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So... it seems that 2004 is shaping up to be a year of change for the LEGO
Company. But it is, I believe, very much change for the good; as turbulent as
things are at the moment, the company is becoming more focused upon, and more
dedicated to, its core beliefs and ideals. It is recommitting to what it does
best. And that is, as we all know, A Good Thing (TM). So you can take heart in
the knowledge that this change is (perhaps unlike some others in the recent
past) positive and welcome -- it will make the LEGO Company stronger and the
LEGO Brand one you can be proud to support. (In the words of noted sage Dan
Quayle: "The future will be better tomorrow.")
And I am contributing a bit of change myself: I have decided to leave the LEGO
Company to take up a new challenge as President and CEO of Informative, Inc., a
San Francisco-area firm specialising in technology-enabled community development
and interaction. You may be familiar with some of what Informative does: some of
their software powers the "My Opinions" and message board areas on LEGO.com. I
hope to take what I have learned about the LEGO Brand from you and others about
the value of community and help other brands to think the same way.
(And to forestall any questions: no, this has nothing to do with the recent
senior management reorganization; I announced my intentions some months ago and
have been working since that time to effect a smooth transition.)
It was a difficult decision for me to make; but in the end, this new opportunity
was simply too compelling to pass up. (And since Informative continues to work
with the LEGO Company, I won't be completely cut off....)
Those of you who know me know how much I love the LEGO Brand. The last four
years of creating and leading LEGO Direct have been some of the most satisfying
of my life. I have never been prouder of a team, or what that team has
accomplished, than I have been of the people who built LEGO Direct. So much has
been achieved in such a short time (that's short in "corporate time," which, as
we all know, is an entirely different proposition than "Internet time"): the
relaunch of LEGO.com; extending LEGO Shop At Home into e-commerce and
internationally; the global growth of the LEGO Club; the introduction of a
series of outstanding exclusive sets (LEGO Legends, the Sopwith Camel and Red
Baron, the Santa Fe locomotive, the Imperial Star Destroyer... to name only a
few) based in large part on the input we gathered from you and other LEGO
enthusiasts; the MOC program (no, it's not dead -- far from it); the exponential
popularity of FIRST LEGO League; continuing and enhancing a tradition of
providing the best consumer service possible; the recognition of and interaction
with the adult fan community... and so much more. For a little team, LEGO Direct
sure aimed big... and scored big.
But the time has come for LEGO Direct to "grow up" as well. LEGO Direct was
established as a "corporate startup" with the core principle that a brand and a
business could be built through relationships -- by listening to its best and
most loyal consumers (and that includes all of you), by interacting, by learning
-- and then by acting on all of that to produce better products and better
service. LEGO Direct proved that this principle works. But it is not enough that
only LEGO Direct works in this manner -- the whole company needs to embrace this
as well. So in order to ensure that the learning and benefit of LEGO Direct is
shared throughout the company, the various parts of this business are being
"mainstreamed" into other parts of the company (product development, Brand
Retail, and community development). I can assure you that this will in no way
mean a lessening of the commitment to you, our loyal enthusiasts and Brand
champions, that LEGO Direct has made. LEGO Shop At Home, the LEGO Club, our
exceptional consumer service, community support, the product exclusives -- they
will all continue. (And just be patient about the color thing... it's being
worked on.)
My last day at LEGO is January 31. And then I will be what I was before I joined
the company: an Adult Fan of LEGO (and proud to be one, maybe more so now than
ever). It is hard to leave the company behind... but though you can take the boy
out of LEGO, you can't take LEGO out of the boy. I'll still be building, I'll
try to make some of the gatherings from time to time (unfortunately not
Brickfest PDX) and I very much look forward to continuing to be a part of the
community. And though I will of course miss working hard to bring the company
closer to you, it's going to be fun helping to make sure the company is
listening to us (hey, I know some people at LEGO...).
Finally, let me say a final thank you for all the support you have shown LEGO
Direct since its inception; both your praise and your criticism were valued
equally and we learned from all of it (I hope that it showed). You were a big
part of what made the past four years one helluva ride. Please don't ever stop
supporting -- or challenging -- the company.
