CSR Educational Program: Minicity VR

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Challenge

Our goal was to design an attractive and easy-to-understand form of financial education for children aged 7–11 visiting Miniciti, in a way that would hold their attention amidst the flood of experiences and within the limited time they spend in the city.

Additionally, we needed to expand the presence of the Mastercard brand and introduce a new brand – PeP – in a way that felt cohesive and natural within the children’s world.

Insight

Observations of children’s behavior show that they remember the practical elements of their visit the most: earnings, currency, and jobs.

Abstract concepts — like taxes or the circulation of money — often slip away from their attention. That’s why financial education should be built on emotions, play, and repeatable experiences — following the principle of “edutainment.”

Strategy

We focused on creating an educational path centered around the child’s experience (kid journey), where learning happens through play and multiple touchpoints. The common communication thread became eMi – the brand hero of Miniciti – ensuring fun for children, while giving Mastercard and PeP both credibility and engagement.

Execution

A new Mastercard and PeP zone was designed in Miniciti, tailored to the 15-minute window between children’s activities. The educational space features several stations with a specially designed VR game, in which players have 1,000,000 mini-ases to spend. They can open a shop in a selected industry and take on the role of an entrepreneur, whose goal is to achieve success. An animated educational film about the money cycle was also created, available for teachers and parents as support material before and after the visit. Educational content was prepared for school lessons (45 minutes), with the support of experts, and made available online and via email. The entire concept was kept in Miniciti’s distinctive style: hand-drawn illustrations, a light tone, and the presence of eMi.

Summary

The project provided children with a more cohesive and engaging educational experience around finance, strengthening positive associations with Mastercard and PeP. The time and quality of brand interaction were extended beyond Miniciti itself — reaching into homes and schools. Thanks to the additional materials, teachers and parents gained practical tools to support children’s financial education. The Mastercard & PeP project for Miniciti demonstrated how to effectively combine brand goals with the education and development of children. Through a coherent idea, tailored to the perception of the youngest audiences, it was possible to create a valuable educational experience that goes beyond the boundaries of the city. It is an example of modern edutainment — thoughtful, engaging, and long-term.