LEGO HOUSE MINI CHEF

TitleLEGO HOUSE MINI CHEF
BrandLEGO
Product/ServiceMINI CHEF FAMILY RESTAURANT
Category A04. Consumer Durables
Entrant HIQ GöTEBORG Göteborg, SWEDEN
Idea Creation STYLT TRAMPOLI Göteborg, SWEDEN
Idea Creation 2 LEGO HOUSE Billund, SWEDEN
Idea Creation 3 HIQ GöTEBORG Göteborg, SWEDEN
PR LEGO HOUSE Billund, SWEDEN
Production STYLT TRAMPOLI Göteborg, SWEDEN
Production 2 LEGO HOUSE Billund, SWEDEN
Production 3 HIQ GöTEBORG Göteborg, SWEDEN
Credits
Name Company Position
Niels-Jørgen Jensen LEGO House Head of Operations
Cari Johansson HiQ Göteborg AB Key Account Manager
Rebecka Linneroos Stylt Trampoli Project Manager
Erik Nissen Johansen Stylt Trampoli Founder
Johan Brandstedt HiQ Göteborg AB UX Strategist
Frederik Karmdal-Larsen LEGO House Project Manager
Søren Holme LEGO House Senior Producer
Kathrine Talks LEGO House Producer
Mads Mommsen LEGO House Digital Lead
Mats Sällström HiQ Göteborg AB Project Manager
Stuart Harris LEGO House Senior Experience Designer
Jonas Holmsgård Stylt Trampoli Copywriter
Andreas Hagersjö Stylt Trampoli Art Director
Ola Janson HiQ Göteborg AB Concept developer
Mikael Cederbom HiQ Göteborg AB Art Director
Tomas Koch Dustow LEGO House Solution Architect
Mattias Reintz HiQ Göteborg AB Solution Architect
Johan Sanneblad, PhD HiQ Göteborg AB Business Developer
Kalle Johansson HiQ Göteborg AB Systems Architect
Fredrik Björkenfors HiQ Göteborg AB Software Engineer
Tamm Sjödin HiQ Göteborg AB Web sorceress
Michaela Skeppstedt HiQ Göteborg AB Systems Developer
Josef Larsen HiQ Göteborg AB UX / Business Developer
Mattias Hagbard HiQ Göteborg AB UX lead
Daniel Jonsson HiQ Göteborg AB Test lead
Nick Mannion LEGO Design Consultant
Mikael Persson HiQ Göteborg AB Animator
Matt Wilde HiQ Göteborg AB VFX Artist
Kenny Kiernan LEGO House Illustrator
Anneli Suomalainen Stylt Trampoli Architect
Jerker Lindsten HiQ Göteborg AB CEO
Martin Bergek HiQ Göteborg AB Business Developer

Why is this work relevant for PR?

The LEGO® House MINI CHEF is the very definition of experiential marketing. Designed from the core brand experience outwards, with top quality, world unique ambition and backed by a huge fanbase, it is as enjoyable on its own merits as it is viral by design. Two magic family moments capture the joy of building and pride of creation that are core to the brand, and have by now, after one year of operations, made a splash in fan media and social feeds, as well as traditional media outlets.

Background

LEGO had matured much of the rest of the LEGO® House concept when we were brought on board. They wanted to add a novel dining experience for families. Something unique and high tech, that embodied the joy of building, reflected their brand values of Creativity, Fun and Learning Through Play, and expanded upon their mission: to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow. We were tasked to create a 45-minute family dining restaurant that only LEGO could have done, one that was hard, if not impossible, to copy. They wanted families to compose their own meal using bricks per the "Eat Well Plate". And with tired families as the core audience, balancing fun and simplicity was key. Also, staff needed all the supporting tools to serve the experience – hot on the table, with a smile, 800 times a day and up to 250 times per hour.

Describe the creative idea

This is the house where the brick comes alive, and the ktichen where minifigs took over. Big enough to cook, but too small to deliver the food, their solution is to build things – conveyors to deliver bento boxes, robots to hand them out. Also, they have human helpers for menial tasks such as carrying drinks. As minifigs speak Brick, you have to build your meal for them. The menu has icons and simple copy for children to follow. Guests pick corresponding bricks, build them into whatever they fancy, and put their build into the Foodifyer. Inside (it) is a minifig running a machine that shows your build in 3D, and its corresponding icons. You send your order off and watch them cook your food and put it in a box with your color lid on a conveyor. It then appears in the restaurant, where fun robots hand it out.

Describe the strategy

The House is a round-the-year destination for families primarily from northern Europe and with kids in the 6-10 age range, and fans from all over the world. A family meal is an important moment of rest and recreation in an intense day of experiences. The Mini Chef is an informal mid-range option, between a quick snack in the Briccaccino Cafe and Le Gourmet fancy dining. The dancing robots are a key visual feature, attracting guest into the restaurant. The guest journey was structured as a 45-60 minute session centered around the two magic moments of building your meal together and getting it from the robots. These moments were designed to be fun and easily understood on children's terms, as well as memorable and shareable. Aside from word-of-mouth, the Grand Opening featured royal and celebrity guests, and a full day of VIP guests trying out the House, encouraged to share.

Describe the execution

The Mini Chef family restaurant was developed over a two year period, following five years of development, building and strategy for the rest of the LEGO® House. These two years were filmed by a documentary crew that airs on Netflix since July 2018. One segment is dedicated to the Mini Chef. After one year of development, a major user test was conducted with fans at the LEGO World fair in Copenhagen. The full solution was fully staffed and operational one month prior to the Grand Opening, and tested on successively larger groups of employees. The Grand Opening was preceded by a partner event, and followed by an exclusive fan event, both of which encouraged active social sharing. The restaurant seats 150 inside, 100 outside, 800 guests per day, 250 per hour, seven days a week on high season. A TripAdvisor sharing prompt was added for the first high season.

List the results

Grand Opening media outputs (not specific to Mini Chef, although it is widely mentioned): - extensive global PR coverage in major titles as well as special interest titles: CNN, TIME, NYT, Guardian, Verge, Architectural Digest, Wired, Vice, etc - 1116 articles - 1131 mentions - Coverage: 255.592.208 Social media results, Mini Chef - 1,2M+ Fan video YouTube views - 180 TripAdvisor reviews Target audience outcomes, Mini Chef Guest survey - 3194 reviews - YTD score 4,45 / 5 Business outcomes, Mini Chef - 85.605 guests served in the first year of operations – September 28, 2017 to September 27, 2018 - consistent 4.1-4.7 daily guest rating throughout first high season - Finalist, judge's "so cool", Gold Key Awards for excellence in hospitality design