This paper discusses the Lego picture advertisement which reads “Kids shouldn’t watch too much TV” (see attached picture). The photograph shows a young male sitting on the sofa pointing a gun towards his temple. The surrounding picture shows a coffee table which has a bottle of an alcoholic beverage which is half-empty. There is also a fallen glass on the coffee table. The picture shows that the young person is sweating and has a stressed out face in agony and pain. This advertisement was taken from the Daily Inspiration magazine dated July 8, 2011.
Lego article suggests that watching too much TV is bad for kids. The image in the picture conveys the idea that watching TV influences kids to adopt violence, become alcoholic and commit suicide. Although the message in the picture is disturbing, but the intent of Lego is clearly to promote their own toys and show that playing with Legos will avoid violence in society. Lego is trying to say that the material shown on television or movies is just not appropriate for young people.
The media these days is full of content which promotes violence, use of alcohol, drugs, and glamorizes rash behavior through fictional stories. A good example is the latest movie “Django. ” This movie, without any shame or concern, shows guns, extreme violence and killing of people with no consideration for human life. A human life can be taken away so easily. No doubt movies are fun, enjoyable and have a lot of excitement, but when people watching violence start acting upon it in real life, it can turn into a serious problem.
The message this sends to young kids can be very harmful. Recent events in Newtown, Connecticut demonstrate this point. One single person could do so much harm by stealing his mother’s semi-automatic guns. He walked into a school and gunned down innocent kids and teachers. Although television violence cannot be proven completely to be the reason for violence in society, it does beg the question if gory and action-packed movies can cause real-life violent events.
The Lego picture advertisement is asking the same question. Lego is using real facts xtremely effectively. Alcohol usage leads to social problems, that guns can cause violence and that young people can get frustrated easily. The advertisement shows the usage of alcohol beverage, the burnt and torn books on the shelf. As one stares at the image, you can see clearly sweat on the man’s face and shirt, and gun pointed at his head. There is desperation on his face. This makes the viewer question themselves what could be the reason behind this young person’s unusual behavior. It’s amazing how Lego provides the solution to this.
It simply puts its logo on the picture. Lego is implicitly saying that it would resolve these problem if people spend time using their toys to be constructive. This picture certainly appeals to the viewer’s reasons and emotions. It also has an entertainment value as well, since it is so unusual and different. An advertisement like this would not be expected from Lego. Lego has accomplished amazingly in showing the effect of television on young people. It’s a profound picture. Your emotions kick in to action immediately by looking at this picture. It is very powerful.
The Lego ad creator has used the picture effectively in conveying a complex idea and situation. Personally, it makes me feel sad and concerned but at the same time it is very interesting. This could be just a college kid having fun and pretending to be disturbed and worried about all the assignments he has to complete or take care of. If you are a parent, you would be directly influenced by this picture and you wouldn’t wish this on your child or anyone else. This advertisement seems controversial as you wouldn’t be expecting Lego to promote a raging picture instead of colorful and interesting toys.
This could make Lego’s customer upset and scare them from buying their products. You wouldn’t want your young children to look at this picture. This could actually cause the same violence which Lego is trying to prevent. If Lego wants to sell their products to teen-agers and college-kids it should make ads which are appealing to that age group. One does ponder upon why a toy manufacturing company would advertise and take the risk of alienating their potential customers. In spite of the controversial nature of the ad, Lego does make the viewer’s think critically about the social aspects of life.
The intended audience of this ad is definitely parents because they are the decision- makers in spending the money to buy toys for their kids. Lego exploits the idea of gun violence and drinking to promote the sale of their products. Lego is very clever in not explicitly stating what the young person in the picture is frustrated about. The pixelated object makes the viewer think it is a gun. The bottle on the table makes the viewer think it is alcohol. In reality, Lego doesn’t explicitly say that. They get away with sending a powerful message at the expense of the TV and gun industry.
It is possible the person in the picture is just having fun or joking, but you are led to believe that he is really about to take his own life. Surely, this ad speaks louder than a thousand words. It is a complex picture with a deep message. This advertisement certainly makes the viewer think about how the modern world is effecting its generation and how TV is promoting material which is inappropriate for younger people. It may seem controversial, but Lego has done an excellent job in illustrating an idea and promoting their products.
