Subject:
|
Re: Reasons for the color change
|
Newsgroups:
|
lugnet.color
|
Date:
|
Mon, 10 May 2004 16:28:44 GMT
|
Viewed:
|
822 times
|
| |
|
|
In lugnet.general, Thomas Main wrote:
> Like many others, I am curious about why the colors were changed. I am prepared
> to accept whatever answer is given, even if it is one that I don't think makes a
> good case for the change. Some of the reasons that have been given officially
> (correct me if I'm wrong) are:
>
> * A focus group played with both sets of colors and prefered the new colors
I just had a thought ....
If you were TLG and you were losing market share, you might want to try and find
ways of figuring out why. What if someone in TLG came up with the bright idea of
putting a mixed bunch of Lego bricks and clone bricks in a big heap and invited
kids to build with them. Perhaps such a test would leave a disproportionate
number of the old grey, old dark grey and old brown behind. The marketing gurus
then go "Hah!". 30% of our bricks are old grey, old dark grey and old brown, so
if we change them to be more attractive, we'll get our 30% market share back. I
can see a spread sheet jockey working that one out ;)
The flaw in the argument is that the precise colors in the box remain unknown
til after the purchase. And so by then, the color doesn't matter so much. The
only time I can see it mattering is after a pile of Lego bricks and a pile of
clone bricks have been mixed in the consumers play area. The builder then gets
the chance to select and that selection only matters if the purchaser, perhaps
the parent in this case actually goes through the youngsters MOC piece by piece
to tally what percentage of parts come from what manufacturer. More parts could
then be purchased based on the youngsters perceived preference. However, I think
that level of analysis is highly unlikely.
If any of this is even close to the truth, then my point is, I don't think
tweaking the colors is the right approach to improving sales. TLG needs to do
something to improve the odds that a purchase will be of a TLG product over a
clone brand product and I am confident that there must be people in TLG who know
that. I think brand name (while it remains presitigous), price point, packaging
and advertising are likely to have a much greater effect on sales than adding
more blue dye to the greys.
JB
|
|
Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Reasons for the color change
|
| (...) snip The other flaw in the argument (besides the one you mentioned) is that if LEGO gave mixed clone and LEGO elements to my 8-year-old son and his friends, the clones would quickly get tossed aside because they don't fit as well as LEGO. My (...) (21 years ago, 10-May-04, to lugnet.color, FTX)
|
4 Messages in This Thread:
 
- Entire Thread on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
|
|
|
|
