Subject:
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Re: Rant...
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.technic
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Date:
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Wed, 1 Nov 2000 21:49:17 GMT
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Viewed:
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1040 times
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In lugnet.technic, Jennifer Clark writes:
> my scene at all, being interested in actual working stuff. However, perhaps it
> would be worth bearing in mind that none of us are really kids here any more,
> and that it may well be us that is totally missing the point. Perhaps if you
> are ten years old all this stuff is totally magic? :-)
>
> Jennifer Clark
> http://www.telepresence.strath.ac.uk/jen/lego/
I think they have the 10 yr. old market totally covered and well understood,
but they are still blindsided by the extra-technical group. The age
distribution of Lego users has a huge long tail that extends into the adult
range. Although these people are far from the peak of the demographic, I
think our combined numbers are larger than the Lego Group's marketing is
taking into account. I mean, the grand sum of the 18-100 group must include
a fair number of customers compared to the 9-11 group. Even if our numbers
are small, our buying power must be much greater.
For example, consider the RIS. My guess is that the RIS was a huge success,
way beyond anything they had planned, because it landed in the adult market
that they don't see. So they doubtlessly sent out their marketing guys to
ask the peak of their user demographic what would make it even better for a
follow on set. The focus group probably wanted it to cost a lot less and be
a lot simpler to use... mainly because this set was completely wrong for
them. So they made the RDS, which is piled high collecting dust in stores.
My guess is that they are using their old reliable market, the 10 yr. olds,
as the focus group to refine their products which are excellent (for a
market segment that they do not recognize) into disappointing products for
everyone.
They probably do a ton of work, adjust all the parameters they can think of,
do all the things that their main age group wants, and then they get
disappointing sales.
Here is an experiment I wish the Lego Group would try:
Get a focus group of expert users. Maybe the award winners on the Windstorms
web page. Ask them what parts would be in their dream-expert-builders set.
Design a few new must-have mechanical, functional parts, special to the set.
Don't include any of the easy-to-get but expensive parts (like motors), any
bizarre expensive decorative parts (like optic flashing gizmo). Throw in
some nominal building instructions to keep the must-have-instructions crowd
happy. Price it to make a good profit, but not over-the-top. $.20/part would
be ok, or even a little more. I volunteer Jennifer to design the set, if
they don't want to go to the trouble of asking a group. Keep it in print as
long as it makes money. The results of the experiment would be measured in
terms of how happy I would be, which would range between very happy and
uncontrollably happy.
Lego could make such a fantastic set for people who just wanted to build
their own stuff using a set of super-flexible tools. They seem to want to be
a model-kit company instead of a construction set company, and they are
ignoring their huge strength. If I want a plastic robot guy that folds up,
can morph into another thing that looks like a car, and can throw or shoot a
disk or ball, there are about a billion-bazillion-trillion models to choose
from, shipped over from Asia, and they cost less than their value in
recyclable material. Why would I want to pay a large premium for a precision
Swiss imitation? If you could develop a process for converting plastic
morphin' robots back into oil, you could probably have a successful
business. On the other hand, if I want a box of parts that I can convert
into anything I can imagine, without tools or plans, as fast as I can think,
then Lego is the only way to go. I wish Lego marketing could see their
strength and uniqueness, and develop that instead of becoming a mediocre
player in a crowded market.
-Amnon
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Rant...
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| There is a special part in that rant I specially like, namely 'let jennifer do the design'. I have seen many many wonderfull designs by people whom post on lugnet and these would make some great sets. And the strongest asset of Lego is the community (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.technic)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Rant...
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| (...) I was looking at the current range of Technic models in the shops yesterday and would agree that the selection is pretty dire - certainly there is nothing there that I would wish to purchase. The only one with a bit of appeal is the Power (...) (24 years ago, 30-Oct-00, to lugnet.technic)
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