With some help from Ogilvy and Mather Paris, Mattel worked with Europcar to develop the first ever 'Rental Car Agency for Kids.'
The agencies were set up within Europcar offices and while parents were busy finalizing trip details, a second counter for kids gave them something interesting to do in the interim. Anything that the parents go through was mimicked for kids, including an agent that helped them to arrange contracts and test drives. To sign off on the deals, kids were even required to sign the Hot Wheels rental agreements.
For the most part, the Hot Wheels car rentals gives kids the full adult experience, but where it differs is that they don't have to return their cars. If the rentals go unreturned, a charge goes to a parent's credit card, which is a brilliant way for Mattel to see which of its Hot Wheels are the most popular models.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Interactive Kid-centered Experiences
- Creating interactive experiences for children within adult-oriented spaces can enhance engagement and provide valuable insights.
- Immersive Role-play
- Offering children the opportunity to mimic adult activities through role-play fosters creativity and enjoyment.
- Data-driven Product Insights
- Using rental services as a means to collect data on popular models can inform future product development and marketing strategies.
Where This Applies
- Toy Manufacturing
- Toy manufacturers can explore interactive experiences and role-play to engage with their target audience and gather valuable information on consumer preferences.
- Car Rental
- Car rental companies can expand their services to include kid-centered experiences, tapping into a new market segment and increasing customer engagement.
- Advertising and Marketing
- Ad agencies can collaborate with brands to create innovative campaigns that offer unique experiences for children, while also collecting valuable data for market analysis and insights.
