Part theme park, part learning centre, Kidzania encourages children to explore and dream about future careers with the help of national and international brands.
Part of a rapidly growing network of centres, Cairo Kidzania features a townscape of streets and squares, complete with electric vehicles, for children to explore. With familiar stores at two-thirds adult scale, kids can try their hand at being everything from a vet or a chef to a journalist or airline pilot.
International brands such as Vodafone, Nestlé and Microsoft are combined with national Egyptian players like Ghabbour Autos and the Al Ahram newspaper.
By exploring different jobs the children can earn Kidzania currency which they can spend on snacks and activities like the go-kart track. Some might find the juxtaposition of education and consumerism a bid disconcerting but the centres are a fascinating insight into how brands can connect to their audience and their future customers.
A Kidzania centre is expected to open at Westfield London later this year or early 2015.
Shopper Insights:
As digital channels increasingly fulfil simple purchases, we can expect many of our physical streetscapes to feature a growing number of brand playgrounds offering interactive and immersive experiences.
Brand Take-away:
When looking to connect with their customers, brands need to consider how to tap into an innate, childlike desire to explore and to indulge in idle fantasy.
Brought to you by Fitch. FITCH is a global brand and retail design consultancy Bold Thinking, Seamless Experiences
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