FIFA Lego lessons for IPL advertisers: Rethink product and creativity

The Lego campaign for the FIFA World Cup should serve as a masterclass for all brands and marketers - both for its focus on the product and how the event will be used to drive brand sales

IPL ads are nice, but just nice. Brands seem more focused most times on the media exposure that their money can buy (sponsorships, properties, spots, impressions and more visibility) or on choosing which high-priced celebrity to rope in, rather than on the product that could leverage the IPL hysteria, or creatives that would stand out and be long remembered by the consumer.

 

Which is where the new Lego campaign leading up to the FIFA World Cup should be a big masterclass for all brand marketers — both for the focus on product, and how the FIFA event would be used to ignite brand sales. And for how celebrity quotient in the creatives can be leveraged for exponential gains.

 

Preparations at Lego apparently started almost 3-4 years ago. A big plan for FIFA 2026 was discussed, debated and then executed with absolute precision. The Lego Group decided to team up with Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, and Vinícius Jr. (yes, all four together!) to celebrate the magic of football alongside kids and families from all over the world — because “everyone wants a piece” of the game! Intensive work went into creating a brand-new lineup of Lego Editions sets featuring these four pitch legends. The new sets invite fans to build, display and celebrate their passion for the sport at home while paying tribute to creativity, unique flair and signature style.

 

The CR7 Cristiano Ronaldo set forms a sculptural R-shaped brick base showing Portugal’s colours and Ronaldo’s iconic CR Inside the 490-piece model, alongside a Ronaldo Lego minifigure and a collectible plaque. Speed, precision and French style come to life in the Kylian Mbappé set. Built on an elegant M-shaped brick base with France’s national colours and a standout number 10, representing his jersey number, the 490-piece display gives fans a chance to celebrate Mbappé’s rise and fame. The Lionel Messi set lets fans recreate a moment of Messi magic built on a M-shaped brick base, featuring Argentina’s national colours and a prominent “10” as the jersey number. The 500-piece display opens a world of discoveries on Messi’s background and comes with a Messi Lego minifigure. The Vinícius Jr set is a burst of Brazilian energy, built around a V-shaped brick base with Brazil’s national colours and Vinícius Jr’s signature number. The 510-piece model includes a Vinícius Jr Lego minifigure in his goal-scoring pose. Basically, a mountain of effort in product conception, development and design. In India, hardly any brand ever uses the IPL as a product trigger.

 

Interestingly, the launch campaign was revealed through an Instagram post. All four stars competing to assemble a Lego World Cup trophy, turning their real-life rivalry into a controlled, creative contest. And then the creative twist. A young fan steps in to complete the trophy and places his own custom figure on top, shifting the moment away from star power to fan ownership — making football culture into something interactive, where fans join in to build and interpret the game in their own way. Subtle. Simple.

 

Titled “Everyone wants a piece”, the campaign was shared across Lego’s social media platforms  with a disclaimer clarifying that “it is not AI”. The video has collectively crossed 314 million views on Instagram. Phew! The creative cost of featuring the four players is estimated to have touched $8 million for the single 60 second production. Each player posted the video as part of the deal. Cristiano Ronaldo with more than 630 million followers, earned around $3.43 million. Lionel Messi with 512 million followers pocketed an estimated $2.59 million. Kylian Mbappé got $852,000 for his following of over 120 million. Vinícius Jr with more than 50 million followers was paid $325,000.

 

What are the marketing lessons for those advertising on IPL?

 

> Lego’s collaboration with football legends works because it aligns creativity, collectability, and football spectacle, creating a cohesive campaign narrative. No brand on IPL uses the league in quite the same way.

 

> By featuring multiple celebrities, Lego manages to create a network effect, increasing visibility and appeal. IPL team sponsors often get to use multiple players as part of their logo deal, but all such brand narratives have remained dull and insipid.

 

> The ad integrates the Lego sets into the action on the screen, making the overall campaign engaging, natural and fan-friendly.

 

> The campaign leverages the emotional connection that 1.3 billion fans of Ronaldo, Messi, Mbappé and Vinícius have with their heroes, making the product more desirable to them.

 

IPL sponsors mostly just use IPL for its massive media reach, not for its cultural connect or creative possibilities. A serious rethink is advised.

 

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The author is chairman, Rediffusion