LEGO Daily Mail link up ends after fan campaign

After a dedicated LEGO fan and parent started a social media campaign, the LEGO Group has announced it has no further promotional activity with right-wing publication the Daily Mail. For a number of years, the LEGO Group has partnered with national UK tabloids to give away LEGO polybags as a promotional opportunity. In recent years, the Daily Mail has been the print title of choice for the company.

LEGO fan and concerned parent Bob Jones recently felt that the Daily Mail’s sensationalised coverage of difficult issues had gone too far, and could not in good faith support the LEGO Group’s products while the company was cross-promoting with the publication.

Bob’s post, published on November 4, read:

While I disagree with their political stand I can accept their right to have it. But lately their headlines have gone beyond offering a right wing opinion. Headlines that do nothing but create distrust of foreigners, blame immigrants for everything, and as of yesterday are now having a go at top judges in the U.K. for being gay while making a legal judgment.

As part of the broader Stop Funding Hate campaign, which encourages retailers and manufacturers to not take out advertising space in the Daily Mail and other right-wing publications, Bob had quite the impact.

After tens of thousand of shares, and a prompting of fans and social media campaigners bombarding the LEGO Group’s social media channels, the LEGO Group announced that promotional activity with the Daily Mail was no longer part of the company’s plans. The announcement was made today, just a week after Bob’s post.

Roar Rude Trangbaek of the LEGO Group have a statement to The Independent:

“We spend a lot of time listening to what children have to say. And when parents and grandparents take the time to let us know how they feel, we always listen just as carefully.

“We are both humbled and honoured to see how much consumers all over the world express their care for our company and our brand. And we will continuously do our very best to live up to the trust and faith that people all around the world show us every day.

“The agreement with The Daily Mail has finished and we have no plans to run any promotional activity with the newspaper in the foreseeable future.”

Many fans will be pleased by the news, although some may be frustrated to miss out on an opportunity to get cheap LEGO polybags.