What Companies—and You—Can Learn from LEGOs
The hottest selling gifts for the 2013 holidays included gaming consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One, tablets and e-readers, smartphones and accessories, technology that you wear, and of course, TVs. But when it comes to building a base of not merely satisfied customers, but loyal and passionate fans of a product, it’s hard to match the company that makes a plastic toy that’s been around since 1949: the LEGO brick.
World-of-mouth referrals from happy customers are one of the best forms of advertising for any business. Companies would do well to pay attention to this Danish company that’s the gold standard for fan-based innovation and whose customers generate tons of buzz for the product.
Founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, the LEGO Group has passed from father to son and is now owned by Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, a grandchild of the founder. The name '”LEGO” means "play well" in Danish, but for those who think of LEGOS as merely a toy for kids, meet the “AFOL”—Adult Fan of Lego. AFOLs gleefully help design new Lego products and spend untold—and unpaid—hours on their creations.
How about a full-size, air-powered Lego hot rod or #SuperAwesomeMicroProject?
This ultimate LEGO car has a hot rod design, “mainly because hot rods are cool,” according to creators Melbourne entrepreneur Steve Sammartino and Raul Oaida, a 20-year-old “self-taught technology genius” from Romania who Steve met on the Internet. Other factoids:
- More than 500,000 LEGO pieces were used.
- The car engine is made from standard LEGO pieces and runs on air.
- Top speed is around 20-30km, mainly because “We were scared of a LEGO explosion so we drove it slowly.”
Media coverage included Engadget, New York Daily News, Times of India, Wired, Mashable, The Verge, Britain’s The Register, and a host of others.
There are plenty of other examples of passionate LEGO fans and their creativity. Mental Floss features the seven great sports moments recreated in LEGOS, including the RED SOX' 2013 World Series win and Super Bowl XLV.
What’s the next LEGO creation? A fan-created model of the NASA Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover is now available from the LEGO shop online, reported Space.com. As for the original idea behind the LEGO model of the Mars Curiosity Rover, it was designed and submitted by Stephen Pakbaz, a mechanical engineer who worked on the actual Curiosity rover at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab.
According to the LEGO blog, upon receiving his very own Curiosity Rover LEGO set, Pakbaz said, “I was extremely excited to receive the official LEGO model of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover in the mail. Opening the box was followed by a lot of high-pitched giggling (I was the only one in the room, so I’m not sure who it could have come from!) For me, the building experience was similar to what I felt when the real Curiosity rover successfully landed on Mars.”
How’s that for a customer testimonial!
