BACKGROUND:
Like every rose, LEGO has its thorn. It's adored worldwide for inspiring generations of children. However, therein lies the challenge, LEGO is seen as a toy brand for kids, but the vast majority of adults aren’t aware we have brilliant sets for them too.
Our task was twofold, we need to grow credibility with adults, shifting perceptions of the brand. While also driving commercial success, with sales of the LEGO Botanicals collection.
The brief was to branch out of the toy aisle and plant our role in the world of gifting to adults. As a brand that plays big, we aimed high with our sights on Valentine’s Day.
This would be no easy task. We needed to shake up perceptions of the brand to win over adults. While also planting LEGO’s role in a cluttered occasion, proving the best flowers for Valentine’s aren’t just picked, but built.
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IDEA:
The creative idea: We invited everyone to Keep It Fresh this Valentine’s Day,
blooming against traditional conventions.
For a limited time only, our London store was given a fresh floral makeover and rebuilt into a LEGO florist, or as we named it ‘Le Florist’. Surprising passers-by with wall-to-wall brick-built blooms. Our store staff even became florists, arranging and showcasing the freshest bunches.
But love knows no boundaries, Le Florist was designed to bloom across the globe. We partnered with social influencers and leveraged earned media to spread the love, and challenge the public to Keep It Fresh.
LEGO Florists also sprouted up in other key markets, reimagining local Valentine’s traditions with a fresh LEGO twist. And for those who couldn't visit a Le Florist, we brought it to them, with a limited-edition gift with purchase florist set, building fresh excitement into Valentine's.
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EXECUTION:
It took us circa 600 building hours to make The LEGO Battersea Power Station store blossom through a special build that required more than 125k LEGO bricks and 1900 LEGO flowers.
Le Florist opened at this flagship LEGO store in London during the February 3rd and 4th, 2024 weekend. Meanwhile, we had a Flower Cart nearby, which drove traffic to the store and stayed up to drive more visits and content until February 19th. Throughout the same period, other LEGO Florists opened up across the globe, making this a global Valentine’s refresh.
From airports in Spain to bicycles across France and build-your-own bouquets in Taiwan, more Florists sprouted up across Europe and Asia. In the Americas, we even partnered with a Bachelorette contestant to (finally) give them a rose and host a brick-based date night event including local market media interviews and global social content.
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RESULTS:
The campaign bloomed beyond our goals, and successfully grew relevance with adults:
Coverage sprouted across print, online and social platforms with an astounding 1.1 Billion in earned global reach
100% of the coverage contained mentions of the brand, Le Florist activation and campaign imagery
Media sentiment was 100% positive, reflecting the widespread love
Activation video garnered 4.2M views on our TikTok alone, and reached 4.6M Impressions on talent paid social (vs 2.2M benchmark)
By playing with the flower category, we earned our place at the top of it, dominating flower searches, without paid search.
LEGO flowers was the top searched for Valentines flower in the US, reported by Google Trends
LEGO Roses searches increased +592%
The impact translated into sales, as LEGO Botanicals were proudly chosen to keep Valentine’s fresh:
Achieved 94% YoY global sales growth during the campaign period
Sold out of roses in key markets due to high demand
LEGO roses were the top selling item in the London store, the week following the activation
