At Mexico City?s Ciudad de los Ni?os (City of Kids), 10 bucks
opens the door to brand-name adventure for a new generation of
Mexican consumers, reports Adbusters (Aug./Sept. 2000). The
new advertising theme park invites kids to sample the grown-up life
of cars and cosmetics, banks, and billboards. The youngsters take a
simulated journey on an American Airlines flight, pick up their
rental car at the Avis counter, and maybe get a ‘job’ at Burger
King or the Pemax gas station. Later they can cash their ‘paycheck’
at Bital bank (or put some City pesos in a savings account for
their next visit), then it?s on to the Nestl? climbing wall or
maybe a snack at Domino?s. The park?s 42 corporate sponsors, of
course, are not simply building brand loyalty with their presence
there; they?re using the visitor database to target future ad
campaigns.
