The Ultimate Lesson From Lego’s 1981 Ad
How Lego’s copywriting changed from the 1960s to the 1980s.
2 min readDec 22, 2022
Lego has the most iconic ads.
It also took them a while to figure it out.
In the 1960s and 1970s, their advertising was focused on Lego toys. They focused on building something with Legos. And the focus was on them — Lego.
1981 changed everything for them. They changed their messaging. They didn’t focus on selling Legos.
They sold an outcome. They sold a feeling.
Here’s the iconic lesson we can learn from Lego’s 1981 ad.
Never sell a product, sell a feeling
Lego’s 1981 ad doesn’t sell Legos or toys.
They sell a feeling. They sell an outcome — a proud child. And that’s what the best copywriting does, it expresses a feeling.
This iconic ad shows the power of copywriting:
- Perfectly matches the photo
- Expresses a feeling
- Says it succinctly
