Subject:
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Re: Introducing Your Cycle 3 LEGO Ambassadors
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Fri, 3 Mar 2006 12:10:41 GMT
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Viewed:
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3156 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Allister McLaren wrote:
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Well I’ll have to take your word for that, since I really have no idea what
the Ambassadors do. So far the exchange of information seems to be decidedly
one way, if it happens at all. Apart from the occasional marketing survey,
we (the general AFOL population) have heard nothing from the ambassadors in >
an ambassadorial role. We hear nothing about what goes on in the secret
ambassadors forum. We have no idea what the ambassadors are telling the
company that we as AFOLs want from them.
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Let me try to shed some light on the LA program without revealing things I am
not supposed to. First off, I will (later today), ask some of the new
ambassadors to review what we have done in the past 2 cycles. Then, I’ll ask if
any of the new ambassadors wants to carefully format a statement as to whether
we have been doing things for the AFOL community. I’m pretty sure they will be
quite positive. The thing that is currently working against the flow of
information is time. There are several projects underway, in whch the
ambassadors are asked to help design entire lines of product. For instance,
Project Theme XXXX 2007. This is a project that started many moons ago, but due
to competitors in the toy market, the marketing department will not reveal
ANYTHING till a few months prior to launch of the product, which is still over a
year ahead of us. Thus, till then, we CANNOT tell you what we have been doing.
We can guarantee you that many of us have been working hard. Once the initial
few cycles have past, and the first tangiables are devlivered, you will
undoubtedly know that AFOLs had a part in designing, stategizing, etc.
As far as letting you know what we are telling the company, a similar
restricting exisits. We, as LA’s, are gaining more and more trust of the LEGO
employees, and more and more do they approach us for feedback, or ask us to work
with them. The questions that they ask are tightly linked to future product
lines, and thus the answers are rather specific, and for now, we can’t make
public what we advise the LEGO people on.
I do see this can be very frustrating, but take a look at the list of LA’s. They
do represent hard-core fans, and many have been around for several cycles. The
few that have not re-aaplied/we’re not reselected, are likewise very happy with
the program, but lacked the time commitment it sometimes takes.
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So I ask this: for whose benefit is the Ambassador program being run? From
the information I have at hand, which is admittedly scant (see above), it
seems to be solely for the benefit of the marketing arm of the company. Ok,
maybe it’ll feed back to us eventually with products we like, but
ultimately, that requires us trusting the ambassadors to represent the
community’s interests. Without any information one way or the other, I’m
afraid I can’t give that trust. It’s not that I think the ambassadors are
untrustworthy, I just DON’T KNOW.
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The answer is clear: the program was designed for, is, and will continue to
benefit BOTH the AFOL community, and the company. About trust, I am with you.
Trust is something you gain over time, and that will have to be the way. Anyone
who asks me if the LA program is good for the AFOL community, I tell YES! I am
sure if you ask any other LA, or past LA, they’ll say YES as well. Again, as
time passes, and the first bigger deliverables may be not too far away, we are
confident we will earn that trust, so for now, sit back, relax, and build...
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As far as I can tell, the Ambassador Program is merely a fancy name for a
marketing focus group, which is fair enough. Maybe if we’d had this a couple
of years ago they wouldn’t have changed the colours. But please call it what
it is, and how about a bit more transparency? I know you’re under and NDA -
perhaps it needs revising.
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I’m sorry, but you are wrong here. We are not a marketing focus group, we do
work at many different levels with LEGO employees, and other fans. Had the
ambassadors been around 5-6 years ago, I am sure we’d not have seen the color
change. I’m saying 5-6 years because it simply takes a long time for the LA’s to
gain trust with the LEGO employees. Now, do you see a paralel here......? Yes,
in the beginning, we had a hard time convincing employees within LEGO to contact
us for FB, help, etc. Now, more and more we are accpeted, and TRUSTED. In the
beginning, they would not even give us pre-views of sets that we’re going to be
publically marketed the next day. Now, from time to time we get to see stuff
many months ahead, and now we get to help design some of it, so we see the stuff
years in advnace. It was easier for them to quickly trust us, because they
immediately see the work we do/Feedback we give. We still have some roads to
travel within the compnay as far as trust goes, but we are moving ahead. As far
as the NDA, this is necessary. If LEGO wants to be financially healthy, they
cannot afford to give away their plans for future sets too far in advance. Other
companies, with lesser care for quality, could cranck out the same idea faster,
but no as good, but kill the market for that line by doing so.
Hope this sheds a bit of light on the program, and believe me, we too are
frustrated we can’t tell you more of what we are doing, as we know that would
gain us that trust quickly, but have we understand why we are under NDA, and
work with that the best we can.
Paul Janssen,
LEGO Ambassador
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Introducing Your Cycle 3 LEGO Ambassadors
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| (...) snip (...) Thanks, Paul. That was exactly what I was asking for. It's certainly more information about what goes on in the LA program than we've ever had before. It should happen more often ;) I look forward to seeing the fruits of the LAs (...) (18 years ago, 3-Mar-06, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Introducing Your Cycle 3 LEGO Ambassadors
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| (...) Well I'll have to take your word for that, since I really have no idea what the Ambassadors do. So far the exchange of information seems to be decidedly one way, if it happens at all. Apart from the occasional marketing survey, we (the general (...) (18 years ago, 3-Mar-06, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)
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