For three weeks now, The Lego Movie has dominated the U.S. box office, as children and adults alike flock to explore an animated world of interlocking plastic bricks. The movie has its share of stars, Liam Neeson, Elizabeth Banks, and Morgan Freeman among them, but this isn’t what makes its success significant. The Lego Movie is branded content – possibly the “biggest, most high-profile” branded content ever made, but branded content all the same. To be clear, the film wasn’t produced by Lego. The company was reportedly “cautious” about the idea of a Lego movie from the start. But filmmaker Dan Lin, who’s associated with Warner Bros., wanted to make a movie his young sons could watch, and so he pitched Denmark’s The Lego Group and the project developed from there. Now, there’s a sequel on the way. Even though the effort wasn’t initiated by the brand, Lego’s decision to support it was risky. Already established and well-loved by consumers around the world, Lego had more to lose than to gain.
How, then, did all parties involved assemble a project that doesn’t feel commercial? With a clever strategy, executed brick by brick. The Importance of Being Interactive Those who’ve seen the film know creativity and imagination are paramount to its storyline, but it’s worth noting that these themes were introduced to the public early on. Two years prior to The Lego Movie‘s release, The Lego Group and Warner Bros. launched a contest asking fans to create a custom vehicle for inclusion in the film. Open to children and young adults in three age categories, the contest was promoted on Lego’s Facebook page as well as with a video on YouTube. Fans had four months within which to submit a photo of their creation via The Lego Movie‘s site. The Web-based competition served to pique the interest of Lego fans and generate preliminary buzz, but it also gave consumers a reason to follow news of the movie during the many months leading up to the premiere. Inviting potential viewers to engage with the project gained Lego and Warner Bros. a coterie of fans.
And they didn’t even need a movie clip to do it. Later, the companies built on this foundation of interactivity by introducing a Web-based “SigFig” creator on The Lego Movie site. Fans can use it to virtually construct a Lego figurine in their likeness, and watch it star in a customized trailer. Together, the contest and app produce an immersive content experience that extends well beyond the screen. What makes a brand successful? In part it’s integration: linking products with packaging and promotion across multiple platforms such that users get a cohesive brand experience wherever they go. This marketing strategy as it relates to Lego was eloquently described in a recent post on CNN Money: Lego, writer Geoff Colvin said, is “a machine that creates an extended customer experience with its brand, in multiple media and physical spaces.” For that “machine,” The Lego Movie represents the common thread that effectively ties together every offshoot. With a message in keeping with the tenets of the brand, a fully immersive Lego world, and a cast of characters born of the existing licensing deals with third-party companies that have stacked toy store shelves, this one piece of branded content fully unites the brand.
Product lines and packaging suddenly appear interrelated, and gain new meaning in the context of pure amusement. Above all else, The Lego Movie is a hit because it wasn’t treated as branded content. The product and brand are so interwoven with the film that it couldn’t exist without them, and yet nothing about the experience reads “ad.” The Lego Movie delivers a hero quest story that viewers can relate to, along with humor and a fast-moving plot. Any nods to the product or time-honored role that Lego toys play in our lives (such as Benny, the “1980-something spaceman” of 21st-century parents’ youth) aren’t perceived as promotion, because they’re so well integrated into the plot. The Lego Movie may be built around a brand, but it’s the story that’s made to matter. The content doesn’t appear overtly persuasive because it isn’t: what’s being sold is good storytelling using a unique medium that happens to be available in stores. In essence, Lego is simply underwriting a project that takes the form of quality entertainment.
This ensures the company won’t be demurred, but instead accepted for its part in facilitating a desirable consumer experience. And that’s something a brand can build on. Email marketing automation may be the secret to a successful marketing strategy, provided that you know how to use it. Here’s how to get started. Influencer outreach is a step-by-step process during which impeccable planning and execution are necessary. If you’ve ever worked in B2B marketing or sales, chances are you’re familiar with the concept of the lead generation funnel. But is the traditional funnel approach a little bit backwards? According to data gathered for the report,‘Communications Infrastructure: The Backbone of Digital,’ 88% of IT professionals and 61% of marketers ranked their company’s current communication infrastructure as 'cutting-edge' or 'good.'Lego Marvel SuperheroesAvengers LegoMarvel OusHulk LegoAvengers PoorSuperheroes BitchAvengers FindAvengers PerfectMarvel Super HeroesForwardThis is what I imagine the new Marvel LEGO game will be like, real time.
