Subject:
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Re: The LEGO Revival Survey
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Sat, 30 Jul 2005 16:19:23 GMT
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Reply-To:
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cjmasi@*!NoMoreSpam!nogarbageplease*rcn.com
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Viewed:
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4380 times
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> Why do LEGO toys have value to you?
They are toys that stimulate creativity and they helped me develop
mathematical and spatial skills as a child. The toys are a connection to
my past (I am still playing with the bricks I got 28 years ago), yet
they still allow me to look forward tot he things that I hope to build.
They also provide me with a great way to play with my son when we are at
home.
> What makes LEGO brand construction toys worth your money?
In addition to what I wrote in response to "Why do LEGO toys have value
to you?*" I know that LEGO is a quality toy that will hold up to years
of play both in the sense that LEGO is strudy and that LEGO is a toy
that I continue to return to.
*They are toys that stimulate creativity and they helped me develop
mathematical and spatial skills as a child. The toys are a connection to
my past (I am still playing with the bricks I got 28 years ago), yet
they still allow me to look forward tot he things that I hope to build.
They also provide me with a great way to play with my son when we are at
home.
> In what way has the LEGO brand let you down?
The latest US Shop-at-Home catalog is a bit of a let down. My 5-year old
son loves it, but it seems like it is page after page of violent
acivity. I am not a prude, and I know that I built red and yellow tanks
as a child. Nonetheless, the last catalogue (Summer 2005?) was just a
bit too much.
> Recently, how has the LEGO brand improved?
There seems to be a wider selection of things from which to choose. For
example, a few years ago it seemed like everything "town" was Jack
Stone. Now, there is 4+ and town.
> What would you like to see LEGO (re)introduce in the next three years?
Some interesting train track pieces. For example:
1. A set of points that are configuable; they could be configured to
a. produce the current geometry,
b. switch directly into a curve that fits perfectly into a normal LEGO
train track curve,
c.or connect end to end to provide a smooth cross oever between too
parallel tracks.
2. A rerailer that makes it easy to put trains on the track and will put
trains back on the track as the train goes buy.
3. Train wheels that can pick up power from the track.
A design your own house set. This set would be similar to the My Own
Train trains, but with more options. People could pick from a couple of
style of houses, a few colors, and build their own house.
For example a shopper could chose from three roof styles and colors:
1. gabled, 2. dormered, or 3. plain
1. black, 2. gray, or 3. brown
Then the shopper could choose a color for the house, the number of
floors in the house. LEGO could also sell accesories to finish the
insides of the house.
> What does LEGO need to do to sell more products for less cost to them?
If I knew the answer to this I'd be applying for a job with the company :)
> What reason(s) do you have for not buying new LEGO sets?
When I choose not to buy a LEGO set it is usually for one of three
reasons: I don't like that particular set, it is too far "off theme" for
me, or I just wouldn't know where to put it. "Off theme" means that it
the set in mind won't help me reach my goal of building a train layout
at home. When I say that " I just wouldn't know where to put it, that is
exactly what I mean. I _love_ a lot of the stuff I see (the new mobile
crane, the Imperial Star Destroyer, etc) but I have no idea where I
would diplay some of it.
> What would it take for you to spend more money on new LEGO products versus
> buying sets/parts on the second hand markets?
I don't typically buy sets on the second hand market, but occasionally I
do buy parts. The vast bulk of my LEGO money goes to LEGO. Nonetheless
BrickLink provides a service that LEGO doesn't (can't?) BrickLink is
amazing in that you can usually find anything you want. The down side to
BrickLink is that you can't always find enough of what you want from on
seller. I don't know if LEGO could perform this kind of service though.
Afterall, the finacial goals of hobbyists aren't the same a a
multinational company. If LEGO could sell all of the pieces that are
sold on BrickLink I would shop LEGO's brick service for the convenience
if it wasn't a lot more money. I you want, I could send you a copy of
the 4 orders I just placed and the amount that I spent on those orders.
If LEGO could have filled those orders for a bit more, I would have done
it just to make life easier for me. Here is a scale that rates how
likely I would be to go with a convenient find everything you need
service from LEGO vs price increase as compared to what I bought on
BrickLink (of course I included the shipping costs from BrickLink
because shipping from 4 different shops substantially increases the cost.)
10% more = definately
20% more = very likely
25% more = likely
30% more = somewhat likely
50% more = probably not
> What will it take for LEGO to remain the best construction toy for all ages and
> be a profitable company?
Don't forget about the all ages part. Try not to aim all products in a
given theme at a specific age group. For example, if there are no sets
in a given theme to excite a 10-year old, then that 10-year old may stop
playing with LEGO, and that customer may be gone forever.
Be smarter with the marketing; for example the Pick-a-Brick wall. A lot
of people don't realize those walls aren't displays, and why would
people want to buy lots of window frames, when there are no window panes
to put in the frames?
Market Shop-at-Home's bulk brick area more agressively in the catalogues
packed in with the sets. At the Millyard I had a conversation with a
parent who said that it wasn't possible to get brown bricks (a color
used all over the Millyard). She was obviously well acquainted with LEGO
toys, but had no idea that bricks could be ordered on-line from LEGO's
Shop-at-Home service.
Encourage cooperation within the company. Recently, I heard comments
like LEGO is thinkg of offering this service, but it isn't clear who
would get credit for the sale. It went unsiad, but the underlying
meaning was, since people are still discussing who will get credit it
could be a while before anything like this ever happens. When people
within different divisions have to worry about credit for a sale then
the company as a whole suffers.
> What are your home country, first name and age?
USA, Christopher, 36.
> Is there anything you would like to say with this last question that you feel
> someone at LEGO should not go without reading?
Be careful. LEGO should not sacrifice its core values. LEGO has never
been a cheap toy, and if it becomes one, LEGO will lose customers. Do
not sacrifice the quality of the LEGO brick. If the brick becomes cheap
and shoddy LEGO will lose customers. Don't sacrifice core values by
turning LEGO into a violent toy by design. I worry that LEGO will lose
more of its "quality of play" customers than it will gain by creating a
violent play system in order to compete with violent competitors.
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | The LEGO Revival Survey
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| LEGO is a changing company that many think is not what it should be or what it used to be. The best quality construction toys are made by LEGO. The current customer relationship between LEGO and the people who enjoy the toys they make is the best it (...) (19 years ago, 23-Jun-05, to lugnet.general) !!
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