Start talking about about the gender divide in the way that LEGO targets its marketing, and before long, people will refer you to ‘Back in the day’ – when there was relatively little gender specific marketing: LEGO sets were marketed to children – boys and girls. Not boys OR girls.
Eventually, someone will typically refer to print ad above, from 1981. Showing a young girl who has built a model with her LEGO Bricks. The model looks chaotic to our concrete adult minds. But the look on her face is undeniably one of excitement, joy and pride. Somewhere along the way, LEGO Sets became more of a boy focussed product, with variable effectiveness in reengaging girls in LEGO play. And then we got LEGO friends. It might be disappointing that it was necessary to release a line of sets targeted at girls of a certain age, but I think the parts palette and the set design has benefitted as a result.
This advertisment is now 40 years old. and to celebrate, the LEGO Group are taking a trip back in time, to recreate this iconic advertisement, with the young builders of today. this coincides with the message tha the LEGO Group has signed up to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles, to help guide how it can “better empower women and girls, accelerate gender equality, and encourage more young girls to believe they can achieve anything they set their hearts on.”
The LEGO Group is calling on families to help celebrate the skills, interests and creative potential of the next generation of female leaders by recreating its iconic 1981 LEGO® advert: submit a copy of a photo of your child, holding a LEGO creation they have made, and a poster will be emailed back!
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Further Details
On the 40th anniversary of the ‘What it is is beautiful’ advert, the LEGO Group is launching the campaign to support this year’s International Women’s Day on March 8. The campaign is designed to encourage and champion today’s young women on their journey to becoming the decision makers, role models and changemakers of the future – whatever their interests, passions or career aspirations may be.
By visiting LEGO.com/futurebuilders, parents and legal guardians can find inspiration and submit a photo of their child holding their LEGO creation, along with a few words that describe their child’s creative approach. A unique poster, in the style of the iconic 1980s advert, will then be emailed back[[1]] – ready to be proudly displayed or shared using #LEGOFutureBuilders.
Julia Goldin, Global Chief Product and Marketing Officer at the LEGO Group commented: “At the LEGO Group, we believe children are our role models. We look to them for inspiration every day and want to help them break down gender stereotypes andcreate opportunities for everyone. Celebrating people helps empower people, and through this campaign we, along with the help of parents and caregivers, want to celebrate the skills and creative potential of today’s young women – the next generation of amazing female leaders!”
Research from the latest LEGO Play Well Study shows that 73% of parents believe gender differences are driven more by societal expectations than biology[2] With many children seeking to positively challenge gender stereotypes in society, the LEGO Group is committed to supporting them and creating a more inclusive and diverse workforce that will live up to their ideals and expectations.
As well as recently introducing its Responsible Workplace initiatives, the LEGO Group has signed-up to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles to help guide how it can better empower women and girls, accelerate gender equality, and encourage more young girls to believe they can achieve anything they set their hearts on.
I love the look of these posters – they certainly have the nostalgic spark, but with a fresh new message regarding how the company is working towards embracing the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles to become a greater force for gender equality and empowerment of the girls of today, as they become the women of tomorrow.
What do you think of the LEGO Group revisiting this campaign of the past? why not coent below, and until next time,
Play Well.
About the LEGO Play Well Study 2020
All findings from the report were gathered from a total of 18,117 parents and 12,591 children aged 5-12 through a 20-minute online quantitative survey conducted across 18 markets (Australia and New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, China Mainland, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Mexico, Romania, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Ukraine and the United States of America) between May and June 2020.
[1] Available in English or German
[2] LEGO Play Well Study 2020
The Rambling Brick 