Subject:
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Re: Your Thoughts on the LEGO Ambassadors Program
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.ambassadors
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Date:
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Wed, 14 Mar 2007 17:12:06 GMT
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Viewed:
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8374 times
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In lugnet.ambassadors, Nelson Yrizarry wrote:
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- What do you think the LEGO Ambassador program is about?
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As has been stated, I think it’s a way of giving pre-emptive fan feedback to
Lego. Rather than getting feedback *after* a set is released, fans can have a
small input factor a bit earlier on.
I think it’s also about marketing to AFOLs. People who believe that the company
is listening to its fans are more likely to be a bit kinder to them in their
reactions. It gives Lego the opportunity to say “we really ARE listening”, even
though in truth, they don’t have to do anything about it.
Also, it makes fans more likely to purchase sets, because they feel some degree
more of personal connection to the products.
The benefit for fans is mostly seen when Lego products and programs are improved
thanks to ambassador input. Of course, it’s hard to tell whether or not the
ambassadors really ARE improving things, but I believe that they are, even if
it’s a limited extent.
It’s also about encouraging fans to get involved in the community and build it
up further. Sort of a “reward” for being a recognized member of the community.
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- What should the LEGO Ambassador program be about?
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I think you should change the name of the program. To me, “Ambassador” implies
two-way communication that we don’t get, and aren’t likely to get.
When this program was announced, the fans wanted what all fans want. They want
to know everything from the minute details to the executive summaries of every
project and product that Lego has. Fans want to know “why was this piece used”
and “when can I buy X” and “what’s the most expensive piece” and “what sets are
coming out in the future”.
Ambassadors (from my understanding) aren’t told about the various inner workings
and dealings of the company. And if they are, it may not be clear that they can
communicate those things back to the fan community, thanks to the NDA’s that
they have to agree to. I believe they pretty much err on the side of caution,
and ask permission for each snippit of information they know.
If you’ve ever sat down and talked to Lego employees (people in the know, not
necessarily retail cashiers or phone operators), compare that to a conversation
with a Lego Ambassador and you’ll probably see the difference. In my experience,
Lego employees generally have a good sense for what’s public information and
what isn’t. And they’re (often) eager to talk with you about it. Lego
Ambassadors either don’t know the details (because they’re generally there to
talk about new products, not other goings-on), or they’re not sure if they can
tell you.
If it’s truly going to be an “Ambassador” program, I think there should be a
focus on two-way communication. If someone wants to know “will the boxes
eligible to have gold C-3P0’s in them be marked as such?”, a Lego Ambassador
should be able to field the answer. And they should be able to do so by asking
Lego, and getting a useful, timely reply. But that perhaps puts undue pressure
on Lego. Right now (I think), the communication point from Ambassadors
to-and-from Lego is Steve and Jan. Expanding their responsibilities or the
responsibilities of others in the company may not be worthwhile.
If you go back and read Jake’s initial announcement of the Ambassador program
(http://news.lugnet.com/lego/?n=3116), you’ll notice that it doesn’t really
say anything about communication from Ambassadors back to the community. From
the sounds of it, it really sounds like Jake was looking for two things from
Ambassadors: strong involvement in the Lego fan community, and feedback for the
Lego company.
In short, I think everyone’s hopes were inflated by the use of the word
“Ambassador”. I’m not sure what word I’d suggest instead, but I think the
program may not quite be appropriately named.
DaveE
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