So that's it. I'll sign off now.
Play Well,
-- Brad
Brad Justus
Senior Vice President, LEGO Direct
And sign on again:
Hello, I'm Brad.
I'm an AFOL.
I'll be seeing you around.
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In lugnet.lego, Brad Justus wrote:
> And I am contributing a bit of change myself: I have decided to leave the LEGO
> Company to take up a new challenge as President and CEO of Informative, Inc., a
> San Francisco-area firm specialising in technology-enabled community development
> and interaction>
> So that's it. I'll sign off now.
>
> Play Well,
>
> -- Brad
Hi Brad,
Thanks for all the good work you've done (and this really means something,
coming from an European to an American).
Expanding Lego Direct and Shop-at-Home from the US to (most of) the rest of the
world have been a really good thing. In the beginning I must admit that I was
quite irate, as it meant that I could no longer make a phonecall to Billund and
order sets or bricks, but had to call SaH in UK. But as SaH has progressed, I
find it really a pleasure to use.
Good luck - hope your new job gives you more spare time as an AFOL!
kind regards
Arne, Copenhagen
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"Brad Justus" <legodirect@lego.com> wrote in message
news:Hs70qo.yow@lugnet.com...
<snip>
> Hello, I'm Brad.
> I'm an AFOL.
> I'll be seeing you around.
What can we say ?? Thanks to you for all the work done in the name of
improving relationships and releasing cracking sets. Part of me says 'hey
thats great, if the rest of Lego can take on the same ideals and values as
Lego Direct, it'll be a golden age indeed', another part of me says, 'there
goes the farm, the ideas and ideals will be diluted into nothing by futura
and the like'. I do sincerely hope its the former, not the latter. (and can
that be a hint of good news about colour??)
Good luck in your new job.
-------
Hi Brad,
look forward to seeing some of your mocs posted here :)
--
James Stacey
------
www.minifig.co.uk
Lugnet Member #925
I'm a citizen of Legoland travellin' Incommunicado
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Thanks and good luck!
--
Best regards,
/Tobbe
<http://www.lotek.nu>
(remove SPAM when e-mailing)
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In lugnet.lego, Brad Justus wrote:
> So that's it. I'll sign off now.
>
> Play Well,
Wow! Well I'd like to wish you the best of luck with your new adventure. I am
sure that you'll bring the same enthusiasm and drive to it as you have to LD for
the last few years.
I think that you and "the team" have done a very creditable job within the
constraints I am sure you had. I wonder how much headway was made because you,
personally, were behind it as opposed to what might have happened if you'd not
been there. I suspect that a lot of the benefits we - the bulk of the customers
of LD - and we - the not so bulky but very vocal and enthusiastic AFOL customers
of LD - have benefitted greatly from your working behind the scenes to make
things happen.
I hope you've left enough of an "imprint" and enough momentum to cause the TLG
to continue what you started.
Again, best of luck.
John Barnes
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In lugnet.lego, Brad Justus wrote:
>
> Hello, I'm Brad.
> I'm an AFOL.
> I'll be seeing you around.
Brad, I just want to shout out a *huge* "THANK YOU" for all the time and effort
you put in to the LEGO Company. Your insight into the AFOL community has really
helped turn the company in the right direction.
Thank you for being willing to stand in front of a gathering of some of the most
avid LEGO fans anywhere, and answer our questions!
I wish you all the best in your future adventures. And if you're ever back in
the Twin Cities, you know where to find us!
JohnG, GMLTC
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In lugnet.lego, John Barnes wrote:
> In lugnet.lego, Brad Justus wrote:
> > So that's it. I'll sign off now.
> >
> > Play Well,
>
> Wow! Well I'd like to wish you the best of luck with your new adventure. I am
> sure that you'll bring the same enthusiasm and drive to it as you have to LD for
> the last few years.
