LEGO DAD” Commercial

LEGO DAD” Commercial

            Are there moments that are more valuable than those shared between a parent and child? The LEGO DAD commercial depicts the special moments shared between dads and their children. Some of these moments include fathers and children playing with toys both indoors and outdoors. The ad is sponsored by a company known as the Lego Group, which deals with toys. A song titled “The Heart” by Needtobreathe plays in the background of the LEGO DAD commercial. Needtobreathe is a South Carolina Christian rock group that has been producing songs since the 2000s (Brown). The song “The Heart” contains inspiring lyrics that make a person self-reflect on his or her life. Both the song and the commercial share numerous messages. This paper argues that the song “The Heart” supports the messages being conveyed by the LEGO DAD commercial when it comes to perspectives pertaining to wholeness, love, construction, individuals finding time to be with the people they value and the importance of one making a lasting impression.

To begin with, both the LEGO DAD ad and the song “The Heart” emphasizes on the wholeness of the entities involved. On one hand, the commercial emphasizes that the moments shared between parents and their children end up influencing both entities (The LEGO Group). Ordinarily, adverts focus on depicting parents as doing everything possible to please their children even if the happiness of the latter comes at a cost for the former. However, the Lego advert challenges this notion. It appeals to parent’s emotions by making them believe that they can enjoy their efforts of pleasing their children. On the other hand, the chorus of the song “The Heart” has a line that says “That part is the whole” (Needtobreathe). This statement emphasizes the wholeness of the entity the song is referring to. As far as wholeness is concerned, each individual component is important is making the final product complete. Parents are incomplete without their parents. At the same time, parents cannot be complete unless their children are happy. As such, the song “The Heart” appeals to the audiences’ emotions by making them reflect on what may happen if they share more memorable moments with their children as far as completeness and emptiness are concerned.

Apart from conveying messages pertaining to wholeness, both the LEGO DAD commercial and the song “The Heart” emphasize on the priceless nature of the love between parents and children. On one hand, the LEGO DAD commercial depicts parents who are willing to go to whichever lengths possible to make their children happy. This is evidenced in the body language of the parents and their children depicted in the LEGO DAD advert. The body language of the characters depicted in this commercial inspires feelings of longing, contentment, and love. In addition, the song “Heart” and the LEGO DAD commercial emphasize on priceless love.  In their song “The Heart,” the Needtobreathe group says “Ain’t no love like an old romance.” In this line, the phrase “old romance” is referring to the love between parents and children. This is the oldest love since it begins before one is born and extends even after death. Reference to the phrase “Old romance” makes a person to reflect on memorable moments that he or she has shared with a loved one in the past. This creates a feeling of longing and contentment. At the same time, the chorus of the song “The Heart” has lines such as “Long live the heart” and “Long live the soul” (Needtobreathe). These statements suggest that whatever they are describing cannot be quantified. Additionally, the mentioning of the words “soul” and “heart” suggests that the love the song is talking about does not have an end. At the same time, the song “The Heart” has a line that says “Singin’ this line like a deed to land” (Needtobreathe).  This line suggests that parents should value the time they spend with their children more than any material things. Also, the song in question is titled “The Heart.” The title of this song is symbolic since it signifies love. At the same time, the word “heart” is available not only in the song’s title but also in its chorus. The repetition of the word “heart” shows that the song by Needtobreathe has love as its central theme.

Additionally, both the songs “The Heart” and LEGO DAD adverts emphasize on the theme of construction. In the LEGO DAD commercial, the happy moments between the parents and children are built. This is evidenced in the way parents spend a significant amount of their time with their children helping the latter undertake their chores and taking them to skateboarding or buying ice cream. At the same time, there are many scenes in the LEGO DAD commercial in which the parents and children are constructing various miniature structures. One of the scenes in this ad involves a gentleman who appears to be a father fixing a skateboard for his two daughters. At the same time, there is a scene in which a father and a son have built a sandhill near the ocean. These scenes encourage the audiences to feel motivated to build things with their children. On the other hand, the diction of the “The Heart” song emphasizes the theme of construction. The chorus of “The Heart” comprises of the lines “That piece you can find, That part is the whole, It never lets go” (Needtobreathe).  In these sentences, the words “Piece,” “part,” and “Whole” and “lets go” suggest different elements coming together to create something whole. The LEGO DAD ad encourages parents and their children to use different components to come up with unimaginable things. At the same time, the LEGO DAD ad depicts a parent trying to repair a broken down skateboard while his two girls watch. The gentleman is tightening the bolt on the skateboard. Similarly, the chorus of the song “The Heart” says “That piece you can find.” This statement communicates the essence of the Lego brand, which entails availing different components that can be used to make various items. As such, the song complements the message carried by the LEGO DAD advert, which entails bringing the missing parts together to produce a desirable outcome.

At the same time, both the LEGO DAD commercial and “The Heart” song emphasize the aspects of people finding time to be with the persons they can about. Bear Rinehart, the lead vocalist of the music group Needtobreathe says that their song “The Heart” is “About the thing we care about, the things that mean something to us” (Song Facts Para. 2).  In most of the scenes depicted in the LEGO DAD commercial, the parents and children find time to be with each other. This is evident from the mode of clothing worn by these entities. In one scene, the father is with his son on a beach where they are playing with the toys.  In most of the other scenes, the parents are engaged in other tasks while they try to find time to play with their children. In one of the scenes, the dad is cooking while he oversees his child play. These scenes appeal to the audiences’ reasons. It makes them believe that there is no justifiable reason for them not to spend quality time with their parents. On the other hand, the song “The Heart” emphasizes on people finding time to engage in activities that they value and be with the persons they love. In the first stanza of the song “The Heart,” the Needtobreathe music group makes the statement “Go’sta make hay when the sun is shinin” and “Can’t waste time when it comes to dance” (Needtobreathe).  At the same time, the Needtobreathe music group talks about “Keeping in touch with the windows down” (Needtobreathe). This statement suggests that deliberate efforts and open communication between entities are essential in building strong interpersonal bonds. At the same time, the statement emphasizes on one being there for those he or she loves.

