Kids love LEGO but often spend far too many hours watching TV – much to the chagrin of their mothers. How could this be changed? An occasion was created for families to try out the new LEGO games instead of watching TV. A bold idea: could a TV station be persuaded to simply turn off its kids’ program for an entire afternoon? Nickelodeon was game and turned off its program for an entire afternoon as part of LEGO’s “More play, less TV!” promotion and there was only a LEGO-sponsored black screen displaying the motto: Play instead of watching TV!

The game day brought about an amazing response from children and families. The campaign created a buzz on the internet and was discussed in countless portals, forums and on Facebook. Mothers were thrilled, retailers were happy and LEGO registered a 28% increase in awareness of its board games during the promotion period. Ownership grew by 67% and the desire to buy the products increased by as much as 71%. (Research May/June 2010, All mums, kids 6-11).