Lego is for LIFE (part two)

"All LEGO men are created equal (1.5625 inches tall). What they become is limited only by imagination."

 - Author unknown

My imagination is something that has helped me through many hard times and (trying, and failing not to sound just a tad arrogant) I feel it sets me apart from a lot of the "white sheep".

 I grew up an only child and had to improvise in terms of friends- therefore I created "children" out of papyrus plants, became a hair dresser- thanks to pencils with a blob of Prestik on the end, got stranded in the middle of the ocean on a boogie board (which I sat on for HOURS) in my living room and created soap operas and epic movies with my Lego. 

Free play is, in my opinion, low GI health food (albeit yummy health food) where as mindless TV and video games are the sugary junk food to childrens brains. Both of them will fill you up and keep you from dying (for how long, I am not sure) but only the first  nourishes you so that you develop properly.

This week I am continuing to review Lego ads and have saved some of my favorites for last. 

Brick Campaign by Pereira & O’Dell, Brazil
These four ads are placed consecutively in a publication elluding to it being in notebook format and ending off with the blank "yellow brick" ad. Usually Lego sticks to a powerful visual paired with minimal to no copy. In this case they have done the opposite but without detracting from their imagination stoking style. These ads show scenarios that create powerful visuals in the readers mind. The scenarios do not necessarily make sense but they definitely do stretch the imagination, and when you think about it, what game did you play as a kid that DID make perfect sense? It is a beautiful illustration of a kids mind and, as many of their ads do, pulls you back into the mindset of when you were that age. The last ad (the yellow brick) only has empty lines and ends off with the tagline “Every LEGO brick tells a story. Build yours.” this is in order to encourage people to partake, to make their own fabulous and crazy story because with Lego- the possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

Words puzzle campaign: Crocodile/Spaceship/Tractor by TBWA, Costa Rica.

I love it when a simple concept, like a word search, is turned on its head like what has been done in this campaign. These ad's draws a parallel to the situation a kid would find themselves in when they have a pile of random Lego pieces in front of them, you can hear the cogs turning as they deduce what can be made or even how the idea in their head can turn into reality with the blocks that they have at their disposal. It can also be noted that the objects that they are looking for in the "word search" are circled in crayon which could mean that even before one learns to read or write Lego is already teaching them critical thinking. The colours used are not really gender specific even though they do use a spot of pink here and there. This is my second favorite of the ads that I am covering due to its simple yet inciteful execution.

 Lego Star Wars by Students: Diego Mourau, Gustavo Dorietto, Lucas Mohallem , Advertising School: Escola Cuca, Sao Paolo

Star wars. Star wars is... The fact is, I can't explain the role Star Wars plays in my life without sounding a tad crazy. One day I will have a Star Wars wedding and I am toying with the idea of calling my children (in the far-off future) either Luke or Leia depending on their sex. I am currently day dreaming about how to make an Ewok onesie and often when I am feeling down I watch a marathon of the original movies with a glass (read bottle) of red wine. Suffice to say, this ad campaign spoke to me, and not only because of the subject matter but because of the execution. The ads features characters from Star Wars in uncharacteristic yet witty situations which show that whatever set from whichever movie you get, does not restrict your playing to that of the storyline which it is based on. The first ad refers to a scene where Obi-Wan (or Old Ben) gave Luke his lightsaber which he held very close to his head and if he had put it on he would have decapitated himself and the story would have been over- this is a bit of an inside joke for the fans. I LOVED the concepts used and I was thrilled to find out that it was made by advertising students- this gives me hope that some day soon I may too create such awesome ads.