Firstly, yes, Warner Bros. has made a LEGO Movie. A big budget, Hollywood, CGI motion picture starring (the voices of) Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman. The film isn’t out until February 2014, and yet Warner Bros. began the marketing push earlier this year with a great looking trailer and various teaser posters. This shouldn’t be a surprise being as LEGO has a great online strategy and has shown previous form in building its own online customer community. Recently though, the marketing push has begun through closer engagement on social network sites, clearly having learnt lessons from LEGO's own social interaction via its CUUSOO site. Let’s take a look at how Warner Bros. and their digital agency Substance are marketing LEGO's biggest new construction yet using social media… My attention was first drawn to The LEGO Movie’s Twitter campaign yesterday when my film journalist friend tweeted this: A film is talking to me! RT @TheLEGOMovieUK Age is but a number.
Why not build your own mini-figure here? — Ali Gray@The_Shiznit (@The_Shiznit) November 5, 2013 Is there anyone out there who is super excited about The LEGO Movie and is older than 32 so I can feel slightly better about myself? The LEGO Movie has its ears to the ground, and is quick to engage. The tweet comes from The Lego Movie UK account, which surprisingly only has 76 followers, but as it's only a very nascent account this shows a soft, subtle approach to marketing, ready for the big Christmas push. The USA based LEGO Movie Twitter account has 11,025 followers, which is still relatively few, considering the comparable Thor: The Dark World account has 96,025 followers. That film has been released for a week now and has therefore reached the peak of its marketing push. The LEGO Movie still has a long way to go. So what is LEGO offering in its tweets? The chance to build your own LEGO minifigure. Here you can make your wildest dreams come true and become a true life LEGO person.
Not like this though. This is the most terrifying thing I saw all Halloween… Here’s me halfway through the build. I don’t have any trousers on. And here’s the finished product… I now have trousers. Although I have turned up to work still wearing my LARPING helmet. You can download this as a custom film poster, desktop background or social avatar, but best of all, you can unlock your specially designed character as a playable minifigure in the forthcoming LEGO Movie computer game. The LEGO Movie also shares its follower’s photographs in a ‘fan of the week’ showcase. Congrats to Kristine, the creator of these awesome lemon-flavored LEGO cake pops, and our new #LEGOFanoftheWeek! — The LEGO Movie (@TheLEGOMovie) September 6, 2013 New #LEGOFanoftheWeek Adam got his whole family to dress up as LEGO bricks for Halloween! — The LEGO Movie (@TheLEGOMovie) August 26, 2013 There’s also a palpable sense of joy coming from the stars of the film, who often tweet links and join in conversations with the LEGO Movie account.
@TheLEGOMovie @prattprattpratt Oh, also I play a pirate named METAL BEARD. He has a shark for an arm, no big deal. — Nick Offerman (@Nick_Offerman) October 30, 2013 They don’t have to do this, they’re just clearly excited to be in a LEGO Movie. As a lifelong LEGO fan, the Twitter feed is a pleasure to follow and uses the relationship built up with its fans over the decades in a responsible, entertaining and relevant way. On the LEGO Movie Facebook page, LEGO is sharing the photographs its followers have taken of themselves with the LEGO Movie stands found in cinemas around the country. The LEGO Movie Facebook also runs a ‘fan of the week’ competition. This is a specifically built interface where the user can load photos directly on to the Facebook page through an app. Followers can then vote with 'likes' to pick the winner. You can also upload photos on to Instagram using the #LEGOfanoftheweek hashtag. For further information on social media strategy download our Social Media and Online PR Strategy Guidelines and read our post on how social media engagement is a tactic, not a strategy.