Lego is building a relationship with mall patrons in Ontario and B.C. via an interactive promotion for its recently launched line of Lego Games.
Using Adapt Media’s Ad Pods (three-sided, seven-foot fall structures that feature 65-inch touch screens), customers at five prominent malls–including the Toronto Eaton Centre and B.C.’s Coquitlam Centre–can play a virtual version of Lego’s new “Creationary” board game.
Each Ad Pod runs a loop of video advertising and features a call to action with the words “Touch to play now.” Some units are wrapped with a vinyl decal directing consumers to the Lego Games site.
Consumers who choose to interact with the unit can play “Creationary” for about 30 seconds. When the game session ends, the Ad Pod gives users the option to view other Lego Games (the product line features 13 games in total) or use a QR code to visit the Lego Games website on their smartphone.
Glenn Abell, marketing director for Lego in Toronto, said the units are an ideal way to provide consumers with an overview of the games in an immersive environment.
“We always want to look at new and innovative ways of reaching our consumers,” said Abell. “What’s appealing about the [Ad Pod] is it’s interactive, it’s engaging and something you don’t see every day. Cutting through the clutter of consumer marketing these days is sometimes tough to do, so we wanted to check it out.”
The Ad Pod component is part of a broader holiday campaign that includes TV, print and online executions, said Abell.
“The bottom line is it’s a very cool concept,” he said of the Ad Pods. “What remains to be seen is how effective it will be from a marketing standpoint and a sales stand-point.”
The Ad Pod was developed by Joseph Denny, CEO of Vancouver-based Crissy Field Media, which bills itself as a “specialist in new media for interactive kiosks.” The company’s products include Ad Pod and an interactive directory known as Avatar Eye.
The campaign launched Nov. 22 and will continue through January. The deal was brokered by Rory Amelio, the former vice-president of business development for out-of-home ad firm Newad who has been consulting with Adapt Media since May. Starcom MediaVest Group handled the media buy.