Additionally, the LEGO Dad advert and “The Heart” song emphasizes on people making lasting impressions. To begin with, the LEGO DAD ad features mainly children spending time with the parents. Childhood is an important stage of development. The experiences people get when they are young are likely to have long-lasting implications on their lives, whether bad or good. As the LEGO DAD commercial comes to an end, there are two teenage boys playing the guitars. This is the only scene in this ad where children are not accompanied by their parents. The boys serve a symbolic purpose since in addition to being happy as they play their guitars there is a Lego toy in one of their desks. The message conveyed by the toy in this scene is that parents can make lasting impressions whenever they spend their time with their children when the latter are little. This scene is an example of logos. It aims to convince the audiences that the memorable moments they share with their loved ones will last forever. On the other hand, the song “The Heart” opens up with the line that states “Ain’t no gift like the present tense” (Needtobreathe). This statement suggests that one may not find another opportunity other than the moment to do what he or she aspires. At the same time, the song “The Heart” has a line that says “Can’t waste time when it comes to dance” (Needtobreathe). In this statement, the word “Dance” is used symbolically. As far as dance is concerned, the first impression is important. At the same time, one of the lines in the song “The Heart” states “Keeping in touch with the windows down” (Needtobreathe). As far as in-person communication is concerned, eye-contact is crucial for establishing a lasting impression. In their song “The Heart,” the Needtobleathe music group states that “Ain’t no love like an old romance” (Needtobreathe).  A reference to the “Old romance” reiterates the importance of people making a lasting impression. Also, there is a line in the song “The Heart” that says “Go’sta make hay when the sun is shinin” (Needtobreathe). This line advises people to take advantage of the time available to them to prepare for the life ahead of them.

In addition to emphasizing on the need for parents to make lasting impressions when interacting with their children, the LEGO DAD ad has established the credibility of the message it is conveying. The message the commercial is trying to convey through its characters is that parents playing with their children bring the two entities together. The LEGO DAD advert prioritizes the use of nonverbal cues, especially facial expression, space and body movement, to show that the toys depicted in this commercial can bring parents and children together. For instance, there is a scene in this commercial where a father and daughter look inside each other’s eyes and they both smile as the former turns his attention to fixing a skateboard (The LEGO Group). In most of these scenes, the children are inseparable from their parents as evidenced in the way the former accompanies the latter in grocery shopping and cooking. These scenes make the parents believe that the efforts they make towards their children’s happiness will not go unrewarded. At the same time, one of the scenes in the LEGO DAD commercial only features two teenage boys who are playing the guitars. In this scene, the camera focuses on a Lego toy on the table in the room in which the boys are playing music (The LEGO Group). This scene serves to retaliate the message that the bond created by parents and children when they play together last forever. Similarly, the song “The Heart” contains numerous lines that suggest that it complimenting the credibility the LEGO DAD advert is trying to establish. For instance, one of the lines in this song insinuates that the hearts knows what it wants.  Additionally, the first two lines of the song “The Heart” start with the words “Ain’t no….” (Needtobreathe-The Heart Lyrics). By starting their songs this way, the Needtobreathe group is emphasizing that it has experience of what it is talking about regarding love and people finding time to be with the persons they care about.

In conclusion, the song “The Heart” did an exemplary job complementing the message being conveyed by the LEGO DAD commercial. The two works of art share numerous themes. For instance, love is a central theme in both the song and the ad. Also, the ad and the song focus on the priceless nature of love. At the same time, both the ad and the song focus on different forms of construction. The advert focuses on the construction of toys while the song prioritizes the strengthening of the bonds between people. However, another song that could have done a better job in completing the message being conveyed by the LEGO DAD advert is titled “A song about Love” by Jake Bugg. This song focuses on love which is also the central theme in the “LEGO DAD” commercial. Also, a central message of the “A Song About Love” song is that while love is crucial, memories are important too.

Works Cited

Brown, Marisa. “Artist Bibliography.” All Music, n. d., https://www.allmusic.com/artist/needtobreathe-mn0000713448/biography. Accessed on March 17. 2020.

Bugg, Jake. “A Song about Love.” YouTube, 10 Jan. 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Veq6GQHU3is. Accessed on March 17. 2020.

Needtobreathe. “The Heart.” YouTube, Mar. 20, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5Yo99VjE2o. Accessed on March 17, 2020.

Needtobreathe-The Heart Lyrics. Lyricaddict, 21 June. 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zel-hnlCHkA. Accessed on March 17, 2020.

Song facts. “The Heart by Needtobreathe.” Songs Facts, n. d., https://www.songfacts.com/facts/needtobreathe/the-heart. Accessed on  March 17, 2020.

The LEGO Group. “LEGO DAD-Friends for Life.” YouTube, 3 Nov. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9EyTGWDwJo. Accessed on March 17, 2020.