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Matt Keefer
Dr. Lyon
ENGL 305
January 28, 2014
The Logos of Legos
Lego and television companies have been in a heated competition for the attention of
children in recent years. In 2009, Lego launched the ad campaign, Kids shouldnt watch too
much TV, to directly address the parents of TV watching children. In this campaign, the iconic
building block toy company depicted violent situations from TV shows and censored them using
lego blocks.
The ad I will be analyzing from this
campaign portrays a man holding a gun to his
head presumably attempting suicide (see fig.
1). In this figure, Lego attempts to persuade
parents by creating shock through a serious
setting and using targeted rhetorical appeals
to convey their message.
Before examining the details of the
ad, we must understand Legos primary
Fig. 1. Image from Lego ad campaign Kids shouldnt watch too

audience: parents. These consumers readily

respond to emotional and logical appeals

much TV from "Lego: Violence," Ads of the World; N.p;, n.d;

Web; 21 Jan. 2015.

when making decisions regarding their child. When confronted with an ad for a childrens toy,
they need to understand what the toy offers their child, beyond enjoyment, and why that toy

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provides a safer and better experience than the competition. Parents reading the Lego ad would
have a very strong negative attitude towards the suicide scene portrayed and desperately seek a
resolution to the conflict. The emotional response provoked by the ads intense situation is
Legos first attempt to grab the attention of their audience.
This disturbing setting that Lego creates utilizes pathos to bring in their audience through
the use of characterization and objects in the ad. The man in the figure shows clear signs of pain
in his facial expression. He is sweating profusely and firmly gripping the couch, suggesting that
he is under great stress as well. The figure also contains multiple objects that hint at the mans
past: a half-empty bottle of alcohol, a cup thats been knocked over, some crumpled newspapers,
and the gun. The mans signs of pain imply that whatever he plans to do with the objects in the
figure will be unpleasant. This idea that pain is coming puts the audience in a state of stress and
shock, causing them to search for a resolution through the objects in the ad.
Multiple items within the figure hint at the mans past: a half-empty bottle of alcohol, a
cup thats been knocked over, some crumpled newspapers, and the gun. These objects suggest
that the man was drinking heavily and reading the news prior to the moment captured in the ad,
however this explicit situation leaves implicit conclusions open to the readers interpretation. The
half-empty bottle could suggest that the man was grieving from the death of a loved one and
something in the newspaper nearby tipped him over the edge
The answers to such implicit questions are unimportant, but the spark that started them is
vital to the ads success. Leaving implicit clues in the figure peaks the audiences curiosity and
places the reader in a state of shock, which Lego then directs towards their product through the
use of rhetorical tools.
Lego focuses on four of these rhetorical elements in the ad: visual fidelity, color, text, and

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blur. The visual quality of the man in the figure is noticeably higher than any other object in the
ad. This disparity immediately draws the readers attention to the man attempting suicide, urging
them to investigate the figure before looking away. The red in the iconic Lego logo starkly
contrasts with the grey and brown pallet of the figure, directing the readers attention to the text
in the top right corner of the ad.
While the contrasting colors and picture qualities guide the readers eyes to the key
elements of the figure, the text and blur effect communicate Legos message. The text in the
figure reads, Kids shouldnt watch too much TV, implying that the suicide setting is a scene the
reader would likely find on television. Since the ad is directed towards a parental audience, this
phrase also takes on a personal meaning implicitly stating that their child might be watching the
same scene on TV. The final, and most informative, rhetorical element of the ad is the blur effect
on the gun in the mans hand. The blur, intended to look like lego blocks, covers the source of
violence in the figure, essentially censoring the image. By censoring the violent TV scene with
lego blocks, Lego is telling parents that their product is not only a toy, but that it will also protect
their children from the negative influences of TV.
The intensity of the situation and the visual fidelity of the man attract so much attention
that it is easy to miss the Lego logo and the accompanying text that is vital to understanding the
ad. Additionally, the blur on the gun is not immediately recognizable as lego blocks, further
complicating the figure. Without effective use of the blur effect, the ad simply appears as an
attack on the TV industry.
The suicide figure from the parent-oriented Lego ad campaign successfully uses pathos to
appeal to its primary audience and is well suited for its physical context, but fails as an
advertisement due to its unclear use of the rhetorical artifact. The, Kids shouldnt watch too

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much TV, ad campaign was a bold departure from Legos traditionally young audience, but
shortcomings in its rhetorical foundation left parents in shock and without guidance to a proper
resolution.

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Works Cited
"Trigger Creatives." Trigger Creatives. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.
<http://triggercreatives.tumblr.com/page/2>.