Catch them young. Indoctrinate them before they reach puberty. That way you build brand loyalty so that when kids get to decide on where they want to spend their pocket money they’ll buy your brand.
That at least is the hope of a lot of Indonesian, regional and multinational companies who have all rushed to set up their own presence in Indonesia’s version of Second Life for kids in Jakarta. The piece of kiddy real estate is called Kidzania and it is scheduled to be opened on November 24. It will be located in the swanky new Pacific Place in the SCBD,
Will kids be a slave to brands when they grow up. Hang around for a few years and we’ll all find out.
Here’s what the publicity, in the form of an e-mail with photos say:
Kidzania adalah kota anak-anak dalam satu area, terletak di Pacific Place, SCBD, Jakarta Selatan. Seperti layaknya sebuah kota, di sini ada peraturan, pemerintahan, mata uang dan tata cara seperti kota sebenarnya.Di tempat ini anak-anak hingga usia 6- 13 tahun dapat berprofesi sebagaimana layaknya orang dewasa. Mereka dapat bekerja di stasiun TV, Rumah Sakit, Pabrik Coklat, Perusahaan Penerbangan, Polisi, pengacara, dsb.Anak-anak juga dapat membuka rekening di bank, harus mengambil SIM untuk mengendarai mobil, bahkan ada penjara bagi yang melanggar peraturan. Beberapa brand menjadi sponsor area ini. Seperti stasiun TV dan korannya adalah Metro TV dan Media Indonesia. Sebuah cara yang cerdik untuk menanamkan ‘top of mind’ sebuah brand dari sejak anak-anak.
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I haven’t really put a thought on brand hammering on kids in this Kidzania issue. I was more worried on the trend it tends to create as i put it in my blog. Sending kids to this ”way expensive child care” as a new trend of social status in jakartarian elites. It is really good that you see it in this way, though.
terrible! this is just something that I must avoid. I don’t want any of my kids spending one second in that place.
this place definitely teaches two things:
1. materialism.
2. consumerism.
nothing else.
For the past few years, I’ve seen a terrible trends in Jakarta’s youngsters. If you gather 100 teenagers in Jakarta and ask what do they want to be when they grow up, you wouldn’t find answers like doctor, teacher or businessman/woman much. Most would answer becoming a celebrity. They think it’s easy living, and you get a lot of money to spend. Where did you think this thing is coming from?
TV has it’s share, but after reading your piece, I am sure the trend would go up for children who have visited this place. Jakarta has become a very materialism city
(
Good. This is a process. Wait and see several years after, when they’re cognitively ready to produce theories of their own. They’d have substantial juxtaposition in how to value their lives, their identities, and their roles in the society. As a moral consequence, they will question and critisize their own self-meanings, and hence began the new process. The difference is, this process will “self-execute” sooner than how it happens for most of you here … (has it happened for most of you here?).
It’s up to you parents to guide them through. Either it’s Kidzania or not, HELLO?, the world is already one big giant Kidzania! Don’t expect your kids to become Mahatma Ghandis just because you hate the Paris Hiltons. You might as well tell them to live in the jungle and mingle with the chimps.
Really. I’ve seen adults that live (and quite obsessed) with materialism and consumerism. Why? Because they FEAR it.
Sometimes people (the so-called adults) are not paying enough attention. All we can ever do is point fingers, and claim this is hedonism, this is materialism, this is consumerism. I’m sure people who visit this site are damn straight successful intellectuals, but I wonder why they can’t provide better and deeper analysis.
If I’m a parent, I don’t want to teach my kids to fear materialism. I want them to go inside that Kidzania courageously, and they can ride that yellow car as fast as they could if they want to.
Just don’t hit anybody.
Oh no, it’s not to me the pleasure when i decide to go there with my kids. I hope my boys will get something new by experiencing.
Is that expensive the ticket?
My boy went there with his school, this is my short review http://khazanahpikir.blogspot.com/2007/12/kidzania-tempat-bermain-dan-belajar.html
Thanks to your posting that was also inspiring this view.