Stars steal the show from mall shopping

By Randall Smith
Posted July 14, 2004

There is something monumental happening within the shopping malls, and it has to do with popular culture. Pop culture is now becoming the ruler supreme in attracting the masses into the shopping malls. Retail sales are becoming a mere impulse buy afterthought to the pop culture main event.

The psychology of building grandiose shopping malls in the image of uber-rich dwellings to attract the masses to overpay for wares is based on a dying model of industrial age copious consumption. Seems there are just fewer folks who are that wanna-be uber-rich shopper. There is hope for mankind yet.

Sure there was previous pop culture events within the malls like Tiffany concerts, modeling agency runway modeling kids, adding cinemas or even Mall Of America theme parks. Some may argue that mall shopping itself is pop culture and that may be so for the remaining uber-wanna-be types. These are all lightweights compared to the pop culture invasion happening at the malls lately.

Pop-punk rocker Avril Lavigne has completed a mall concert tour this year dubbed “Avril Live and by Surprise.” Fans were notified of the mall location 48 hours prior to the show. Here is a real musical artist, who at age 17 wrote her own songs and whose debut release “Let Go” was the third largest-selling CD of 2003. This is not some lip-sinking Britney-Tiffany-fluff startup act.

The massively popular TV high school show Degrassi: The Next Generation is also hitting the malls. The young actors from the show are making appearances in all the major markets. The recent stop in Orlando by the shows “TJ” and “Emma” was like a teen and tween scream fest.

There are even chances to audition for the TV show, Girls vs. Boys.Here is a genuine opportunity to land a place on a TV show right from your local mall. There is even a tie-in to the Degrassi folks when you get to vote which of the young actors will get to participate in an” upcoming Girl vs. Boys episode. Oh, and don’t forget to enter for the free trip to Hawaii while you are shopping.

The trend of pop culture’s music and television icons touring the malls reflects that monumental shift in the malls retailing model and this will continue to work very well. As for the uber-wanna-be types, you will still find them looking down their noses as they walk around the malls with their most exclusive shopping bag labels held strategically for all to see.