The Lego Group's Mindstorm brand is testing the waters of interactive TV advertising with its "Disco" commercial for the Star Wars-themed Droid Developer Kit (see story this page). The spot was created by the online arm of Ammirati Puris Lintas (now Lowe Lintas & Partners Worldwide), APL Digital.

While it's remarkable for its look, the commercial is also purported to be the first national ad in the US to offer WebTV capabilities. The 850,000 viewers worldwide with WebTV will see a stylized "i" on the screen during the commercial. Viewers can then use their WebTV remote to open an interactive function embedded within the ad. The commercial continues playing, but is surrounded by panels offering various choices, including the option to purchase a Lego set online.

Lego was founded in Denmark in 1932, and over the past seven decades, its interchangeable building bricks have established the privately held company as one of the world's most succesful toy makers. The Mindstorm brand, targeted at ages seven to 16, launched in early 1998. Using a microcomputer called the RCX, the robotic toys permit users to build robots, then program them via software provided with the product.

Jim Lahren, global brand manager for Mindstorm, based in Lego's North American headquarters in Enfield, CT, says new ways of reaching young consumers are necessary given current shifts in children's entertainment.

"If you look at what kids were exposed to 10 years ago, it was primarily TV and toys. With the increasing household penetration of PC/CD-ROM games and the Internet, kids' mindshare is shifting from those traditional activities that we and our parents grew up with," says Lahren. "Using WebTV is a way to grab their interest and communicate that we have a relevant product for them."

Ammirati Puris Lintas approached Lego Mindstorm, which has an annual advertising budget of up to US $5 million, with the idea of doing an interactive ad using WebTV advertising. Steve McCaul, VP and group director for the Mindstorm brand at Lowe Lintas & Partners, says Mindstorm was a good fit for the interactive spot.

"This product, because it targets an older kid, is technology-enhanced and is PC-based, in many ways, was something the potential consumer would be able to relate to immediately," says McCaul. "For a 12- or 13-year-old watching TV who knows he has the capability of hopping on and finding more info, (interactive commercials are) definitely up their alley."

Producing the interactive side of the spot was no more complicated than including a line of code on the final tapes in the same way closed-captioning would be included. Viewers with the WebTV setup can then open the interactive portion, hosted online.

Lahren says the profile of households with WebTV matches that of Mindstorm's target consumers: those with kids ages nine and up and that typically purchase toys in this price range (the Star Wars version retails for about US$99). While Lego is always looking for progressive ways to advertise, this ad is an experiment.

"We are testing this to find whether it is an effective way to reach our consumers and make a sale," says Lahren. "Once someone sees an ad, we can offer an immediate direct response via the Internet, where they can find out about the product and actually make a purchase, so it can be a one-two-three step within a couple of minutes."

WEB.FILES:
Lego Mindstorm: www.legomindstorm.com
Lowe Lintas & Partners Worldwide: www.ammiratipurislintas.com
Aardman Animations: www.aardman.com