>
> I think that you and "the team" have done a very creditable job within the
> constraints I am sure you had. I wonder how much headway was made because you,
> personally, were behind it as opposed to what might have happened if you'd not
> been there. I suspect that a lot of the benefits we - the bulk of the customers
> of LD - and we - the not so bulky but very vocal and enthusiastic AFOL customers
> of LD - have benefitted greatly from your working behind the scenes to make
> things happen.
>
> I hope you've left enough of an "imprint" and enough momentum to cause the TLG
> to continue what you started.
>
> Again, best of luck.
>
> John Barnes
I can only echo John's words - well said.
Take a well-deserved bow, Brad.
Thank you.
...and a hearty Welcome!
Ed
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This one time, Brad Justus wrote:
> Finally, let me say a final thank you for all the support you have shown LEGO
> Direct since its inception; both your praise and your criticism were valued
> equally and we learned from all of it (I hope that it showed). You were a big
> part of what made the past four years one helluva ride. Please don't ever stop
> supporting -- or challenging -- the company.
> So that's it. I'll sign off now.
> Senior Vice President, LEGO Direct
Thank you for all your hard work Brad! I'm hoping that LEGO Direct will
continue in the right direction this year, and start making some changes.
You will definitely be missed, and we're hoping that LEGO only gets someone
of your caliber in that position.
I have some ideas. Will they hire me? ;) Just kidding! :)
> And sign on again:
> Hello, I'm Brad.
> I'm an AFOL.
> I'll be seeing you around.
Cool. .space rules man :) What do you build? We know what you did for
TLC, but we have no idea where your brickshelf page is. ;)
-Anne
--
I always said I wanted to be (\`--/') _ _______ .-r-.
somebody. Perhaps I should >.~.\ `` ` `,`,`. ,'_'~`.
have been more specific. (v_," ; `,-\ ; : ; \/,-~) \
stripes at tigerlair dot com `--'_..),-/ ' ' '_.>-' )`.`.__.')
stripes at brickbox dot com ((,((,__..'~~~~~~((,__..' `-..-'fL
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<snip>
Brad,
Thanks for everything you've done. I still remember seeing your first post
to Lugnet, and how thrilled I was that AFOL's were finally getting some
official recognition from the LEGO company.
Good luck in your future endevors!
-Joel
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I wish you the best at your new position and seeing as you've have some LEGO
time coming up, I expect to see a Brickshelf gallery soon.
Congrats again and build on.
Mark
Snow Daddy
Neumann
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Brad -
Thanks again for your dedication to LEGO Direct, and for all of the exciting
changes you brought to the way LEGO communicates with its customers. The last
four years under your guidance have been nothing short of a revolution for LEGO
fans of all ages - this from someone who remembers clearly how difficult it was
to gain interaction with TLC before LD came along. I wish you the best in your
new job, and now that you've explained further I understand the connection it
has to LEGO :-)
Hope to see you again soon, and can't wait to see some of your MOCs!
-Tim
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Let me add my voice to the public chorus of well wishers... your tenure has seen
a lot of really great changes for the better, and a demonstration that listening
to the fans actually works, despite a few bumps. It will be kinda strange seeing
posts from you without the little red square LEGO logo by them!
I think you're leaving some pretty big shoes to fill though, even if the plan is
to distribute the responsibility within the corporation. I don't think that I'm
the only person who is a bit nervous about that, but I'll remain hopeful.
Let me also add my voice to the chorus of requests for notification here when
some BradMOCs get posted to BrickShelf... :-)
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In lugnet.lego, Brad Justus wrote:
(snip)
When I discovered RTL and LUGNET back in the late 90’s, I remember the way I
perceived The LEGO Company-- aloof and mysterious. Sure, Consumer Affairs were
always nice people with whom to interact over the phone, but TLC had no
personal image. In fact, that “personal” image was even a joke amongst AFOLs
considering the ubiquitous and ageless Susan Williams!
And then you and your LEGO Direct team arrived. Your leadership, Brad, literary
humanized TLC. You gave us a peek behind the curtain, and although TLC is
still a rather mysterious beast, you laid the groundwork for meaningful
communication between AFOLs and TLC. You were a big fish in the TLC pond, and
yet you were one of us as well, and that was very reassuring and gratifying to
know. You gave me hope for TLC.
