Remember the Lego house that Fillmore blogged about a few weeks ago? Well, it looks like the old saying is true: All good things must come to an end.
Apparently the Lego house was not the well thought out PR stunt that James May, host of BBC’s ‘Toy Stories’ and facilitator of the project, imagined it would be. After being built, no one showed any interest in buying the home. (Surprise! My seven year old son said we should have bought it, but let’s face it, he’s seven.) And because it was too expensive to move the creation, even Legoland didn’t want it. In a final attempt to unload the house, a Facebook appeal was made, but no one bit there either.
This got me thinking.
What can we learn from the Lego house?
- PR and publicity are two very different things. PR is supposed to create value, and yes, get attention. But it’s inherently based on exciting ventures that add value to people, communities, and businesses. The Lego house was about attention. It could have been about PR, but no one thought much about it. The Lego pieces are going to charity. That’s ok, I guess, but it’s not great. I like ‘great.’
- Good planning is key to success. Don’t get me wrong. I love the Lego house. I think if it had been done right, the project could have had a longer history. But no one bought a permit. No one thought past the project deadlines. No one planned how to transport the house after the fact. There was a lot of quick thinking, but there was no long term planning. PR needs long term planning to keep it sustainable.
- When the plan fails, evaluate. Evaluation is important after implementing any business plans or pilot projects. Ongoing evaluation during the execution stages is even better. With just a bit of foreshadowing, the Lego house might be raising money for charity. It might be a tourist attraction. It might be anything. But it’s a pile of rubble. Rubble doesn’t do us much good, unless we can honestly look at why the mess was made, we clean it up right, and we learn so we don’t have to take a sledgehammer to our work next time.
Goodbye Lego house! You were fun while you lasted.
the Age of Stunts is over – goodbye “P.R.Barnum”
Time to generate real value PR folks
I totally agree! I love a good stunt, but there are too many smart consumers out there to just feed them filler. We have the talent and opportunity to create some amazing projects that will add value, build our brand’s reputation, and connect with community. Those are opportunities too valuable to miss. Thanks for the comment!