Subject:
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goodbye... and hello
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.lego
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Date:
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Wed, 28 Jan 2004 09:23:12 GMT
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So... it seems that 2004 is shaping up to be a year of change for the LEGO
Company. But it is, I believe, very much change for the good; as turbulent as
things are at the moment, the company is becoming more focused upon, and more
dedicated to, its core beliefs and ideals. It is recommitting to what it does
best. And that is, as we all know, A Good Thing (TM). So you can take heart in
the knowledge that this change is (perhaps unlike some others in the recent
past) positive and welcome -- it will make the LEGO Company stronger and the
LEGO Brand one you can be proud to support. (In the words of noted sage Dan
Quayle: "The future will be better tomorrow.")
And I am contributing a bit of change myself: I have decided to leave the LEGO
Company to take up a new challenge as President and CEO of Informative, Inc., a
San Francisco-area firm specialising in technology-enabled community development
and interaction. You may be familiar with some of what Informative does: some of
their software powers the "My Opinions" and message board areas on LEGO.com. I
hope to take what I have learned about the LEGO Brand from you and others about
the value of community and help other brands to think the same way.
(And to forestall any questions: no, this has nothing to do with the recent
senior management reorganization; I announced my intentions some months ago and
have been working since that time to effect a smooth transition.)
It was a difficult decision for me to make; but in the end, this new opportunity
was simply too compelling to pass up. (And since Informative continues to work
with the LEGO Company, I won't be completely cut off....)
Those of you who know me know how much I love the LEGO Brand. The last four
years of creating and leading LEGO Direct have been some of the most satisfying
of my life. I have never been prouder of a team, or what that team has
accomplished, than I have been of the people who built LEGO Direct. So much has
been achieved in such a short time (that's short in "corporate time," which, as
we all know, is an entirely different proposition than "Internet time"): the
relaunch of LEGO.com; extending LEGO Shop At Home into e-commerce and
internationally; the global growth of the LEGO Club; the introduction of a
series of outstanding exclusive sets (LEGO Legends, the Sopwith Camel and Red
Baron, the Santa Fe locomotive, the Imperial Star Destroyer... to name only a
few) based in large part on the input we gathered from you and other LEGO
enthusiasts; the MOC program (no, it's not dead -- far from it); the exponential
popularity of FIRST LEGO League; continuing and enhancing a tradition of
providing the best consumer service possible; the recognition of and interaction
with the adult fan community... and so much more. For a little team, LEGO Direct
sure aimed big... and scored big.
But the time has come for LEGO Direct to "grow up" as well. LEGO Direct was
established as a "corporate startup" with the core principle that a brand and a
business could be built through relationships -- by listening to its best and
most loyal consumers (and that includes all of you), by interacting, by learning
-- and then by acting on all of that to produce better products and better
service. LEGO Direct proved that this principle works. But it is not enough that
only LEGO Direct works in this manner -- the whole company needs to embrace this
as well. So in order to ensure that the learning and benefit of LEGO Direct is
shared throughout the company, the various parts of this business are being
"mainstreamed" into other parts of the company (product development, Brand
Retail, and community development). I can assure you that this will in no way
mean a lessening of the commitment to you, our loyal enthusiasts and Brand
champions, that LEGO Direct has made. LEGO Shop At Home, the LEGO Club, our
exceptional consumer service, community support, the product exclusives -- they
will all continue. (And just be patient about the color thing... it's being
worked on.)
My last day at LEGO is January 31. And then I will be what I was before I joined
the company: an Adult Fan of LEGO (and proud to be one, maybe more so now than
ever). It is hard to leave the company behind... but though you can take the boy
out of LEGO, you can't take LEGO out of the boy. I'll still be building, I'll
try to make some of the gatherings from time to time (unfortunately not
Brickfest PDX) and I very much look forward to continuing to be a part of the
community. And though I will of course miss working hard to bring the company
closer to you, it's going to be fun helping to make sure the company is
listening to us (hey, I know some people at LEGO...).
Finally, let me say a final thank you for all the support you have shown LEGO
Direct since its inception; both your praise and your criticism were valued
equally and we learned from all of it (I hope that it showed). You were a big
part of what made the past four years one helluva ride. Please don't ever stop
supporting -- or challenging -- the company.
So that's it. I'll sign off now.
Play Well,
-- Brad
Brad Justus
Senior Vice President, LEGO Direct
And sign on again:
Hello, I'm Brad.
I'm an AFOL.
I'll be seeing you around.
