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I think the marketing department needs some help.
Every time I hear "our market testing shows that kids and parents
want juniorization" I am amazed at how large the gap between
marketing and reality is.
Parents and kids want the exact same things that adults do from LEGO.
They want sets with many pieces, interesting pieces and most of all
designs of substance. Current set designs (except technic and SW) are all
sizzle and no steak.
What's the difference between parents, kids and adult fans? Adult fans
express their ideas and suggestions here, kids and parents at the stores.
I would suggest having store employees and managers write down specific
types of customer comments and periodically forward them up the chain.
Things like "this set costs too much" or "Do you have any girl sets
that are like the boy sets?" or "do you have <really old set>?" or
"do you have any building sets?" could provide valuable insight.
KL
In lugnet.general, Todd Lehman writes:
>
> I'm willing to trust that the thousands of hours of Market Research that TLC
> has done over the many years has given them a solid understanding of the
> best way to create demand for more pieces and more sets.
>
> --Todd
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In lugnet.general, Kevin Loch writes:
> I think the marketing department needs some help.
I have been an assistant Mangager at a KB Toy store for about a month and a
half now. I can tell everyone first hand that TLC's market reasearch is
totally incorect. (I have been memorizing customers interested in Lego since I
started. I was going to post this seperately but this discussion seems to be a
perfect leader.)
> Every time I hear "our market testing shows that kids and parents
> want juniorization" I am amazed at how large the gap between
> marketing and reality is.
>
> Parents and kids want the exact same things that adults do from LEGO.
> They want sets with many pieces, interesting pieces and most of all
> designs of substance. Current set designs (except technic and SW) are all
> sizzle and no steak.
Of the 23 adults who had a passing interest in their childs hobby. 17 of them
told me that Lego has gone down hill over the past 5 to 10 years. (I did not
suggest this is was spoken of their free will) The remaining 6 (2 mothers, 3
fathers, 1 couple) did not know that Mega Blocks were a different brand. 5
(2 mothers, 2 fathers, 1 couple) of them thought they were the "oldschool" lego
designs. Back to the 17 whom belive lego has gone down hill only 8 (3 mothers,
2 grandmothers 1 father, 2 couples) insisted on Lego brand anyway. The other 9
(3 mothers, 2 fathers , and 4 couples) said they bought Mega blocks despite the
lower quality materials because the designs were so much better and they are so
much cheaper. There were dozens of other people who didn't volunteer
information and I did not want to "lead" them to any conclusions. I saw many
kids chosing sets with the most peices and some angered at the current trend
toward more large pieces and less small pieces. Very few kids picked a set
just for the model on the box. Most kids (and I do mean 6-12 here) scruitinzed
sets just as much as AFOLs do. It was really only kids debating on what kind
of toy (i.e. Lego set or Action figure) to buy who even considered buying some
of the Juniorized sets.
> What's the difference between parents, kids and adult fans? Adult fans
> express their ideas and suggestions here, kids and parents at the stores.
I can verify that with experience.
>
> I would suggest having store employees and managers write down specific
> types of customer comments and periodically forward them up the chain.
> Things like "this set costs too much" or "Do you have any girl sets
> that are like the boy sets?" or "do you have <really old set>?" or
> "do you have any building sets?" could provide valuable insight.
>
> KL
Done.
-Mike Petrucelli
>
> In lugnet.general, Todd Lehman writes:
> >
> > I'm willing to trust that the thousands of hours of Market Research that TLC
> > has done over the many years has given them a solid understanding of the
> > best way to create demand for more pieces and more sets.
> >
> > --Todd
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In lugnet.general, Kevin Loch writes:
> I think the marketing department needs some help.
>
> Every time I hear "our market testing shows that kids and parents
> want juniorization" I am amazed at how large the gap between
> marketing and reality is.
Heh! That's along the same lines as "change is good," as espoused by
those in the corporate world who decide to implement changes but who will
not themselves be affected by them in any way.
Dave!
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In lugnet.general, "Kevin Loch" <kloch@opnsys.com> writes:
> I think the marketing department needs some help.
Agreed!
> Every time I hear "our market testing shows that kids and parents
> want juniorization" I am amazed at how large the gap between
> marketing and reality is.
Ya, I meant it in juxtaposition with the comment to which it was
replying...i.e., that I belive the reason for the off-color elements is more
driven by marketing/costs/etc. than by ease of building. I've seen 2x2 red
plates stuck needlessly in the middle of a cockpit brick, for example --
that didn't help make the model easier to build -- it just made fewer cool
color elements in the model.
--Todd
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