Describe the creative idea

LEGO Playwaves wanted to bring new life to kids’ old LEGO bricks. To do this, we took kids away from screens and re-ignited their imagination through sound. Powered by Google Voice Assistant, we created 10 action-packed missions across five immersive sonic worlds, which kids could explore on their own, or with the help of a narrator to guide the way. Using their existing LEGO bricks with the latest audio technology, kids controlled how they progressed through each world with voice prompts. The audio in each world involved originally scored tracks, stories, characters, and detailed soundscapes to entertain them with endless play. In each world, kids could also request individual sound effects to help aid play. For example, in the Downtown Detective world they could ask for the sounds of a jail, sirens, police radio, and police helicopter.

Describe the execution

LEGO Playwaves is a world-first, Google-voice experience that lets kids turn old LEGO bricks into new sonic adventures. Kids can access LEGO Playwaves by saying “Hey Google, talk to LEGO Playwaves” on any Google-assistant device. This launches the audio app, which allows kids to explore five different sonic worlds: Magical Kingdom, Downtown Detective, Ace Racer, Space Academy, and Animal Kingdom. LEGO Playwaves was created in response to COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns, when parents were finding their kids spending too much time in front of screens. LEGO (Global) recently launched its first brand platform in 30 years – Rebuild the World. So to help continue rebuilding the world, we looked to see how we could rebuild the world of play for kids by getting them away from screens and back to using their imaginations. We spread the word about LEGO Playwaves using paid-media on Instagram stories for parents to see. It was also advertised on the LEGO AUNZ website. Three of the sonic worlds launched in time for the Australian school holidays followed by two additional worlds to maintain the excitement of LEGO Playwaves. We chose the worlds based on popular themes in both the LEGO universe and amongst our young demographic. The sound effects took inspiration from both real life sounds and those found in cartoons. When it came to the different characters of LEGO Playwaves, we brought in some of Australia’s best character voiceover artists. This allowed us to create vibrant characters that kids could visualise with their imaginations – without the aid of a screen. LEGO Playwaves was launched on Google voice assistants because of its penetration across the world with over 500 million monthly users. It first launched in Australia, and has since rolled out to New Zealand with UK and North America coming soon.