Lego hails the Viidiyo as “Fun, interactive… [ellipses theirs] revolutionary!” The theme here, as it is for the virtual Barbie activities, is to bring together the physical and digital. Music is also a major component of achieving the effect, and so Lego collaborated with Universal Music Group for the licensed music.
As explained in Lego’s video on Vidiyo, what activates the effects are special tiles called BeatBits. They are what will activate sounds, props, and special video effects to make it easy for the target market of kids 7-10 years old to achieve the look and sound they want.
Of course, this requires downloading an app. It is free and available on the App Store or Google Play as of February 16, 2021. As Lego puts it, “It’s where you scan sets, minifigures, Beatbits, and feel the AR magic!”
The app is also the source of a “moderated, kid-safe social experience” where they can share without divulging any personal information or even their names. To offer extra parental reassurance, Lego also includes a parental dashboard.
One more thing the app delivers, and that’s what Lego calls “inspiration” to create more. That’s also a form of marketing to increase interest in the product and to clamor for more BeatBits or compatible sets to make more videos.
What’s particularly clever about creating child-safe apps is that it gives brands a direct line of communication to their target market. It’s ideal to inspire more sales.