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In lugnet.general, Andy Lynch writes:
> Has anyone done a study to determine what is so appealing to the buyers
> of Bionicle? And I don't mean the AFOLs as much as the rest of the
> buyers...
Andy, I think this has been discussed before.. however..
> > Has anyone done a study to determine what is so appealing to the buyers of Bionicle? And I don't mean the AFOLs as much as the rest of the buyers...
This is something I've been pondering as well, as an adult with marketing,
collectibles industry (gag), and 'net background...
> > - Because they are robotic/action figures?
Action figures have always been "cool". I think that's one reason why
Bionicle have faired better than RoboRiders or Throwbots... they are
actually figures. I think a kid would say "well, it doesn't have bricks,
but it looks awesome".
> > - Because they have a full online story behind them, with characters and a specific storyline?
Storyline is great marketing, and LEGO has done a good job creating a "buzz"
because of this... Plus, it's saved them tons on licensing because they
created their own storyline, which seems quite well thought out (even
though, as LEGO "purists", we tend to not like such things). The story is
doing the equivalent of the Transformers cartoon in the mid-80's... selling
product.
> > - The online game, which is different from just a storyline, I guess.
Online game, I feel, has been one of the most successful parts of the
campaign. It would be interesting if LEGO ever provided data on site
traffic to Bionicle.com. It's done a good job at making the site a
destination... all it's missing is a community element. That said, the
resources needed to pull off such a task have got to be costly, especially
since the online game is free.
> > - Because they are "combat" based? ( The idea of "knocking masks off" to "cure" infected or evil enemies)
I don't think the combat element is as strong as the "gotta get them all"
element. There seems to be quite a push for "stuff" these days with kids,
and toy marketers know that. Heck, even AFOL's get caught up in that rush.
> > The thought I was having was that whatever the reason, it CAN be applied to traditional Lego system sets, if Lego wanted to... i.e. Hype the minifig, leave less storyline to the imagination (UGH), etc.
Interesting point... Bionicle shows that LEGO has the marketing muscle to
pull such a launch off, granted a very expensive product launch. I don't
know if I'd be all for putting storylines and stuff on regular System
products, but you could definitely see some nice marketing leverage across
channels (stores, direct, online, events) to get the word out about a
product. You know, something cool like town, space and castle :)
Good discussion points, Andy. Thanks for posting them.
- Steve
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