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Is There Any Room for Girls in Lego’s World?

December 19, 2011 at 12:33 pm by Ted Mininni

Danish toy behemoth, Lego, is revered by generations of fans around the globe. It’s no accident. Using Lego building bricks helps kids develop valuable skills: problem solving, mathematical prowess and independent, creative thinking. Yet, even with its heritage, Lego was in trouble and in 2005, the company made a decision: it would reposition itself as a brand for boys.

There’s no doubt that pre-school aged children, boys and girls, play with basic Legos. After that, there’s a divide. A deluge of Lego action-oriented toys cemented the brand’s relationship with boys and except for a small assortment of bright pink toys, girls were largely forgotten. The term Lego Kid was code for “boys”. In 2007, Lego decided to change course.

As Lego Group CEO, Jorgen Vig Knudstorp observed in a recent Business Week interview: “We want to reach the other 50 percent of the world’s children.” Right. Why would a global toy brand exclude 50% of the kids on the planet? Past attempts at tapping into the girls’ toy market had failed for a simple reason: girls play differently than boys. Now why didn’t Lego think of that?

In 2007, Lego began to earnestly research how young girls, aged 5+, play. Marketers were not the researchers: cultural anthropologists were. What they uncovered led to deep revelations. In response, the company developed its new Lego Friends line, which will debut in early 2012. The toys will not be merchandised within Lego retailer sets, but in girls’ toy sections in Target stores. Toys ‘R Us and Wal-Mart will no doubt do the same.

Odds are good that this new line will do well because of the painstaking research that was done... as long as girls get over the perception of Lego as a “boys’ toy line”.

What’s important are the insights gleaned by Lego. These are valuable for all children’s brands and the marketers of those brands:

• Girls love to build as much as boys do; just not in a linear manner with the challenge of the clock. Girls love to stop, tell stories and rearrange their toys.
• Female figures sold with their own detailed biographies and backstories have relevance for girls. They project themselves into these figures and see them as avatars. Role playing is an important aspect of girl-friendly toys.
• New Lego Friends will be available within a contextual environment. “Heartlake City” features a salon, café, horse academy and veterinary clinic. This will help to extend and build the characters’ stories.
• Finally, it’s important to girls to have aesthetically pleasing toys: color and harmonious, well-ordered details matter. “Beauty” in toys matter to girls just as the concept of “mastery” matters to boys.

When developing packaging for toys, this kind of research and the insights that it uncovers can breathe new life into brands.

• What do you think of Lego’s exhaustive research on how girls play before launching its new Lego Friends line?
• Will it be successful or will the “Legos are for Boys” perception be too hard to overcome?
• Do you know of consumer product companies that conduct research with cultural anthropologists vs marketers? Especially kids’ brands? What are the pluses and minuses of this approach in your view?

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