A Tribute to Lego's Miniman Goes HD, 3D

A 30th birthday tribute to Lego’s mini-figures launched yesterday, showcasing the work of Pereira & O’Dell, a newly established agency based in San Francisco.

Built around the rallying cry, Go MiniMan Go, the online and offline integrated branding campaign includes an HD and 3D video for TV and YouTube, a GoMiniMan blog, an online video contest on gadget guide Gizmodo, activities at Lego amusement parks, and events at Lego retail stores.

The animated video — that can be viewed frame by frame — is geared to adults, showing mini-figures participating in several cultural and historical moments and everyday activities since 1978. (Think disco fever and Star Wars in the late ’70s, or the fall of the Berlin Wall in the late ’80s.)

“People love Lego. We just want to tap into that culture,” said P.J. Pereria, the agency’s creative director. “Communities should not be forced in an artificial way.”

Search YouTube or Flickr and you’ll find scores of online videos where a Lego character or creation takes center stage. “We don’t want to compete with them,” Pereria said, referring to the Lego fans who developed the consumer-generated videos and images. “We wanted to collaborate with them, inspire them to do something new to celebrate.”

When asked how long the campaign will run, Pereria said that question would be determined by Lego fans. “This is a movement that belongs to them,” he said. “Sometimes it works to follow and let the passion of your consumers dictate what’s going to happen next.”

Pereira & O’Dell was founded earlier this year by Pereria, formerly executive director at AKQA, and Andrew O’Dell, previously AKQA’s president of interactive marketing.