Subject:
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Re: From the first LEGO(r) Train Summit: LEGO(r) Trains are alive and well
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains, lugnet.lego.direct
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Date:
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Mon, 5 Feb 2001 18:39:43 GMT
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Viewed:
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23 times
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In lugnet.trains, Larry Pieniazek writes:
> In lugnet.trains, Frank Buiting writes:
> > In lugnet.trains, Larry Pieniazek writes:
> > > I am under NDA so cannot go into a lot of detail, but I did want to post to
> > > say that and several other Lego Trains stalwarts have just completed the
> > > first ever LEGO(r) Train Summit.
> >
> > Great stuff! Are there plans to have such meeting again someday? It's great
> > to hear that Lego is _really_ in touch with their community!
>
> It was the *first* *train* summit.
>
> >
> > I guess the NDA covers future products, or does it also cover other things?
> > Please tell us for a rough indication about what questions we don't have to
> > bother asking.
>
> I can't talk about future products, about demographics or web usage or sales
> figures, or about costs/numbers/successes for various marketing, sales or
> production activities, for example. There are other things that I probably
> *could* talk about but that I would prefer to let LD reveal in the way and
> fashion that they choose to. It's their thunder, they ought to get to make it.
>
> > I was wondering if the folks from Lego all are reading Lugnet and what their
> > feelings are about how the community reacts to things. Did you also talk
> > about that kind of stuff?
>
> Yes indeed. The following is all my opinion and inference, not an official
> LD statement, because I am not an official LD spokesperson. I think it is
> very very very close to the sentiment within LD though.
>
> The answers are what you might expect. Communication is a core part of the
> LD mission. Communication TO consumers, communication FROM consumers,
> communication AMONG consumers. LUGNET is an important part of that
> communication, because we are influential out of proportion to our numbers.
Yes, while the number at Lugnet may be small, each of us has a wider reach
than might be first thought. I buy for myself, and my daughter. She goes
to 10-12 birthday parties a year. These children get Lego from her as
presents, for some it has been their first. We give our neighbor's
daughters who are much younger, Duplo and primo for birthdays and Chanukah.
It is my hope that once Lego is experienced that all these children's
parents will continue buying Lego. Why? Because,I want my child to have
others to build with... Many are parents here, most will be eventually.
Each has this if not more of a reach ...
Then there are the LUGS and LTC shows...
> But in absolute numbers LUGNET is dwarfed (orders of magnitude) by the very
> effective communication that lego.com is achieving with the primary LEGO
> target market.
Lego.com is mainly "Communication TO consumers" not really from or among
consumers?
> The numbers on usage of lego.com are proprietary but they are
> stunning blowouts in areas like satisfaction, number of visits, number of
> repeat visits, stickiness, etc, *among the target market* for lego.com. That
> target market is not us, except peripherally.
<snip>
>
> Clearly the original communication expectations that LD set were optimistic.
> I expect some clarification on what communication expecations are reasonable
> to happen "soon". But remember what "soon" means, please. It does not
> necessarily mean "overnight".
>
> All of the above is my opinion and my opinion only.
>
> > > The conversation was wide ranging and very productive. We discussed things
> > > that LD is going to be doing, the future of the product line and
> >
> > Did you talk also about the general feeling that sets are ...uhm..
> > 'different' than 5 years ago?
>
> The following is my opinion and interpretation, not official. I think it's
> very close to LD opinion but it was a controversial topic, not everyone in
> attendance agreed with LD.
>
> Yes, sets are different.
>
> Kids are different too.
>
> There is a continuum of targets for sets. Primo, Duplo, Creator/Town Jr.
> start things out. But there is a big gap between Jr. and Mindstorms, for
> instance. LD is trying to fill some of the gaps. But the process is a bit
> out of the normal way that products get created. Way out. So it has to
> happen incrementally, LD cannot wave a magic wand and get everything changed
> instantly. And each increment has to prove itself against stiff IRR/ROI
> targets. The standard LSI product development process is well known, well
> understood, happens internally, happens in Billund, takes a long time, and
> is within everyone's comfort zone. What LD is doing is none of those things.
> It is totally new ground and has to prove itself step by step.
>
> So LD has work to do before big changes happen. Small changes come first and
> have to prove themselves.
>
> But even in that context, LD shouold not instantly make Jr. go away, as Jr.
> fills an important role. Tell me what 6 year old could handle a set with the
> complexity of my PCC streetcar, to pick an non LEGO example?
I am encouraged to hear that the talk was not only on the high end of what
an AFOL wants. Some/many? present at the summit are parents. In regarding
trains, I hope that at some point someone suggested or will suggest at
future summits, that it would be nice to have a new train idea book. What
to do after 4561. Bulk is fine for some, but for others it is too large a
leap. A book and a carefully thought out expansion package or two
containing a wide variety of parts and some alternate model pictures as
leaping off points would be very nice. The train car contest may be a lead
in to this. Perhaps this is where Lego is already going...
> > > ways to
> > > leverage the productive relationship between LTCs and LD.
> >
> > Can you tell a bit about what was discussed on this topic?
>
> Clubs are not, and should not be, a marketing arm for LD. Clubs are not, and
> should not be, a recruitment arm for the NMRA. We do stuff in clubs because
> it is fun and one should never lose focus on that. Fun is the primary focus.
well said.
> LD does not exist solely to make clubs successful, LD exists to move
> product. That means moving the product that exists and doing what it can to
> grow the market by developing products that do that.
>
> But there are things that LD can and will do to help clubs,
> in areas like
> formation, ongoing support, better contact points, etc. And there are things
> that LTCs can do to help LD as well. This discussion, in depth, took up a
> substantial part of the day.
>
> ++Lar
thanks to all!
remember the children! - girls in particular!
sheree
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