Behind the brand film: Lego's evolution to WFH helper

Some brands are struggling to find their footing during the COVID-19 crisis, but Lego is uniquely positioned to support kids and adults as they remain at home, according to James Gregson, director and head of social studio at Lego Group.

Gregson’s comments were part of a virtual fireside chat at a Brand Film Awards U.S. workshop, a first in the event’s history, with Campaign US’ Lindsay Stein. 

As part of its response to the pandemic, Lego created the Let’s Build Together initiative. Its goal was to be as interactive as possible and repurpose inspirational building content to support those sheltering in place who are looking to switch it up from binging Netflix. 

"There never was, or will be, a strong commercial component; our goal wasn’t to sell products, but to support people while they are at home," said Gregson. 

The campaign is having a far-reaching impact on the legacy brand. Lego’s marketing dollars were previously focused on third-party retail and traditional media-distribution channels, like TV, noted Gregson.

The campaign "galvanized the entire organization to look at social in a very different way," said Gregson. "Because we didn’t have access to a TV production company, we didn’t want to pull together a large-scale TV spot. We wanted to be truly agile and practice action over perfection and reach people as quickly as we can."

While YouTube, Facebook and Instagram are part of its marketing mix, with Twitter primarily reserved for customer service activity, the Let’s Build Together campaign also generated a robust Pinterest experience. 

Lego’s brand mission of inspiring the builders of tomorrow is a constant. 

"It inspires everything we do both creatively, strategically and in marketing, as well," said Gregson. "Everything we put out across social should inspire people, whether that’s creatively, to buy a product or for parents to get out their old bricks and build with their kids."