AdvertisingSpring: HERZOG - Spoof Ad Final - LEFOE "Everywhere" Campaign

Alec Herzog

LEGO Spoof Ads – LEFOE “Everywhere” Print and Online Media

04.30.2013

I completed my ads in Adobe Illustrator with type and my illustrations. The intended media for the ads, however, would be both print (magazine full page spread; 8.5x10.75 inches) and online (Rectangle ROS; 300x250 pixels). The primary subject references the unfortunate truth that individual LEGOs undoubtedly up in inconvenient---and dangerous---places. By spoofing the LEGO “Imagine” Campaign, I kept the clean and minimal layout and copy to let the visuals carry the majority of the message: in the original campaign, the visuals speak to the imaginative possibilities of LEGOs, whereas my campaign shows the potentially hazardous possibilities. With regards to formal qualities, the ads would probably fit better into the “deconstructed” category, as I did not implement a grid to create them.

I fondly remember playing with LEGOs as a child and now, as an advertising major, I appreciate and admired their ads; in fact, I chose to spoof the “Imagine” campaign because I think it is strong and visually appealing, which I anticipated would make for a more interesting spoof campaign. I was not able to find any spoofs on LEGO (LEGO frequently “spoofs” movies and television shows, but more as a way to advertise their products), so I feel that my campaign contributes something new to the “LEGO conversation.” Compared to the work of other students in class, I believe my campaign is probably much simpler, visually speaking, so I hope that it does not get lost; when I presented the concept, I felt like everyone related to the annoyance of finding spare LEGOs around the house and stepping on them or fearing that children would swallow them or put them up their noses. I almost entirely based my campaign on the “Imagine” campaign with little additional inspiration. My approach and mood, however, was influenced by the rise of the overly-attentive and concerned mothers, much like one finds on “Mommy Blogs.” In fact, I considered mothers my main target for this campaign, as it highlights the dangers of LEGOs.

Initially, I planned to depict the annoyance of finding LEGOs everywhere (coat pockets, purses, on the floor, etc.), but the resulting campaign looked less like a spoof, and more like a humorous approach by LEGO themselves. I realized that, to truly spoof an iconic and beloved brand like LEGO, I had to amplify the drama, so I illustrated LEGOs inside of a nostril and a baby’s belly, both of which are much more frightening to a mother than in a purse or coat pocket. These are actual dangers that are associated with LEGOs, but are often forgotten because it is such familiar and cherished brand. In considering the placement of my campaign (and for my context pictures) I chose to show them in Parents Magazine and on Babble, a parenting blog by Disney. My campaign is perhaps too subtle and still may not read as a spoof, but I do think I was successful in choosing markets where the message would resonate with the proper target; I also believe the campaign succinctly comments on how LEGOs truly are “everywhere,” even places you hope to never find them.