MUMBAI: Getting started is simple: pick an occupation, learn about the job, don a uniform, and start earning, spend kidzos... and have fun! There is one such destination, which provides all of this. With this core thought, to ignite the hearts and minds of kids everywhere by empowering them to make the world a better place, KidZania was born in India in 2013.
KidZania offers a variety of activities to suit multiple interests of children. The facility has various establishments with specific role-playing activities that kids can take up as jobs. Supervisors would help children identify their aptitude and make their first resume, based on their interests.
To double up the fun quotient as the summer sets in, the company is set to roll out its new campaign called ‘My Summer Scrapbook’ will go live from 18 April at R-City Mall in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar suburb.
KidZania chief marketing officer Viraj jit Singh feels that summer is the best time to engage with kids and parents. “With summer holidays, parents and families look at means of entertainment for kids and this is where we actually speak over the next two months,” said Singh.
Scrapbook is something we all have grown up with. “The idea of a scrapbook allows us to tell the child that it’s a great place for them to be able to create memories and that they would have many activities throughout summer to fill up the whole scrapbook,” he added.
To connect better with the target audience between 4-14 for activities and parents between the ages of 24-48, this year KidZania is aiming at different mediums in the Mumbai and Pune markets. Unlike last year, where the summer campaign focused more on OOH, this year it spreads across platforms. Starting from print and digital, it will be followed by television, radio and below-the-line activities (BTL). With close to 6,00,000 visitors till date, KidZania aims to take the number even higher this year with its aggressive campaign.
An insightful journey
Right from conceptualizing to execution of the campaign, the marketing team took about three months. Throwing light on the company’s journey with the consumer, Singh believes that it was most important to get an insight for the campaign. “We have on an average 800-1000 families walking in every day and we definitely get some insights and feedback from them,” he said.
For KidZania, the insights start from perception of the brand and where the brand stands. “The insight is about what and why people would like to step out in the summer and what they would want to do,” he added.
The company is also looking to convey the message that Kidzania stands not just for fun but also for learning.
The campaign, which has been conceived in-house, connects well with both, children as well as adults. “For the first time, we have got to use multiple mediums. Though it is a small destination in Bombay, I think that we have reached a stage where we are confident that we will be able to communicate to a lot of people about what we show,” Singh asserted.
Engagement with the brands
Since its inception in India, KidZania has attracted 33 brands on-board till date, of these are Yes Bank, Coca Cola, Cadbury’s, Hyundai Bajaj and Amity University etc to Mumbai’s exceptional Dabbawalla’s and Bollywood Academy to name a few.
According to KidZania, brand partners must be aligned to the philosophy of reaching out to kids as ‘responsible brands’. “The brands through their engagement with kids create an environment that empowers them for self-development. This creates an inequitable impact that has a positive long-lasting impression on future consumers and their parents. For instance, a brand like Yes Bank instills the nuances of financial literacy and the importance of saving money through the banking activity, which is integral to KidZania. Amity creates a replica of their university where it teaches kids the value of education - higher education can get them better jobs and a higher pay,” Singh said.
Singh informs that all the brands that KidZania partners with are all responsible brands in the eyes of the adults. “They too want to start conversation between kids and parents. Brands in Mumbai are extremely happy and excited to partner with us and each one of them has a very different objective for being here.”
Built on a budget of Rs 100 crore, the company looks to recover 30-35 per cent of the cost from partners and 60-70 per cent from ticket sales.
Of the total budget earmarked for the marketing campaign this summer, the company will be spending 40 per cent on TV, 35 per cent on print, 15 per cent on radio and 10 per cent on digital.
Future roadmap
KidZania, successfully established in Mumbai, is now all set to explore other metros in the country. Expanding its footprint in India, the brand has targeted Delhi NCR as its next destination.
The center in Delhi is under development and is projected to go live in March 2016. Moreover, compared to the Mumbai center, which is 75,000 sq ft, the Delhi center will be much bigger in size with 97,000 sq ft independent structure.
