming helps to differentiate one service or
context from another. Thus, providing an entertaining environment that excites