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Kids' Web
Kirby's Korner · November 12, 1999

The Washington Post Magazine on Oct. 24 ran an extended article about marketing on the Internet aimed at children. The next day, the company's online venture followed this up with a chat with the author.

At the same time, a colleague who shall remain nameless pointed out that there aren't any travel sites on the Web aimed at kids.

Is this a money-making venture waiting to happen, or what?

Let's be only partially cynical. Kids aren't going to buy much travel, so there's not much point in trying to sell it to them online. And they're not going to design family vacations on their own.

But the Post article cites an advertising executive as saying that in 1997 kids in the United States under 12 directly influenced $188 billion in spending and indirectly influenced another $300 billion.

That's a lot of trips to Disneyland.

It's not out of the question that travel industry companies are considering a kids-oriented Web site already. Displayed prominently on the Zeeks.com home page, aimed at kids 6 to 13, is a link to a contest to win a trip to the Disney Institute.

As I read the Post article, I felt the same way as a children's crusader quoted in a sidebar who attended a Jupiter Communications conference, Digital Kids: "Am I the only person who feels like screaming here?" But I have that reaction to many discussions about marketing, no matter what the audience and even though I write about marketing for a living.

Others recognize problems raised by online marketing aimed at children, however. Congress passed the 1998 Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, and the Federal Trade Commission is working now to implement it. (Here's an agenda for a July meeting on the subject; use the FTC's search engine to find more information on the rules.)

The point remains: there are no travel-related Web sites designed for children.

There are Web sites with suggestions for traveling with children, although fewer of those exist than I expected when I did a survey a few months ago. Among them are Family Travel Forum, The Family Travel Files, and Travel With Kids. But these are aimed at adults.

What could be a fun but educational experience would be a site that helps empower kids as they embark on that family vacation.

It should be simple but vivid, as the Yahooligans search engine demonstrates. It should be interactive, as the Barbie and MaMaMedia sites are.

It should use some of the best tools of the interactive world, including 360-degree photographs promoted by companies such as Interactive Pictures to immerse the kids in everything from the Grand Canyon to the Great Barrier Reef.

It might even include an e-commerce option of the sort developed by IcanBuy so kids can stock their knapsacks for the coming trip.

Most of all, it should be, well, a learning experience. Get the kids involved in planning a trip. Suggest what they can see once they arrive. Tell them about the history of the place. Explain why it has the type of weather it has. Describe the geographic surroundings and put it in context on a map. And provide a way for them to learn more.

The site could branch out to related subjects: How does a plane fly? How does a car work? The possibilities are just a click away.

Would anyone be interested in such a project? What should it contain? How could it be financed -- and who would sponsor it if it isn't a money-making venture?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

(If the Washington Post links at the top of this piece are no longer valid by the time you read this, try searching on the washingtonpost.com Web site for the article "The Selling of the Clickerati" by Bob Thompson. The Post kills current links within two weeks.)

David Kirby is the editor of the Interactive Travel Report. His column appears on Friday. You can reach him at david@ticked.com.