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"Dave Schuler" <orrex@excite.com> wrote in message
news:G3D163.K3D@lugnet.com...
> I certainly don't want MegaBloks to take over the whole market, but I • just
> as certainly don't mind their presence in it, if only as a warning against
> complacency. In addition, my brand loyalty (or anyone else's) shouldn't • be
> taken for granted, as TLC has apparently done for several years. By what
> arrogance could TLC ask customers to remain loyal despite endlessly
> disappointing product lines (not that they have asked, per se, but
> hypothetically...) It's unfortunate that consumers might adopt a "what • have
> you done for me lately?" stance, but it's not unexpected.
I agree wholeheartedly with that statement. I'm certainly loyal to the
brand - but if it comes to the point I'll only be loyal to the brand on the
secondhand market. There are much better deals to be had on much better
[LEGO] products floating around online than are in the stores now - besides
the 50% off SW and the BEAUTIFUL Imperial Shuttle.
> Yes, TLC has put
> out countless fantastic products in the past, but the current lines just
> aren't that great overall. And, considering that the downward trend has
> been in development for several years, arguably worsening as we go, • there's
> no solid basis for continuing to purchase LEGO sets in the hope that • someday
> things will get better.
Yeah that's for sure, I s'pose. I don't purchase that much LEGO anyways -
but that's cause right now I'm a college student with little to no income.
When I start making enough to pay my bills and my hobby, I'll definitely buy
more Lego bricks. Its up to TLC to determine *where* I'll buy them - from
the company or from secondhand sources.
> By the bye--I understand your Lionel/American Flyer analogy in • principle,
> but I'm not a train hobbyist so I'm unclear on the particulars. If one
> company put out a demonstrably better product, how could anyone be • expected
> to stick with the other brand? And to what end? The end result seems to • be
> a pyrrhic victory in which the consumer gets the shaft.
Yup. I guess I'm so loyal to the LEGO brand that I could get the shaft -
but if so, I'll just buy old product secondhand and continue to gripe. I
don't forsee that happening though - I think that TLC has a good chance of
pulling through in a reasonable time. I at least hope they do.
> Elsewhere in the thread people have discussed the necessary lag in
> response time, in terms of development costs, projections, • implementations,
> et al. Understandable, certainly, but not encouraging, either; if it • takes
> X number of months to implement a rudamentary online ordering system of
> already-existing parts, how much longer will it take to reverse the firmly
> entrenched, theme-spanning juniorization campaign?
Once they realize its effects, it shouldn't take longer than a year (in
product line terms) to do that. They for sure still have proofs and molds
from the older, non-juniorized parts. And unless they fired all the good
designers - they just need to reprogram them into making good stuff again.
> > TLC has some things to learn from this and I think that parts of the • company
> > are learning. But those parts of the company need to teach the other • parts
> > to respond quicker if they are going to survive. As an informed AFOL, I
> > want to be giving TLC appropriate feedback so they can make decisions • which
> > will help them. I'm sure there are others who desire to do the same, and
> > there are some people here with some very good ideas on things that TLC
> > should be doing on a long term basis.
>
> That's definitely a good goal, and one that we might actually be able to
> hope for, given the somewhat more approachable corporate presence TLC has
> demonstrated recently. Before Brad's debut, the only sort of feedback we
> were able to give came in the form of reduced revenues for TLC and idle
> ranting to an apparently deaf audience.
Yep, that's what I'm saying. I know they're responsive and want to dialog -
I've dialoged with a few TLC employees about these very issues. These
people have come from various departments including Lego Direct. They as
people, at least, hear our concerns and have talked about them - I hope that
stuff like this is making itself further in to the company though.
> > I hope they learn, and I hope they're able to hold their head above the • evil
> > MegaBloks.
>
> Yikes! Whatever your opinion of MegaBloks themselves, Ritvik as a • company
> has some good points, at least in terms of market awareness and
> responsiveness. Perhaps in years to come TLC will learn from them and
> harvest the good from amid the evil.
Ritvik the company is doing good, I can't deny that. But I despise their
product because of its nature - and that's my cold hard opinion being a
die-hard LEGO (brand) collector and user - ever since I was a wee lad.
--
Tim Courtney - tim@zacktron.com
http://www.ldraw.org - Centralized LDraw Resources
http://www.zacktron.com - Zacktron Alliance
ICQ: 23951114 - AIM: TimCourtne
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Message has 1 Reply:
Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) I certainly don't want MegaBloks to take over the whole market, but I just as certainly don't mind their presence in it, if only as a warning against complacency. In addition, my brand loyalty (or anyone else's) shouldn't be taken for granted, (...) (26 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
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