Three Things: LEGO, living my best brick life
My name is Ben and I’m an AFOL*. A LEGOholic. A connoisseur of bricks.
*Adult Fan of LEGO. Yes, it’s a real thing.
It’s no secret to many of my professional connections – certainly not to my immediate coworkers – that I’m pretty passionately obsessive about LEGO. If you’re one of the few to join me on a video call, you’re aware that the collection in my background is just a smidgen of what surrounds me in my home office/gaming/hobby room. (I’ve done some quick tours of the room for some colleagues and peers; ask the next time I see you online.)
I’ve only been an AFOL since 2013; I had a long “dark period” (slang amongst AFOLs for those years without LEGO) before dropping headfirst into a Death Star-sized pile of bricks. That’s somewhat literal – my first kit ‘back’ was the Death Star set. Really. Go big or go home, right?
Anyway, I can jump into that experience at a later date. Actually, I could probably write about LEGO in this format for the rest of this decade. But there are enough cool blogs and channels out there on LEGO, so I’ll veer off and focus on three things I admire about this wonderful company that makes the bricks I adore.
Service with a studded smile
I didn’t jump into LEGO because of their customer service. But how they conduct themselves with fans of all ages continues to impress me.
Take this story, for example, from 2013. A 7-year old fan named Luka lost his Ninjago Jay ZX minifigure during a shopping trip and wrote to the company, asking about the possibility of replacing it.
LEGO’s response
Thanks for sending us an email!
We are very sorry to hear about you losing your Jay minifigure but it sounds like your dad might have been right about leaving it at home. It sounds like you a very sad about it too.
Normally we would ask that you pay for a new one if you lose one of your minifigures and need to have it replaced.
My bosses told me I could not send you one out for free because you lost it but, I decided that I would put a call into Sensei Wu to see if he could help me.
Luka, I told Sensei Wu that losing your Jay minifigure was purely an accident and that you would never ever ever let it happen ever again.
He told me to tell you, “Luka, your father seems like a very wise man. You must always protect your Ninjago minifigures like the dragons protect the Weapons of Spinjitzu!”
Sensei Wu also told me it was okay if I sent you a new Jay and told me it would be okay if I included something extra for you because anyone that saves their Christmas money to buy the Ultrasonic Raider must be a really big Ninjago fan.
So, I hope you enjoy your Jay minifigure with all his weapons. You will actually have the only Jay minifigure that combines 3 different Jays into one! I am also going to send you a bad guy for him to fight!
Just remember, what Sensei Wu said: keep your minifigures protected like the Weapons of Spinjitzu! And of course, always listen to your dad.
You will see an envelope from LEGO within the next two weeks with your new minifigures. Please take good care of them, Luka. Remember that you promised to always leave them at home.
Happy building!
https://themarketingpeople.com/legos-excellent-example-of-customer-service/
TheMarketingPeople.com has a great takeaway about the whole interaction, which is worth the quick 2-minute scan. But what I took away is just how much LEGO cares about its customers to craft such a joyful response specific to that person. It’s something I’ve seen repeatedly, from their retail store employees to corporate representatives I’ve been fortunate enough to interact with at conferences.
A compassionate core is something I try to emulate and I really admire those who share that core value.
Creative marketing on hyperdrive
During the crazy of 2020, there wasn’t a whole lot out there that helped stem the constant flood of bad news, irresponsible behavior, or rapidly changing social dynamics. But then, LEGO started publishing a unique instruction series in May and June.
Which was riiiiight around the time everything for me was utter chaos as work levered a massive live conference into a virtual one in a short span of time.
Needless to say, these little guides were so hilarious I couldn’t help but take a pause to really enjoy them. The quirky humor, done in their iconic branded style, really made my day. (And I even built them at home, just for a mental break!)
They were a welcome diversion to me for a very stressful year, combined with their usual teases and shares about the new sets and kits for the upcoming year. (Kudos to you, LEGO social and marketing creatives! Also, let me know if you’re hiring.)
An obvious truth: I want to work there
This should be an obvious point, really. I’m enamored with the company. From their vision to their corporate mission, it’s one of the few places I really want to work. (If you’re wondering, Disney, Lucasfilm/arts, and Fantasy Flight Games are others on that shortlist.)
Don’t get me wrong: I love where I work now and enjoy it immensely. But I do check LEGO’s listings periodically for something that fits me. (So far, not yet.)
Their brand values are very similar to my own, focusing on fun, creativity, learning, empathy, imagination, and continual improvement. When I look at my best work, these 6 values are present in some capacity. A mix like this is volatile for me; I thrive in such an atmosphere.
But I think it’s more than that. The values, the core of the company’s drive, is what resonates with people all around the world. Yes, their primary market is kids – of which I have none, excepting my niece and nephew, whom I enjoy spoiling (with LEGO, of course). But I think it goes deeper than that. It’s the kid in all of us, what I think is a fundamental core of being human, that really reaches up and grabs onto this value mix.
We are our best people when we let that kid shine in us. To be free, joyful, creative, thirsty for knowledge, innocent, compassionate… That’s the essence of people that I want to strike, to encourage. To elevate.
So they can thrive.
(See how I flipped this around to my word of the year?)
LEGO isn’t just bricks and cool sets and oodles of minifigures for me. It’s about a set of core values that resonate, making a quiet impact on the world around us. Those little bricks can create untold combinations that can be beautiful works of art that inspire, cause reflection, or bring joy.
Much like me. Or, rather…
Much like: you and me.