Hasta La Creative!

The concept behind Kidzania — essentially a theme park that’s about work — is growing like a weed abroad, with 12 existing locations and openings scheduled this year in Kuwait City, Cairo, Sao Paulo, Mumbai and Istanbul. The first U.S. location is due in 2015 in a city to be determined, and it’s up to Cammie Dunaway, U.S. president and global CMO, to explain the concept to American children and their parents.

Started in Mexico in 1999, Kidzania exposes children to the working world and money management by letting them earn a virtual currency. Kids apply themselves in various career paths, all courtesy of brand sponsors. They can perform surgeries in a Johnson & Johnson hospital in Portugal and work in a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Dubai. Their earnings could go toward renting a car in an Avis rental office, or kids could do the prudent thing and deposit their hard-earned cash in a bank to earn interest.

The brand accomplishes an unusual trifecta of appealing to children, their parents and global marketers who are already looking for ways to talk to the next generation of consumers. Ms. Dunaway — a speaker at Ad Age’s CMO Strategy Summit in San Francisco next month — gave some insight into the strategy behind where to set up shop and how to promote such an unusual brand.

Continue reading at AdAge.com