The Campaign

Less than a year before the scheduled launch of LEGOLAND Malaysia a survey revealed that residents of Singapore and Malaysia were by and large completely unaware of the brand. Concern was growing the Park would struggle to be viable and stakeholders were depending on LEGOLAND as a catalytic development of Iskandar Malaysia. The successful launch of LEGOLAND Malaysia was closely intertwined with the future of Iskandar Malaysia. A complex set of hurdles stood in the way of a seemingly simple objective of generating ticket sales. This included finding a way to promote, and win support for, a Malaysian theme park with the Singapore audience. The situation required a highly strategic public relations campaign to engage the media, educate the public and encourage buy-in from parents and children. We developed a PR media strategy with the aim of entrenching the LEGOLAND brand in the hearts and minds of families in Malaysia and Singapore, and positioning the theme park as a unique, must-have experience where every child is a hero. Executed across both markets, the campaign used a carefully designed programme of on-site and off-site media engagement, combined with a staggered programme of milestone events to generate media interest and public excitement. The volume of media coverage steadily increased throughout the campaign before exploding in the final weeks. The launch became one of the most talked about by media across the region and the occasion itself was a major national event attended by the Malaysian Prime Minister and the Sultan of Johor. It took LEGOLAND just four months to achieve their twelve month visitor target number and annual pass sales increased fivefold.

The Brief

The challenge was to raise awareness, change attitudes and create a public hype, but ultimately the over-arching objective of the campaign was to drive ticket sales. However this wouldn’t be straightforward. In late 2011, LEGOLAND was a building site and this meant bringing the brand to life around an empty plot of land and sustaining interest for almost a year in the run-up to opening.

Results

LEGOLAND had become the most talked about launches in the region and in Malaysia it had become a cause for national celebration. As such, the official opening event at the Park was attended by 800 dignitaries and VIP guests. Annual Pass sales targets of 25,000 was smashed by 5x and the 12month visitor target reached in just 4months. 1500 positive reports by every major media outlet in Singapore and Malaysia. Front pages, multi-page articles, broadcasts and coverage from dozens of loyal bloggers. Consistent media engagement led to a 15x increase in media coverage, from 46 items in January to 688 during LEGOLAND’s opening month in September. At opening time, 89% of Singaporeans and 87% of Malaysians knew about LEGOLAND. LEGOLAND had now become entrenched in people’s minds as a premier destination for families, with more than 88% of Malaysians and 75% of Singaporeans “strongly agreeing” that LEGOLAND means family fun.

Execution

The delivery of the LEGOLAND Malaysia media strategy involved a two pronged approach over a ten month period. First, a carefully designed programme of more than 50 media site visits, numerous one-on-one interviews and targeted story pitching raised awareness and increased understanding about LEGOLAND Malaysia. An official photographer was also appointed to document the entire construction of the theme park, and regular picture releases were distributed to emphasise the progress being made at the park. Secondly, we developed a staggered programme of stand-alone events to generate media interest and change perceptions about the theme park. A number of attention-grabbing initiatives, from travelling road shows to guerrilla marketing mascot campaigns and family focused novelty events were rolled out in both markets.

The Situation

LEGOLAND is an established theme park name, second only to Disneyland. It has found its sweet spot in the themed attractions market targeting families with children under 12 with its interactive pink knuckled rides. However the imminent opening of LEGOLAND Malaysia remained in relative obscurity in the key target markets of Singapore and Malaysia. Those who were aware of the theme park’s arrival had their reservations. LEGOLAND was perceived as an attempt to cannibalize Singapore’s tourism revenues. Residents in both markets shared the sentiment that LEGOLAND was inaccessible. Many were pessimistic about the long term viability of LEGOLAND Malaysia.

The Strategy

The strategy needed to single-handedly connect with multiple audiences to address the many issues LEGOLAND faced without significant advertising spend. The Singapore priority was to lift the media conversation above Singapore’s own tourism industry and to focus on the international quality and intrinsic values of LEGOLAND theme parks. The key to this was positioning LEGOLAND as complementing rather than challenging the other international theme parks in the region, especially Universal Studios Singapore. It was also crucial that the message in Malaysia did not favour Singapore over its domestic market. Every initiative was delicately tailored to each individual market. The campaign generated on-going excitement about LEGOLAND’s opening by profiling each attraction at varying stages of completion. This showcased a variety of attractions created to give children aged 2-12 a “playful learning” experience. The objective was to appeal to the educational aspirations of parents as well as their sense of fun.