The LEGO Brand Touchpoints
There are several touchpoints that the LEGO brand implements to promote its brand and the first one is related to a strong brand design. A demonstrative example of why the touchpoint is important for the target audience is the case of China, where money was invested to open LEGO stores since there was an interest in their products. In addition, LEGO examined the new market and decided against developing any product lines specifically for Asia since Chinese customers already place a high value on the classic LEGO creative play experience. This touchpoint can be encountered during the awareness stage and it reinforces the brand purpose by assessing new distribution channels.
Licensing and Diversification
A key component of the LEGO marketing plan is diversification. In addition to conventional advertising methods, the company has expanded into a number of media to promote its brand. The LEGO Movie series and The LEGO Batman Movie increased awareness of its licensed properties while honoring the play-based design of LEGO. California, Dubai, Florida, Japan, Malaysia, Windsor, and Germany now all have LEGOLAND theme parks (Consonni, 2018). Additionally, the firm created video games based on its product line after recognizing the trend toward digitalization.
The company’s emphasis on ongoing innovation is also reflected in LEGO playsets. According to the research, the majority of LEGO’s customers have been boys; thus, the company created the LEGO Friends brand with a clear focus on connecting with girls (Nerantzi & James, 2018). Additionally, the business has collaborated with Disney, Marvel, and DC Comics to produce its well-known Star Wars and superhero playsets, which are essential marketing tools because they increase awareness and boost sales. LEGO Group got involved in official TV show contests like LEGO Masters to increase brand recognition since LEGO fans of all ages enjoy showcasing their abilities as master LEGO builders.
Social Media Marketing Strategy
LEGO is already a well-known brand, but its popularity on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube show how useful social media platforms are for connecting with customers. With well over 13 million fans, LEGO’s Facebook page constantly posts images and videos of its latest products and creative ideas (Volkova et al., 2020). Similar content can be found on their Instagram profile, where posts frequently earn many likes and comments, indicating high user involvement. Additionally, with 10.04 billion views as of June 2020, LEGO is the most watched brand on YouTube (Roos & Victor, 2018). The company’s brand is promoted by the how-to, instructional, and promotional films on their channel. Due to its success on social media, fans have been inspired to start their own LEGO fan channels.
Integrated Customer Experience
LEGO leverages its digital platform to deliver a seamless customer experience to every component of its consumer audience. Users of the social network app LEGO Life, which is targeted at children under 13, can upload pictures of the LEGO masterpieces they’ve built and remark on others’ works of art. In fact, LEGO also has a sizable adult customer base that may participate in its creative process by joining the LEGO Ideas online community.
Users of this community can upload pictures of their LEGO creations and submit ideas for new LEGO Ideas sets that other members can vote on to have the business manufacture. Journalist Maia Weinstock’s “Women of NASA” LEGO concept received the required 10,000 votes from supporters in 2017, was manufactured, and shot to the top of Amazon’s best-seller list (Jackson, 2021). Simply put, parents, teachers, and friends will all encourage children reared in developed nations to play with LEGO during the course of a typical day. Additionally, there is a substantial amount of user-generated content on LEGOs in its environment and on its social networks, which further “validates” the idea that this toy is, perhaps, one of its life’s healthiest, most helpful habits. Nobody else’s brand has ever accomplished this. The levels of passive and natural customer involvement that LEGO has attained are astounding and undoubtedly serve as case studies for other brands across all sectors of the economy.
Partnerships with the Education Sector
The plastic bricks made by LEGO have traditionally been marketed as educational toys that encourage children to use their imaginations and become active learners. This brand encompasses the entire business, which has developed reliable relationships with the education sector. Since 1986, the independent education division of LEGO, known as LEGO Education, has provided instructional supplies to schools (Nerantzi & James, 2018). Many LEGO-based construction goods are presently available on the company’s website, all of which are intended to help elementary and middle school kids develop their STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) confidence. Resources for homeschooling and online study are provided in other areas for kids to use while learning throughout the pandemic. Teachers are far more likely to recognize the importance of these items and online tools because of how well-regarded LEGO’s dedication to education is.
Targeting Parents
Although children continue to be a primary target market for LEGO, the firm is aware that parents must be attracted to the brand because they are the ones who make the final purchasing decisions. LEGO makes sure its goods are “parent-approved” by continuing to emphasize the educational benefits of their toys and selling them as a means to foster a child’s interest in STEAM. This method encourages parents to make more purchases, which has been a crucial component of the LEGO marketing plan from the start. The touchpoint exemplifies strong and consistent brand design since the organization recognizes the role of parents in the final decision-making process of whether to make a purchase or reject.
References
Consonni, S. (2018). PLAY! Fun, facts, and the construction of engagement in the LEGOLAND theme parks website. Scripta Manent, 12(1), 63-85. Web.
Jackson, T. (2021). Co-creation leadership. Leader to Leader, 2021(102), 62-67. Web.
Nerantzi, C., & James, A. (2018). Discovering innovative applications of LEGO® in learning and teaching in higher education. International Journal of Management and Applied Research, 5(4), 153-156. Web.
Roos, J., & Victor, B. (2018). How it all began: the origins of LEGO® serious Play®. International Journal of Management and Applied Research, 5(4), 326-343. Web.
Volkova, D., Volkova, J., & Znotiņa, D. (2020). Analysis OF LEGO Brand Communication for the Audience of Children in Social Media. Journal of Regional Economic and Social Development, 12, 192-202. Web.