The Lego Group has awarded its global media account to Publicis One, a bespoke team led by Starcom, after seven years with incumbent Initiative/IPG.
In a statement, Lego noted that Publicis One will begin onboarding from the start of July and will work with Initiative over a three-month transition period.
Julia Goldin, The LEGO Group’s chief product and marketing officer, said in a statement: “We were impressed with Publicis One’s depth and breadth of expertise – as well as their aligned cultural values.
“We look forward to working together to further enhance our ecosystem, leveraging their insights and capabilities to create engaging and meaningful experiences for our audiences. Together, we aim to inspire children and families globally, nurturing creativity and fostering learning through play.”
Goldin also thanks the Initiative/IPG team for their work for the past seven years. She said: “They have been with us every step of the way as we significantly grew the business, launched our first global brand campaign, and reached more children than ever before. We are grateful for their support and collaboration.”
The Danish-based company’s decision to move its media account comes after an 18-month review, Ad Age reported.
The toy bricks brand recorded a global media spend of $467 million last year, 70% of that was spent on digital media, according to COMvergence.
In Australia, the partnership between Initiative and Lego proved to be successful with the agency winning the prestigious Grand Prix at the 2023 MFA Awards for the LEGO City Goes Nitro campaign.
Melissa Fein, the now outgoing CEO of Initiative, told Mediaweek at the time of the win: “Last night’s event is the culmination of the most exciting and challenging year to-date. To say I am proud of my team is an understatement…we are both humbled and ecstatic and will celebrate this achievement in true Initiative style – as a team.”
Aside from Initiative and Lego parting ways, Fein will also be departing the agency alongside Initiative’s managing director Sam Geer and chief strategy officer Chris Colter.
News of the trio’s defection from the Mediabrands agency for Accenture Song broke in May.
See also: Updated: Melissa Fein, Sam Geer, and Chris Colter leave Initiative for Accenture Song