Lego chases “lifestyle” status through movie
Lego will use the planned movie based on the popular toy to build a “lifestyle brand” that it claims kids will demand in all aspects of their lives.
The movie is currently being developed by the toy maker and Warner Bros with the part animated film scheduled for a 2014 release.
David Buxbaum, marketing director at Lego, says that the movie is not about selling more Lego sets but about “deepening engagement” through branded extensions such as t-shirts and video games because “kids like having it [the Lego brand] as part of their everyday life”.
He adds: “We [have] become more of a lifestyle brand and I think that’s why the movie will be such a success, because kids just want more ways to engage with us and I think if we get the story right this will be fantastic for us.”
Lego has seen sales soar in recent years following a string of brand extensions and licensing deals with movie studios. Sales rose 25% in the six months to 30 June as new sets based on Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean drove take-up.
Look out for a Q&A with David Buxbaum in the 8 December issue of Marketing Week.