Page 50 - The Disneyization of Society

THEMING

reason for their names, that is, Niketowns rather than Nikestores. The gymnasium
theme is evident not just in general ambience and style of the store but also in the
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presence of a small basketball court. This is complete with a polished wooden floor
and sounds of a cheering crowd where customers could try on basketball shoes.
Different areas of each Niketown are themed. Referring to the Chicago store,
Peñaloza writes:

New age melodies permeated the sports sandals area, swatted tennis balls and cheering crowds
enlivened the tennis area, and the high-pitched squeaks of sneakers on wood, the swoosh of a bas-
ketball passing through the hoop, and cheering crowds accentuated the basketball area and made
me want to get out and play. … In the room for the All Condition Gear (ACG), the calls of birds and
crickets, and the sound of setting a climbing rope were audible. Sales associate Anthony (Latino,
20’s) told me they were going to remodel it, adding a waterfall and fish to make it more natural. 97
Like some other examples of theming such as the Disney theme parks themselves,
the Niketowns are therefore themed at several levels: in terms of Nike and its
goods; in terms of a gymnasium and a museum; and in terms of different regions
of the store which function like ‘lands’ in the Disney theme parks. The result has
been that Niketown Chicago is second only to the city’s Art Institute in terms of
the number of visitors.

Shopping in themed environments

Themed malls, heritage shopping and themed shopping are clearly becoming
more and more prevalent. Aside from their use as strategies for differentiation,
they are unlikely to become less important in the future because they constitute
a major approach to combatting shopping from home in its various forms: tele-
vision shopping, catalogue shopping, and above all internet shopping. Shopping
in themed environments provides experiences that direct involvement in mall or
store locations can most easily provide. They supply reasons for getting out of the
house in order to shop. They also provide alternatives to the pile-’em-high and
sell-’em-cheap strategy of discount shops and warehouses by giving the customer
additional value in the form of memorable experiences and entertainment as part
of the shopping transaction. Just as with themed restaurants, themed shops and
the extravagant simulated environments that often accompany them are differ-
entiation strategies. The various forms of themed shopping environments
attempt to differentiate themselves not just from other malls and shops but also
from the new forms of retailing that are taking their market share (home shop-
ping, catalogue and internet shopping, and discount warehouses).

Zoos

Theming can be said to be a feature of many zoos in two major senses. First, there
is evidence of growing theming within zoos, so that areas or collections are