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In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Calum Tsang wrote:
> What bothers me is the response. The response has been nothing short of
> amazing. Amazingly stupid that is. I can't fathom how people are:
>
> -Proclaiming their collections are ruined.
> -Declaring they won't buy Lego again
> -Trying to organize calling campaigns to Lego CA.
Good post. Strongly worded, but good.
I certainly respect people's rights to do what they want in this case. If they
want to boycott, organize protests, whatever - go for it, knock yourself out.
But unfortunately I suspect that complaining to Lego CA is simply going to
result in a form letter. Boycotting the product probably won't even register on
their sales charts. Comparisons of this little situation and that of New Coke is
nonsense in my opinion.
> The anger and energy demonstrated so far is totally disproportionate to the
> overall significance of this change. God help us if Lego fans got behind civil
> rights or saving the environment.
It doesn't surprise me though. I've participated in a number of enthusiast
communities, and this type of fan reaction is typical. If anything, I was a
little disappointed, given its reputation, that Lugnet wasn't BETTER than most
of these groups in responding to this issue with more rational and realistic
expectations. No, a brick exchange program isn't going to fly...
> Lego isn't your company, they don't own anything to you, and they exist to make
> money by selling to kids. If their target market will like and buy these
> products more due to the new colours, great! They know their market better than
> any of us do.
Sadly though, a lot of companies don't know their markets well enough. Mistakes
are often made. However in my experience, while enthusiasts often know
everything about the product, their product wants are typically at odds with
what a company needs to do to be successful. Since I predict the loss of the old
colors will have no impact on most Lego consumers, I tend to think this portion
of this strategy will not effect TLC. I haven't seen the new colors yet, so I
don't have any personal opinion on whether they will add or detract from the
product lineup. Of course, Lego is banking that they will increase
profitability. That's why they did it. So we'll see.
I also agree that Lego doesn't owe us anything for the "free advertising" we
provide for them. The perceived value of that advertising is probably overrated
too. Didn't someone recently say that those very popular train catalogues that
get handed out at all those train shows haven't even produced enough direct
sales to cover the costs of printing them?
Spencer
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Infuriating
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| Hey guys, So, at the suggestion Trevyn Watson, I've been reading the controversy over the colour change stuff. Who the hell are these people? First, I long gave up on the idea that the "classic" colours were going to stay "classic" forever. Copious (...) (21 years ago, 25-Nov-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
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