THE BALLOON MAN

Valley Fair mall unveils high-tech Santa display

 

Westfield Valley Fair's new Santa displayChildren check out Westfield Valley Fair's new holiday installation Thursday evening Nov. 15, 2012, featuring a digital touch-screen Christmas scene designed to appeal to Silicon ValleyŐs Ňsophisticated tech palate." (Karl Mondon/Staff)
By Heather Somerville
from: San Jose Mercury Newsmercurynews.com
11/16/2012
The long line of impatient children and stressed parents trying to keep their cool during a two-hour wait for a photo -- these are the makings of the nightmarish scene that can unfold during a visit to see Santa at the mall.
But that was before all things tablet joined the inventory at Santa's workshop.
On Thursday, Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara unveiled a tech-filled and interactive Santa display, a costly and amusement-filled installation that is part of a national retail trend to cater to the growing tech palate of youngsters and, retailers hope, convince parents to buy a new tablet or smartphone to put under the tree.
"They're trying to crush the old notion that they can't market to kids," said Marshal Cohen, a consumer behavior and retail expert with The NPD Group. "They're pulling out all the stops."
And along the way, retailers like Amazon -- which is sponsoring the tech displays at Westfield shopping centers with its Kindle tablet -- are transforming long-held holiday traditions. Gone are the carefully carved wooden toys that Santa's workshops of yesteryear might have produced. And Rudolph has been replaced by a Mini Cooper convertible -- the vehicle used for Santa's entrance into Valley Fair on Thursday evening.
"We are seeing the new traditions being born right before our eyes," Cohen said.
When the nostalgia passes, though, parents and kids are left with a Santa experience that may be more amusing
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http://www.siliconvalley.com/news/ci_22004963/valley-fair-unveil-high-tech-santa-display