Lego will not renew its marketing contract with Shell after coming under sustained pressure from Greenpeace to end a partnership that dates to the 1960s. The environmental campaign group, protesting about the oil giant’s plans to drill in the Arctic, had targeted the world’s biggest toy maker with a YouTube video that attracted nearly 6m views for its depiction of a pristine Arctic, built from 120kg of Lego, being covered in oil. Initially Lego had resisted Greenpeace, arguing that it ought to deal directly with Shell, but on Thursday it will relent. Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, the toy maker’s chief -executive, said Lego would honour its existing deal with Shell, which began in 2011, but “as things currently stand we will not renew the contract with Shell when the present contract ends”. Lego toy sets are currently distributed at petrol stations in 26 countries, in a deal valued at £68m. Lego had previously argued that the relationship had a positive impact on the world by inspiring children with its toy sets.
Greenpeace activists also targeted Legoland in Windsor by dressing as Lego figures, while the campaign video, entitled “Everything is not awesome” attracted 5.9m views. John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said the response from the public to its campaign had been extraordinary in terms of scale and -creativity. “It did touch a bit of a raw nerve about the partnership between the two companies that people thought was completely inappropriate – for a toy company like Lego to partner with an oil corporation – which is a sign of changes that are happening [in public attitudes towards fossil fuel companies],” he said. He added that he hoped the move by Lego would prompt other organisations that work with Shell, such as London’s Science Museum, where Shell sponsors a climate change exhibition, to think twice about their partnerships. “Clearly Shell is trying to piggy back on the credibility of other brands. It’s a good PR strategy if you can get away with it.
But as we’ve shown, if you can’t get away with it, that social licence is taken away. It does damage them a lot,” he told the Guardian. Knudstorp, CEO of the Lego Group, said in a statement on Thursday: “The Greenpeace campaign uses the Lego brand to target Shell. As we have stated before, we firmly believe Greenpeace ought to have a direct conversation with Shell. The Lego brand, and everyone who enjoys creative play, should never have become part of this dispute between Greenpeace and Shell. “Our stakeholders have high expectations of the way we operate. We do not agree with the tactics used by Greenpeace that may have created misunderstandings among our stakeholders about the way we operate, and we want to ensure our attention is not diverted from our commitment to delivering creative and inspiring play experiences.” A spokesman for Shell said that the company enjoyed a successful and productive relationship with Lego. Of the Greenpeace campaign, he said: “We respect the right of individuals and organisations to engage in a free and frank exchange of views about meeting the world’s growing energy needs.
Recognising the right of individuals to express their point of view, we only ask they do so in a manner that is lawful and does not place their safety or the safety of others at risk.” In January, Shell shelved its plans to drill for oil in the Arctic this summer, citing poor market conditions and internal failures. But in August, the company submitted a new offshore drilling plan to US authorities that could pave the way for the company to explore for oil in the Arctic in 2015, off the coast of north-west Alaska. Mark Borkowski, a brand consultant and founder of PR company Borkowski.do, said the co-promotion with Lego would have had “huge value” for Shell. “Kids have a very honest and pronounced view on things such as the Earth and -animals. I wondered why Lego with such a strong brand and such dominance would get into bed with Shell,” he said. “Greenpeace have done an outstanding job, to apply the pressure. This is a wake-up call to oil and gas and other energy companies, that need to recognise they cannot lobby the [younger] generation that is going to inherit the Earth.
Their spin machines need to wake up to that.” Lego’s partnership with Shell dates to the 1960s and has involved Shell-branded toy sets being sold around the world. The Danish company prides itself on its green credentials, from energy efficiency to the use of renewable energy, and says that it is looking for alternatives to the crude oil from which it currently makes its bricks.Page Not Found (404) Sorry, what you're looking for can't be found! The page might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavaible. Or it probably just doesn't exist.Shell, officially known as Royal Dutch Shell plc, is a real world oil company. Until the introduction of the fictional gasoline company Octan in 1992, Shell was the common gasoline brand featured in LEGO sets. Shell often sells exclusive promotional LEGO sets at its petrol stations, for example, Ferrari sets are often seen in the Petrol Stations. The first Shell sets were released in 1966. These were only available in Europe though.
In the US, only sets with Exxon livery were released. Beginning in 1986, Shell sets were also released in the US. With the introduction of Octan in 1992, no regular Shell sets were released anymore, except the occasional promo sets. In 2012, Shell released new LEGO promotional sets featuring Ferrari vehicles, in Hong Kong and Macau. Later in 2014, Shell released another set of LEGO promotional sets featuring Ferrari vehicles, miniature Grand Prix podium and miniature Shell station model. They are currently available in Hong Kong and Singapore. In October of 2014, LEGO did not renew its partnership with Shell after Greenpeace and many other petition signers urged LEGO not to after Shell announced its plan to drill for oil in the Arctic.If you hit that trifecta and you're in Singapore for the Formula 1 race this weekend, prepare to buy a lot of gas. Local Shell stations are offering six exclusive Ferrari LEGO kits to customers who fill up today, tomorrow, and Sunday. And they're really cool.
The basic assortment consists of four cars and two playsets. Each costs either $5.95 SGD (~$5 US) or $8.95 SGD (~$7 US) with the purchase of $60 SGD (~$48 US) in fuel (the lower kit prices are for customers who buy V-Power).In addition to the F12berlinetta shown at the top of the page, the following are available:F138 Formula 1 car Finish Line/ Podium Playset Lastly, this Shell fuel tanker kit is available from September 22 through November 16. It's free if you get one of the Helix Ultra lube services. And obviously, if you're not in Singapore and want in on the action, these should be all over Ebay very, very soon. You Can Buy a Chevy SS at a Huge Discount A Supercharged Nissan 370Z Is Very Fast and Furious Why a Nurburgring Record Set in 1983 Will Never Be Beaten This Is What 20 Years of Neglect Does to a Jaguar E-Type The 500-Pound Backpack Everyone Seems to Want to Carry 10 of the Smallest Details That Have the Highest Impact on Performance