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"Mike Petrucelli" <lordinsanity@usa.net> wrote in message
news:G9qJwF.Gqu@lugnet.com...
[snip]
> TLC needs to stop marketing to kids in general and start marketing to kids
that like construction toys.
[snip]
Mike, you have gotten to the core of what bothers me about LEGO's marketing
strategy and direction over the last several years. I am what you would
call a "traditionalist" - it's all about the bricks and the sets. CD-roms,
video games, t-shirts, etc. are all diversions that, potentially, draw
resources and effort away from the core product - bricks.
LEGO needs to take a long, hard look at Mike's statement, above, and face
the reality that there are some kids out there who will never, ever play
with Lego bricks. For these kids, Lego bricks will never capture their
imagination no matter how hard LEGO tries (we all know kids like this,
either currently or from our own childhood). Therefore, any marketing
and/or production efforts in their direction will fail.
Everybody remember what happened to McDonalds when they tried to get into
serving pizza? The lesson here is that there are already companies out
there (Nintendo, Sony, etc.) who will always be heads and shoulders above
LEGO in their respective fields because that is what they do. Nintendo
isn't trying to produce plastic building blocks; they're doing video games
because that is the company's focus. Why then is LEGO trying to produce
video games?
Instead of throwing good money after bad, LEGO needs to focus on their core
brand and their core constituents (of which AFOLs are a part, albiet small
part). IMHO, that means getting rid of all the extra, non-brick and non-set
related items, and focusing on being the #1 brand among construction toy
families. As the #1 brand among construction toy families, they should be
able to insure prosperity for years to come.
Thanks everyone for listening (I hope this did not come off as too much of a
rant, but rather as a continuation of a discussion, which is what I was
shooting for).
Tim
PS. I am not suggesting that LEGO not continue to work on brick related
computer items such as CAD programs to assist building. However, such
"side" ventures should be directly related to the core business.
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