It’s Not Just For Kids Anymore - LEGO’s “Adults Welcome” Campaign Expands the Brand’s Target Audience
Image Courtesy: On Device Research
This isn’t the LEGO you grew up with. In 2020, the company launched Adults Welcome, a groundbreaking campaign geared primarily for adults - charting a new course for the 91-year-old Danish toymaker. Now closing out its third year, the campaign has proved immensely successful, generating record profits in both 2021 and 2022.
The campaign’s commercials are rooted in escapism, placing adults in unfortunate real-world scenarios (stepping in gum, staining a shirt, etc.) while finding solace through LEGO building. These executions mock misfortunes to resonate with adults, who often encounter daily inconveniences.
Adults Welcome has its own page on LEGO’s shop, featuring articles discussing new product releases, designer insights, creative suggestions, and other topics. Copy reinforces that the line is “designed specifically for adults” in direct assertion of its intended audience. By isolating the page from the rest of LEGO’s sets, Adults Welcome is able to effectively construct a unique feel separate from the rest of the company’s products.
LEGO Icons
Adults Welcome is rooted in meticulously crafted products developed with adults in mind. The campaign highlights sets under the company’s Icons line, which encompasses all of LEGO’s adult-oriented offerings.
Gone is the familiar vibrant packaging, varying age ranges, and LEGO logo in the top left. Glossy black backgrounds take its place, with just a splash of color in the background to accent products. These drastic changes stress maturity through muted tones, consistent “18+” age recommendations, and place emphasis on the products themselves over the LEGO brand - which have become increasingly intellectual property based in recent years.
Promotional materials strike a mature tone, featuring adults constructing the company’s latest products in minimalist spaces - portraying LEGO building as a sophisticated experience. These visuals differentiate the line from LEGO’s other offerings while conveying that these are advanced products developed primarily for adults.
Image Courtesy: The LEGO Group
Products
LEGO collaborates with major brands including Disney (Star Wars, Marvel, classic animation, etc.), Warner Brothers (Harry Potter, DC), Universal Studios (Jurassic World), and others. These themes frequently feature flagship products infused with nostalgia. This engages adults who have grown up surrounded by these iconic IPs - some of which may have never purchased a LEGO set before.
LEGO’s original Icons offerings are also nostalgia-driven, seeking to capitalize on audiences that grew up with classic themes including castles, space, pirates, and others. In celebration of the company’s 90th anniversary last summer, LEGO introduced products inspired by castles and space, kickstarting a reimagining of classic themes that has carried into 2023. These sets replace the standard “18+” black boxes, mimicking the packaging of their original counterparts.
Image Courtesy: The LEGO Group
Icons represents the evolution of Creator Expert, LEGO’s former adult-oriented line. The theme highlighted “16+” labels and maintained similar packaging to the company’s other offerings. The black boxes, minimalist visuals, and “18+” labels isolate Icons from the rest of the company’s portfolio in ways Creator Expert never could - while appearing designed for adults.
Impact
Adults Welcome decimates the notion that LEGO is just for children when placed in tandem with Icons. It presents a sophisticated and mature look for the company’s most advanced offerings, providing avenues for these products to go bigger and more intricate than ever before. The campaign engages a passionate audience eager to splurge on any number of sets, including an almost 5-foot tall Eiffel Tower and a nearly 4-and-a-half foot long Titanic.
Adults Welcome breaks new ground for LEGO while solidifying the company as a cultural icon. The campaign cultivates an enthusiastic following through products appealing to people who may have never built with LEGO or been removed from the hobby for many years. There’s no telling what the next collaboration or incredible flagship set will be - but regardless, there will be a dedicated fanbase ready to celebrate whatever lies on the horizon.
Ethan Chandler