Lego “not planning any future promotional activity” with Daily Mail amid protests at recent coverage
Lego is “not planning any future promotional activity” with the Daily Mail, in an apparent protest at its editorial content.
Stop Funding Hate, a group campaigning for companies like John Lewis and Waitrose to pull advertising from certain tabloid newspapers, has claimed the move by Lego as a victory.
DMGT, the owner of the Daily Mail, responded with a statement saying:
Our agreement with Lego has finished and we have no plans to run any promotional activity with Lego in the foreseeable future.
Read more: Daily Mail managing editor attacks "psychotic" and loss-making Guardian
Lego, which has run several front-page ads in the Daily Mail and its sister title the Mail on Sunday this autumn, made the announcement on social media in response to a letter from a man who has bought the newspaper in order to get offers on Lego for his son.
He raised objections to recent headlines which “do nothing but create distrust of foreigners, blame immigrants for everything”. He also criticised its coverage of last week’s Article 50 ruling, which described the judges behind the decision as “enemies of the people”.
In response, Lego said on Facebook this morning:
Hi Bob! Our agreement with The Daily Mail has finished and we have no plans to run any promotional activity with the newspaper in the foreseeable future.
Read more: Daily Mail publisher reports signs of ad market recovery after Brexit vote
The toy company also announced the news to Stop Funding Hate, going further to say it was “not planning any future promotional activity with the newspaper”.
We have finished the agreement with The Daily Mail and are not planning any future promotional activity with the newspaper
— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) November 12, 2016
The news comes towards the end of what has been a tough year for the Mail newspapers and others in terms of advertising revenue decline.
A group of newspaper companies, including the publishers of the Daily Mail, Times, Telegraph and Guardian, are currently working together to investigate whether they can pool resources to boost ad revenues.
Lego and DMGT have been asked for comment.