Background

LEGO Technic is the advanced building system that allows older kids to build complex LEGO models full of working mechanical features and functions. The latest of these models being a 3599 piece, 1:8 scale model of the iconic Bugatti Chiron. The rallying cry for LEGO Technic is Build for Real, which is both a consumer promise and a guiding star for internal model development. LEGO Technic needed a campaign that would raise the awareness of this relatively niche LEGO product line and bring Build for Real truly to life.

Idea

To give the Technic building system its ultimate test, the creative team decided to build a full-size Bugatti Chiron using at least 90% LEGO Technic elements. To make things even more challenging, it was also decided that the Technic version of the Chiron should drive – powered only by tiny LEGO Power Function motors usually used in smaller Technic models. The vehicle took over 13,000 man-hours to construct, was made up of over a million Technic elements and achieved a speed of over 25 km/t.

The 1:1 vehicle became the star in a highly coordinated, PR driven online campaign. The hero asset was a cinematic YouTube film that followed the car’s first run on the same track where the original Chiron had been tested. This was supported simultaneously with a shorter facts & figures newsroom piece for social media. A longer documentary video revealing the broader story behind this spectacular vehicle followed soon after. The whole adventure was also chronicled in-depth in a three-part LEGO Technic podcast series.

Selected journalists and influencers had already been invited to a secret viewing prior to the campaign’s launch, while a dedicated media page gave everyone else access to a bank of photo and pre-subtitled video assets.

The campaign has reached far beyond LEGO fans as the story spread to target groups with a passion for cars, engineering and performance mechanics. It also successfully tapped into the existing buzz around the smaller 1:8 scale Technic Chiron model that was launched two months before. The interest was amplified further by the halo-effect of partnering with a famous brand like Bugatti.

As the campaign moves into its second stage, the 1:1 car continues to create a buzz on a world tour, making appearances at major events like the Paris Car Show.

The whole campaign from concept to launch was developed in Denmark and the video footage produced together with Merrild Studios, Aarhus. The podcast series was created in collaboration with RadioGuru.

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