LEGO's Content Marketing - Brick by Brick

LEGO has become a symbol of creativity and ingenuity through their simple design. A design that allows children and adults to take apart their creations and rebuild them into something new and unique, with five standard LEGO bricks allowing for more than ten billion combinations. Having over 400 billion of these bricks on Earth, how did LEGO become the world’s highest valued toy company, and a symbol of creativity?

It may surprise you to learn that when LEGO was founded on August 10th, 1932, in Denmark, it would be 17 years before they produced their first plastic brick. Before adopting their well-known name, a combination of the Dutch words “leg godt” - meaning “play well”, LEGO made wooden toys. As production increased and resources fell short, the founder of LEGO, Ole Kirk Kristiansen, sought to make a change.

In 1949, LEGO made their first plastic automatic binding brick; a creation that would change the toy industry forever. Competition quickly grew, and LEGO needed to set themselves apart. Inspired by the Dutch modernist painter Mondrian, LEGO adopted the bright colors of his paintings for their bricks, which are now indistinguishable from the company.

By the 1960's the LEGO brick had become incredibly popular throughout Europe thanks to word of mouth in addition to commercials promoting its unique ability to be reused. Looking to expand to the United States, LEGO began promoting their bricks with the catchphrase "longer-lasting fun". However, with a highly competitive market, LEGO struggled to make an impact in the United States.

Looking for new ways to increase promotion and brand loyalty as the company grew, LEGO created the theme park known as LEGO Land. A high-risk decision which would ultimately pay off as LEGO Land would eventually become part of the second-largest theme park corporation in the world.

With LEGO still struggling to make an impact in the United States, they took a step back to conduct market research on what American children would enjoy. Their solution? Relatable toy sets including firetrucks, helicopters, and especially trains. With the introduction of these sets, they were finally making a dent in the US market.

Although LEGO was just beginning to become a worldwide success, Kjeld Kristiansen realized that there was still something missing. When he took over as CEO in the late 70's, he introduced the minifigure. An incredible success for the company.

With a product that people wanted, LEGO focused their tactics on marketing. In 1974, the company began issuing LEGO magazines every month that highlighted new sets and ideas. LEGO also began collaborations with franchises such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, etc. to grow their audience. While this move proved to be extremely profitable for the company, it also nearly caused the death of LEGO. Market researchers quickly realized that in years without movies, their themed sets failed to sell, and often ended up on the discount shelves in big box stores.

Needing new ideas, LEGO began incorporating stories into their commercials. A great example of this is the LEGO Bionicle series which focused on building action heroes and villains that were part of a shared universe. LEGO created video games for their popular toy lines, another huge success. These games are still being created today with LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga releasing as recently as 2022 and garnering nearly $45 million in gross revenue. LEGO also created the LEGO Ninjago TV series and accompanying sets.

Most recently, LEGO has been shifting their marketing efforts towards content marketing. By sponsoring influencers and promoting targeted ads and posts through social media, LEGO has effectively used content marketing to grow as a company. An excellent example of this would be their ongoing campaign aimed at adults. Through creating intricate sets aimed at older generations, and a series of inbound social media ads ending with the catch phrase: "adults welcome", LEGO has proved that they can reach all ages.

LEGO took many risks to become the titan they are today. From atypical marketing tactics to creating groundbreaking products, the wake of LEGO can be felt across the world.

Sources:

Daniel. (2021, July 16). What Was the First Ever LEGO Magazine? Blocks – the Monthly LEGO Magazine for Fans. https://blocksmag.com/what-was-the-first-ever-lego-magazine/

Lepitak, S. (2023, September 28). Find Your Flow: Lego Wants to Help Adults De-Stress. Www.adweek.com. https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/lego-find-your-flow-campaign-adults-de-stress/

Nissen, L. (2016, January 15). The History of LEGO Advertising. Prezi.com. https://prezi.com/sijhha6rhice/the-history-of-lego-advertising/

The Toys That Made Us. (2018, May 25). Season 2 Episode 3.