LEGO

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This is a household item for toys. As far as I can remember, parents have been buying their children building bricks, whether it is a real LEGO or some other brand since LEGO patent has expired so making brick toys using LEGO technology is not an infringement to patent anymore. There are literally hundreds of manufacturers in the world producing similar brick toys and often LEGO-compatible. I use to have a basic simple set also, I just don’t know if it was LEGO or another brand name. Plus, children just don’t care about the brand. What we really enjoy is building our fantasy into reality. Today, my son is an avid builder and he uses whatever he can get mixing all kind of sets and bricks to create his imagination into tangible things. LEGO called his kind master builder. A very kind way of naming those who just don’t follow the included instruction and build whatever they want instead.

In a way, LEGO is correct. They are master builders who create something new, not just following instruction. This is why LEGO is heralded as the best toy for simulating the minds of children for thinking and not just thinking but thinking creatively. There are no other toys in the market that can rival LEGO in this term. LEGO still the king in stimulating the minds of young and old. As far as I know, the only toys in the world where generations can play together regardless of skill level.

I also want to congratulate LEGO on being the number one highest selling toy company in the world to LEGO this year 2020 after outselling Mattel. That is incredible considering LEGO only makes construction bricks. Many people spent their time during lockdown to build LEGO sets, especially mature builders that are hooked on building the advance and complicated set.

LEGO set help Daniel Radcliff to passes time during the lockdown period

There are two facts that are very interesting about LEGO:

1. LEGO is the only toy company in the world that only have one toy category in their portfolios. For comparison, Mattel has Hot Wheels, Barbie, GI Joe, etc. LEGO only has construction, that is all.
2. You are still greeted by the descendants of LEGO founder when you visit the LEGO Land in Billund, Denmark.

I want to highlight that approach of greeting the visitor even when you are the owner of the largest, most successful toy business in the world. The act of greeting makes one humble, stay close to your customers, and grounded to your roots. Being humble also makes one have open mind and not lost touch with reality. Staying close to your customers and employees also serve to better align yourself with them. To be able to receive new ideas and new inputs, enable us to grow continuously.

LEGO take this to their hearts. Kudos on the LEGO team for staying humble and solid over these years.

Monkie Kid LEGO set aimed specifically for China market

This year, LEGO made two major moves on the world of toys:

1. The serious penetration of the China market by introducing a culture-specific products to China.
2. New cover and categorizing of the complicated sets into the adult segment of LEGO products. Previously they are scattered all over the place like let's say Star Wars series that have the simple A-Wing mix together with the ultra-complicated Millenium Falcon. Almost every series of LEGO have the complicated models that only suitable for adults. Now they will have new cover to distinguish them apart from the more general audience and going to be placed at a dedicated display in LEGO boutique to save adult buyers the confusion from going all over the store to find the models for them.

the new packaging for adult with dark dominant color as contrast to the bright colorful kids-oriented models

China have been mostly untapped market for LEGO, there are numerous bootleg products but not much legit LEGO sold around in China. By introducing real LEGO products with LEGO quality, they will capture this large and expanding market. It will be a huge and important income source for LEGO in the future.

LEGO also brave to enter the bootlegs riddled China market with the emergence of originality mindset. The customers of China in the past just don’t care and have no interest in the brand. This trend have changed over years, recently they are starting to behave a lot like customers in other parts of the world where world trend and brand names matter. Globalization finally affects the minds of Chinese consumers. LEGO capitalizes on this new emerging mindset by introducing and promoting aggressively to the Chinese consumers. Best of luck to LEGO in developing this giant market.

LEGO's humble mindset and able to listen to its customers also give them huge profits and edge over the competitors. Many models of LEGO are originally fans ideas and LEGO even do cooperate and awarded the person with the ideas and design that LEGO adapt into real product with loyalty. That is amazing loyalty and dedication.

Every year LEGO received numerous inputs from their customers and builders. Very few are actually good for business, but LEGO received them and actually answered them all. This is unknown in most businesses. This humble and care is one of the keys that put LEGO where it is now.

Although a bit slow, but LEGO is good at adapting to the trends of the time. LEGO movies and series turn out to be a big success as a promotion medium for their toys. Japan have been doing this for years with their anime like Pokemon and Gundam franchise. LEGO able to adopt and adapt the strategy to suit them, which many, failed. Many adopt but fail to adapt.

Movies are crucial as they gave meaning to otherwise just inanimate objects. The toys have stories related to them, it gives them life. It makes customers easy to associate and attach soul to the toys. No matter how well LEGO made their toys, it cannot be strongly associated without a good theme. This is why the movies and series are crucial to the promotion. They are alive as characters in the movies and series and customers associate the toys with the characters.

The arsenal of LEGO marketing and designs are the key for LEGO to propel its sales to the level they are now. LEGO invest heavily to license popular movies and go further by creating their own movies and TV series. LEGO also listens to their fans and create series like architecture with input from fans. The most fascinating is cooperation between LEGO and fan designers. If the design accepted into production, LEGO pays the loyalty of design to the designers. What a great way to ensure endless input and close relationship with your fans. God knows how far can LEGO go if they maintain this humble and close relationship with their fans and consumers.

LEGO has come a long way from its humble beginning and the status today did not come easy. LEGO has its fair share of stumble and crisis, but LEGO never play the blame game. Instead, they introspect, realize that they forgot their root, and humble themselves to address the problem and fix them! Humbleness is the first step toward learning and correcting mistakes. This will come far and wide in the long term growth for any individual and organization. Last, I wish LEGO all the best. May LEGO stimulate many more minds on Earth for many years to come.

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As always, have a nice week and please do share this article if you find it interesting. You never know who will benefit from it. God bless.