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In lugnet.color, Mark Chan wrote:
<snip>
> Dear Lego,
>
> One of the most disappointing decisions Lego made this past year is changing
> its gray, dark gray and brown colors after 20 years.
>
> Many people are attracted to your construction toy because Lego products have
> represented the highest standards in quality and consistency for over 40
> years.
>
> Parents purchasing Lego do not just buy a box of bricks – they also buy into
> the promise that today’s purchase will “always” work with Lego products from
> 40 years ago, or 40 years from now.
I don't think TLC ever made a promise like this. I remember seeing in some
catalogs from the '80s that TLC promoted the fact the most elements were
interchangeable with one another, and that all the elements work together in a
system of play, but the color of the bricks really doesn't have anything to do
with that.
>
> Children playing with Lego bricks are not just stimulating creativity – they
> also are learning the important values of consistancy, dependability and
> reliability over a lifetime. They are learning the value of keeping a promise
> – the Lego Promise. When these children grow into parents, the value of the
> Lego Promise transfers to their children.
I think the whole bit about "The Lego Promise" is something that should be left
out. IMHO, TLC never promised to keep their elements compatible with what they
produced in the past. The fact that there has been consistency is great, but I
don't think it should be labelled this way.
>
> Lego has earned an excellent reputation by keeping its promises over
> generations; however, the recent color change has betrayed your Promise and
> tarnished your reputation.
>
> Gray parts collected over time from various Lego sets should remain the same
> color. Changing this is equally as wrong as having inconsistent shades of
> gray within the same boxed set. Only a quality of material change, or a
> change to the size of your basic brick, could be worse.
>
> The credibility of the Lego Promise – to never alter important things about
> Lego – has been uncomfortably shaken. The Promise sounds especially hollow
> when it is repeated after this unprecedented color change.
>
> Even worse, what happens to the credibility of a parent who has told his or
> her child, “Lego is good because it will always work and stay the same”?
How many parents buy Lego for this reason? And of those, how many tell their
children that is a good thing about the toy they are playing with. At most,
parents may have fond memories of playing with Lego when they were children and
want their childrren to have a similar experience. But parents realize the
product has changed dramatically. I have heard parents say innumerable times
that when they were kids, Lego was just rectangular blocks (however untrue that
may be to the more knowledgable Lego fan).
>
> In our rapidly changing world, there is great comfort to both parent and
> child to have a quality toy, a Promise and a stable company they can believe
> and trust in.
>
> Please return us to your previously unbroken record of consistency by making
> the classic gray, dark gray and brown colors available again. Lego bricks
> represent creativity, but they also represent a constancy that transcends
> time – much like a parent’s constant love for his or her child.
>
> If Lego remains true to its original vision and Promise, it will remain
> superior to other companies. It also will continue to have loyal, happy,
> lifetime customers – and will achieve its goal of being “the best brand for
> families with children.”
>
> Sincerely,
>
> *******
>
> (Please feel free to comment constructively on what you like and/or question.
> If you don't think the Color change is that big a deal, please don't bring
> that up again here. This is only for the audience in LUGNET who does feel it
> is important. I'm just trying to help that group out.)
I think this letter misses the point. There is really only one sentence at the
top that expresses disappointment about the change and it is supported with only
talk of how this is a consistency problem. It goes way too in depth about a
promise that the writer feels TLC made. I would emphasize why this change
effects consumers and the product line more directly. For instance, by writing
about how the new grays make white look.
Just my .02
--
Thomas Main
thomasmain@myrealbox.com
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Message has 1 Reply:
Message is in Reply To:
 | | Color change: **CEO Draft Letter**
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| I've drafted a letter, and had my wife review for grammar, context and presentation. By way of credentials, my wife has worked as both a full time external communications, and internal executive communications writer in a Fortune 100 company for (...) (20 years ago, 30-Nov-04, to lugnet.color, lugnet.lego, lugnet.general, FTX)
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