Ads Review - It Takes a Village to Help Lego’s Knight Cross the River
A knight and his steed approach a river. In the distance, across the river, a bear awaits. But the knight can’t cross. So a pirate with a dinghy offers a ride. But the dinghy breaks in two. So a police officer straps a jetpack to the knight’s back. The knight flies up, then back down straight into the water. The knight trudges out of the water. A fireman and a duchess offer help next, in the form of a giant slingshot. The knight flies! But not far enough. A scuba diver and a lifeguard pull him out of the water. The knight is dejected. The townspeople see that, and start ripping doors and windows off of their houses to build the knight a bridge. Then…well, why don’t you just watch the wonderful Lego ad below for the rest. Then I’ll break down what makes this ad so special.
Extreme Creativity
There is no replacement for creativity in advertising. As the cost to collaborate, create, and publish ads becomes cheaper each year, the need for creativity becomes exponentially more essential. There are more ads now than ever before, so publishing them isn’t enough. They need to be creative, and that’s exactly what Lego achieves here.
It’s one thing to make an ad with a few lego characters. But creating an entire village of classic Lego characters, all working together for some goofy goal? That’s special. When I first saw this ad, my mind was racing. What is this for? Why are there so many different characters at once? It was unlike anything I had seen before. Then, when Lego was integrated, it made perfect sense.
Humanize the Product
There’s one thing all consumers are: humans. So they understand, and can relate to humans. A few brands have done well to humanize their products, and it’s a great strategy. Check out Maytag’s and Allstate’s humanized ads.
Lego turns their classic Lego mini-figures into a diverse group of amazing characters. At the end of the ad, you almost begin to remember that when you were a kid, toys were as real as it gets. Lego helps adults understand this by humanizing their products.
Not The Heart Strings!
At the end of the ad, you see children building and laughing with the legos. The knight crosses the river, meets the bear, and enjoys a wonderful seesaw ride on a perfect afternoon. And then, the knight was the little girl all along. Ah! Lego, stop it! Stop tugging on my heart strings!
Lego knows that adults buy Legos for kids, and if they can get an emotional response from parents, uncles, and older sisters, they can make a sale and make a kid’s day.
Well done, Lego!