So as I wish you the best in your new venture, and I hope the bridge-building
you began will be continued in your absence. Looking forward to talking with
you after all of the NDAs expire;-) (JK)
JOHN
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> the recognition of and interaction
> with the adult fan community... and so much more. For a little team, LEGO Direct
> sure aimed big... and scored big.
I don't think is can be underscored enough. Ten years ago, the Lego Company was
an enigma, with the same sort of relationship purchasers of Liquid Tide have
with Proctor and Gamble: Via the consumer affairs line and through a PO Box
address. Maybe an adult fan of Lego sounded as crazy as someone who love
laundry detergent.
Even five years ago, I don't think neither Chris Magno nor I would have ever
dreamt we or any other LUG, AFOL etc would have such a rapport with the company.
You can see it in the interviews we gave with large media outlets up to a few
years ago--Lego was this large question mark that hung over whatever we did.
Now, it's totally different: We get news of new product releases and
demonstrations at events, ahead of time-- A Brad Justus keynote is as
anticipated as a Steve Jobs Mac demo or Detroit Auto Show rollout. We've been
asked to partcipate in marketing activities: Over 20 groups were invited to a
North American wide rollout tour of a major product line, and asked to show
_their_ creations. And now groups have access to train posters, catalogues and
Event Kit materials for their events.
Not to mention we have some to send our concerns in with, on some silly subjects
(The New Grey) and some serious ones (Is Mindstorms dead?)
I've worked in large organizations most of my working life so far and I know how
difficult it is to move and change them. Most of the time you feel like a
single brick in a giant sculpture. Getting Lego to start the conversation with
enthusiasts is a huge challenge.
Thank you Brad, for building this relationship with us.
It's beyond anything we could have dreamed of.
Calum
rtlToronto
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In lugnet.lego, Calum Tsang wrote:
> > the recognition of and interaction
> > with the adult fan community... and so much more. For a little team, LEGO Direct
> > sure aimed big... and scored big.
>
> I don't think is can be underscored enough.
<snip>
>
> Thank you Brad, for building this relationship with us.
> It's beyond anything we could have dreamed of.
>
> Calum
> rtlToronto
What he said!
Calum stated it perfectly. Nothing for me to add.
Thanks Brad. All the best in your future endeavours.
Dave K
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In lugnet.lego, Calum Tsang wrote:
<snip>
> Thank you Brad, for building this relationship with us.
> It's beyond anything we could have dreamed of.
Yeah I'll third what Calum said!
Thanks again, and good luck in your future endeavours, Brad.
-Bryan
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In lugnet.lego, Brad Justus wrote:
>
> And I am contributing a bit of change myself: I have decided to leave the LEGO
> Company to take up a new challenge as President and CEO of Informative, Inc., a
> San Francisco-area firm
> My last day at LEGO is January 31. And then I will be what I was before I joined
> the company: an Adult Fan of LEGO (and proud to be one, maybe more so now than
> ever). It is hard to leave the company behind... but though you can take the boy
> out of LEGO, you can't take LEGO out of the boy. I'll still be building, I'll
> try to make some of the gatherings from time to time (unfortunately not
> Brickfest PDX) and I very much look forward to continuing to be a part of the
> community.
Brad,
As with everyone else I would like to very much thank you for your work in
making LD what it is today. Most of the exciting developments in the past few
years have been out of your division, and the relationships that you and your
team have built with the community have been very exciting. Is there an
official announcement of who will take over the helm of LD? You said that
various programs within LD will continue, but are there any policy changes we
can expect under the new head? I do worry that "mainstreaming" the LD model
into the rest of the company could lead to a dilution of the benefits of the LD
we've known, but I remain hopeful that it will lead to an improvement in retail
rather than any harm to LD.
On the personal side, does your change in status mean that you will be joining
up with BayLUG or BayLTC? Or of course you can make the drive down to some
LUGOLA meetings. :) Also, how about a Brickshelf page? We know Jake's site,
but I don't know if I've ever seen your personal creations.
