Lego -- which is Danish for "play
well" -- was started in 1932 by a Danish carpenter. Today, Legos are sold
in 130 countries. Not long ago, Lego was losing money and an acquisition
target. Since then, it has engineered an amazing turnaround, in
large part by churning out licensed Lego versions of popular brands: Star Wars,
Harry Potter, and an ill-fated Prince of Persia (remember the buffed up Jake
Gyllenhall mini-figure?). The company that means play well, has learned to
market well.
New products today are released with drumbeat
timing supported by interactive content on Lego.com, board games, video games,
"visual" encyclopedias, and comic book-like magazine inserts sent to
children worldwide. It's a veritable marketing powerhouse.
In the current issue we learn that DC Comics
characters are the next new thing. Batman & Robin. Superman. The Joker.
Wonder Woman. In Lego form, coming to a plastic Gotham near you.
Draining piggy banks in households everywhere!
It is great fun to see my sons' eyes light up
when they spot the new magazine peeking out from the mailbox. It occupies them
for days and fills their conversations. The magazine arrival borders on a
community event in some circles. Kids exuberantly run up to their
equally-excited friends to rejoice in the latest Hero Factory 3.0
characters....which are apparently much better than the 2.0 guys, although no
child can clearly articulate why. The buzz resembles that of an i-phone
release among adults, except it happens every two months, and these are five to
nine year olds.
The magazine's arrival has the power to alter the
mood in our house from "play well" toward, "I want
that!". That can get me down. We have a LOT of Legos, yet a new
magazine causes my sons to forget the sets and characters they once pined for
and received as gifts, earned, or bought with their own money. Whatever Lego decides
to feature in the next issue, that is what the kids covet most.
On the heels of a Christmas holiday
filled with moderate, yet perfectly happy, gift giving and receiving, I've
started to fight back against the juggernaut. I want my kids to be
conscientious consumers and be thankful for what they have. I am responsible
for teaching them to be wise to marketing tricks disguised as entertainment.
Let's face it. You can't beat Lego. If I cancel the magazine,
the neighbor boys or schoolmates would bring it over. So why not join my “foe”
by developing some sneaky messaging of my own? For example:
"Tell
me, how exactly is Von Nebula 3.0 sooo much better than 2.0? Is that worth
your $12?"
"Did you know the
Lego company earned $3.5 billion kroner last year? Some of that money was your
allowance!" For the currency exchange-challenged, that's US $670
million, but it sounds bigger in Danish money.
"If you are no
longer excited about Rocka, now that Rocka XL is here, I know plenty of other kids
would love to have him".
While trying to teach my kids to
question advertising, look for real value in upgrades, and spot savvy
marketing, I also hope they internalize that happiness can come from being content
with the toys you have, especially when you understand that many kids would
love just some of that.
My sons may not be fully aware of my motives, yet my questions
do give them pause. They nod slowly, before starting back up about how
the latest Furno Bike now has dual plasma blasters. I smile. "Is
that so?"
I hope to be encouraging my children to
"play well" and be more empathetic, while also becoming wise little
consumers. It is a tall order, yet necessary.
Our kids will be the most marketed-to generation
yet. They’ll need to be savvy to hold onto their hard-earned dollars as they
maneuver the daily gauntlet of advertising and sneaky promotions. First we mastered
skipping TV commercials. Now we must find a way to deal with new marketing
avenues: banner ads, social media, app pop-ups, and product catalogs
cleverly disguised as comic books....courtesy of the marketing geniuses at the
Lego Company.
