APL wins worldwide Lego account

Lego has parted company with Bartle Bogle Hegarty and extended its

relationship with Ammirati Puris Lintas as part of a global marketing

reshuffle.

APL, which has handled Lego’s advertising in the US for 22 years, will

now promote the Lego brands that target boys aged four to nine on a

global basis. It is the first time that Lego advertising will be aired

globally.

The move comes in the light of poor trading conditions in the toy market

and is a blow for BBH, which won a bronze lion at the Cannes

International Advertising Awards for its latest Lego commercial,

’box’.

Lego first established itself as an award-winning advertiser with the

famous ’kipper’ spot, which was created in the 80s at TBWA by some of

BBH’s founding members.

Steen Reves, Lego’s global brand director, said: ’We have been looking

at the total market and there have been good results from our North

American campaign. Lego has a better image in the US with children aged

eight to 11 than it has in Europe, so we wish to extend the US

ideas.’

Having finalised its creative arrangements, Lego now plans to scrutinise

its media planning and buying. The buying is handled on a

country-by-country basis (CIA in the UK) - a set-up which reflected its

marketing operations. However, Lego will now have only three European

offices - in London, Milan and Munich - and Reves said the media buying

arrangements may be organised to reflect this.

Media planning has been handled by Motive since last autumn. Reves said:

’We have not changed our media patterns yet, but we are re-evaluating

them. In the US, it is bought through APL.’

The changes do not affect Legoland’s relations with BMP DDB. HHCL &

Partners, which won a place on Lego’s roster in 1992, is not included in

the company’s future marketing plans.

This article was first published on Campaign