So, when you leave out the door, are you allowed to stuff your pockets and
briefcase with all the bricks you can carry? ;)
Good luck in your new position, and good luck to all at LD as they make the
transition to new leadership.
Bruce Hietbrink
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<snippity>
>
> So that's it. I'll sign off now.
>
> Play Well,
>
> -- Brad
>
> Brad Justus
> Senior Vice President, LEGO Direct
>
> And sign on again:
>
> Hello, I'm Brad.
> I'm an AFOL.
> I'll be seeing you around.
Hey. Wow.
This is really big news, but I suppose it had to come as working for LEGO
probably was cutting into your build-time. :o)
So I suppose this means that you are now One Of Us? I think that is great that
you will continue on the AFOL front. I am sad to see that you will not be
vice-helming the Direct approach, but then change happens, particularly LEGO.
You've done good, in spite of all of our complaining (I am sooo to blame), to
make our favorite brand better.
As far as color goes, well it is a horse I intend to beat occasionally. I like
that little bit about the "work" being done on it. As far as I am concerned, I
can live with it, you've heard everything I have said about it no doubt. I have
decided that my new color of choice to ammass (until I figure out what "work"
means on the other earth-tones) will be Tan! That is a great color, I've
decided. I don't have nearly enough Tan...
Well, it was good to hear the voice of Brad for these past years, and I look
forward to hearing your voice again, Brad v.2: Unleashed!
May we now edit the old familiar phrase from a bygone era to read:
Brad Was Here.
/^^^\
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--^^^-------^^^--
See you!
-Aaron-
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Brad,
Besides everything else which has been said, the fact itself that a Vice
President considers it natural to personally announce and explain his job change
in this forum, shows we've come a long way!
Eric Brok
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Brad -
Many thanks for what you've achieved with Lego Direct. Shop-At-Home Europe, the
My-Own-Train range, Legends, My-Own-Creation. Just getting the company to take
these things, and us, seriously. All of these have made a hobby a lot more
enjoyable, so thank you.
Good luck in the new job, and I hope it leaves you with enough time to build.
Jason Railton
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In lugnet.lego, Brad Justus wrote:
> And I am contributing a bit of change myself: I have decided to leave the LEGO
> Company to take up a new challenge as President and CEO of Informative, Inc., a
> San Francisco-area firm specialising in technology-enabled community development
> and interaction. You may be familiar with some of what Informative does: some of
> their software powers the "My Opinions" and message board areas on LEGO.com.
Congratulations on the new job - I'm sure it will be great for you. We'll miss
you of course, but in the end you must do what is best for your own career.
But since you'll presumably be moving to the San Francisco area, perhaps you
might want to stay in touch with your LEGO past - we of the Bay Area LEGO User's
Group and Train Club would be honored to have you as a member. Think about
it... :-) We have a meeting scheduled for the first weekend of your new
"civilian" life, even! http://www.baylug.org/upcoming.cgi?bayltc-20040207 Or
stop by our booth at the GATS show at the Cow Palace at the end of February:
http://www.baylug.org/upcoming.cgi?gats-cowpalace-2004
But whatever you choose to do, play on!
--Bill.
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In fact, that “personal” image was even a joke amongst
AFOLs considering the ubiquitous and ageless Susan Williams!
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I’d not heard of Susan Williams before this but was promped to look her up. I
had some letters from the consumer relations department in my youth but they
weren’t signed by susan, my guess is that she only signs all the US letters!
Congratulations Brad
Tim
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In lugnet.lego, Brad Justus wrote:
>
> Hello, I'm Brad.
> I'm an AFOL.
> I'll be seeing you around.
Welcome Brad, AFOL!
It's always good to have another fan aboard our community of communities! We
hope to see some MOCs from you, and maybe you could even attend a convention
like BrickFest sometime. I'm sure you would enjoy all the fun things there.
Sometimes you can even get a sneak peak at a Lando figure or such... I look
forward to seeing more from you!
8-D
-Hendo, Builder, Fan, Loonie.
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