Mark Sweney 

The Lego Movie rebuilds ITV ad break

Warner Bros jumps on trend of remaking famous scenes with bricks by recreating ads for Premier Inn, BT and Confused.com. By Mark Sweney
  
  

Lego Lenny Henry
Lenny Henry beds down in a remake of the Premier Inn ad to promote The Lego Movie Photograph: PR

ITV is to air the first "all-Lego" ad break featuring remakes of commercials featuring Lenny Henry and BT's flatmates set to get the building block treatment.

The stunt, to promote Warner Bros upcoming release of The Lego Movie, will see existing ads recreated with Lego in the high-profile ad break in the middle of Sunday's Dancing on Ice.

Lenny Henry's turn for Premier Inn, BT's tech-loving flatmates and Confused.com's robot Brian will be reimagined in Lego form.

"To support the launch of a movie in which the whole world is made of Lego bricks, we came up with the idea of transporting ITV viewers there," said David Wilding, head of planning at media agency PHD, which came up with the strategy for Warner Bros.

To tie the ads more explicitly to the film, characters will appear on-screen between each of the three TV ads.

Remaking films and famous scenes with Lego has become something of a cult activity online, with classics such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman and Monty Python getting the makeover treatment.

There has been much buzz around the upcoming Lego movie, which launches next week, and its the trailer has received almost 9 million views on YouTube.

Actors lending their voices to the film include Morgan Freeman, Jonah Hill, Will Ferrell and Channing Tatum.

"The Lego ad break is an inspired and truly innovative media first, one the that captures the very essence of The Lego Movie and does a brilliant job of amplifying this eagerly-awaited title," said Alex Lewis, vice-president and director of marketing at Warner Bros.

The Lego ITV takeover is the latest example of a themed ad break, which gives advertisers a chance to stand out from rivals.

Channel 4 has done a number in recent years including a break of French-language ads, with English subtitles, to promote French supernatural drama The Returned.

The broadcaster has also aired themed breaks to promote Grand Designs and its Comedy Gala, while ITV latched on to Yorkshire Day with a break of ads featuring advertisers such as Auntie Bessie's Yorkshire puddings and Yorkshire-based telco Plusnet.

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