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Message has 18 Replies:
 | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| (...) Hi Brad, Thanks for all the good work you've done (and this really means something, coming from an European to an American). Expanding Lego Direct and Shop-at-Home from the US to (most of) the rest of the world have been a really good thing. (...) (20 years ago, 28-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego)
| | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| "Brad Justus" <legodirect@lego.com> wrote in message news:Hs70qo.yow@lugnet.com... <snip> (...) What can we say ?? Thanks to you for all the work done in the name of improving relationships and releasing cracking sets. Part of me says 'hey thats (...) (20 years ago, 28-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego)
| | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| (...) Wow! Well I'd like to wish you the best of luck with your new adventure. I am sure that you'll bring the same enthusiasm and drive to it as you have to LD for the last few years. I think that you and "the team" have done a very creditable job (...) (20 years ago, 28-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego)
| | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| (...) Brad, I just want to shout out a *huge* "THANK YOU" for all the time and effort you put in to the LEGO Company. Your insight into the AFOL community has really helped turn the company in the right direction. Thank you for being willing to (...) (20 years ago, 28-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego)
| | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| (...) Thank you for all your hard work Brad! I'm hoping that LEGO Direct will continue in the right direction this year, and start making some changes. You will definitely be missed, and we're hoping that LEGO only gets someone of your caliber in (...) (20 years ago, 28-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego)
| | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| <snip> Brad, Thanks for everything you've done. I still remember seeing your first post to Lugnet, and how thrilled I was that AFOL's were finally getting some official recognition from the LEGO company. Good luck in your future endevors! -Joel (20 years ago, 28-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego)
| | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| I wish you the best at your new position and seeing as you've have some LEGO time coming up, I expect to see a Brickshelf gallery soon. Congrats again and build on. Mark Snow Daddy Neumann (20 years ago, 28-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego)
| | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| Brad - Thanks again for your dedication to LEGO Direct, and for all of the exciting changes you brought to the way LEGO communicates with its customers. The last four years under your guidance have been nothing short of a revolution for LEGO fans of (...) (20 years ago, 28-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego)
| | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| Let me add my voice to the public chorus of well wishers... your tenure has seen a lot of really great changes for the better, and a demonstration that listening to the fans actually works, despite a few bumps. It will be kinda strange seeing posts (...) (20 years ago, 28-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego)
| | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| In lugnet.lego, Brad Justus wrote: (snip) When I discovered RTL and LUGNET back in the late 90's, I remember the way I perceived The LEGO Company-- aloof and mysterious. Sure, Consumer Affairs were always nice people with whom to interact over the (...) (20 years ago, 28-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego, FTX)
| | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| (...) I don't think is can be underscored enough. Ten years ago, the Lego Company was an enigma, with the same sort of relationship purchasers of Liquid Tide have with Proctor and Gamble: Via the consumer affairs line and through a PO Box address. (...) (20 years ago, 28-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego)
| | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| (...) Brad, As with everyone else I would like to very much thank you for your work in making LD what it is today. Most of the exciting developments in the past few years have been out of your division, and the relationships that you and your team (...) (20 years ago, 28-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego)
| | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| <snippity> (...) Hey. Wow. This is really big news, but I suppose it had to come as working for LEGO probably was cutting into your build-time. :o) So I suppose this means that you are now One Of Us? I think that is great that you will continue on (...) (20 years ago, 28-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego)
| | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| Brad, Besides everything else which has been said, the fact itself that a Vice President considers it natural to personally announce and explain his job change in this forum, shows we've come a long way! Eric Brok (20 years ago, 28-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego)
| | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| Brad - Many thanks for what you've achieved with Lego Direct. Shop-At-Home Europe, the My-Own-Train range, Legends, My-Own-Creation. Just getting the company to take these things, and us, seriously. All of these have made a hobby a lot more (...) (20 years ago, 29-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego)
| | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| (...) Congratulations on the new job - I'm sure it will be great for you. We'll miss you of course, but in the end you must do what is best for your own career. But since you'll presumably be moving to the San Francisco area, perhaps you might want (...) (20 years ago, 29-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego)
| | | Re: goodbye... and hello
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| (...) Welcome Brad, AFOL! It's always good to have another fan aboard our community of communities! We hope to see some MOCs from you, and maybe you could even attend a convention like BrickFest sometime. I'm sure you would enjoy all the fun things (...) (20 years ago, 31-Jan-04, to lugnet.lego)
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