June/July Fan survey

bluemoose

From LEGO's CEC community team ...

"Please take a moment to fill out the latest survey from LEGO community team.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/AFOLJune2011"

For the purposes of the survey, 'Brickset' counts as a LUG.
I'd encourage you all to be as frank & honest (but polite) as possible :-)

~Ian

drdavewatford

Interesting question in the survey about "certain fans getting special treatment".....any idea who or what they're referring to ? I think members of LUGs SHOULD get special treatment given how much of the product they generally purchase, and the amount of free publicity and exposure they give the brand, and it's interesting that there are 3 questions which explore this point.

bluemoose

I read this as asking if, for example, you think that one LUG gets better treatment than another LUG, or one on-line community gets treated better than another ...

davee123

I honestly wasn't sure on that one-- I know some people have complained about particular fans getting preference, merely because they had a friendly relationship with an employee. For example, the early phases of the LEGO Ambassadors had people repeatedly being selected by the company, solidifying their position and relationship, and giving them perks that others weren't privy to, so it was more difficult to get your foot in the door.

Similarly, there are certain events that supposedly get preferential treatment because they've got closer ties to the company, have a longer history, or whatever. So going to one LEGO convention might get you really cool benefits, and going to a different LEGO convention might not.

And then there's the proximity issue, where certain hobbyists get certain opportunities because they're close to some facet of the company-- like those living close to Billund, or Legoland parks, Enfield CT, or Brand Retail stores.

Mostly, I can't say I begrudge anyone their preferential treatment. There have only been a few instances where I was disappointed in LEGO's behavior (only once severely), but not often.

DaveE

vynsane

I took the 'special treatment' question in the direction of 'exclusives' and 'give-aways'. My examples were the white boba fett, which we in the states have still yet to see in any official capacity, and the LEGO Universe PODS. Both were contrasted with the 'Exclusive' Nexus Astronaut on LU pre-orders, and the 'Exclusive' Jack Sparrow figure on LPotC pre-orders.

I didn't fall for the LU pre-order promo, and ended up getting him with the game for $10 a year or so after the initial release, whereas I sprung for the Jack Sparrow promo on LPotC because I wanted the game anyway, and Amazon had a $10 credit in addition to the figure promo.

I registered my disappointment with them when finding out that the Jack Sparrow minifigure was available for straight-up ordering on Amazon.com for $2.99 (after my horrendous experience trying to receive my 'free' figure ACTUALLY for free, since Amazon decided that 'free' didn't include the separate SHIPPING AND TAX on the item!!!) - I used these examples as my answer 'yes' on whether or not I think fans should be "treated the same way". I told them if it's to be exclusive, MAKE it exclusive. If it's not, don't use the word 'exclusive'.

Bludchylde1

Definitely an odd survey. Didn't even catch what Huw said on the main page as Brickset counting as a LUG so I screwed that question up.

Aside from the points davee123 pointed out, I'm curious to what other preferential treatment some LUGs or people get over others.

bluemoose

... what Huw said on the main page ...

Check again ... :-D

Si_Dorking_Surrey_UK

^^ I took it as referring to the issue I covered in my comment here;
http://www.bricksetforum.com/discussion/comment/4513#Comment_4513

i.e. "What's Lugbulk and why isn't it publicly available? this is what I mean, it seems like they just want to create a stratification of elites, rather than engagement. Doesnt feel very 2011."

Yellowcastle

^ If we can't get extra perks, how will we know we're special? ;o)

bluemoose

^^ LUGbulk is about trying to make sure that AFOLs who exhibit have access to bricks in larger quantities at a slight discount. It's a quid-pro-quo thing - more bricks in the hands of AFOL exhibitors, means better displays, which promotes LEGO more effectively to the public. Think of it as part of LEGOs marketing budget. If you want to take part, join Brickish.

Si_Dorking_Surrey_UK

Yes, I do want to join brickish, not very good with offline forms - will post it one day! :)

Fair point.

The general principle remains though; their engagement strategy is to focus on a few people they judge to be influencers, rather than a more democratic and wider engagement of the type that social media now allows.

Bludchylde1

... what Huw said on the main page ...

Check again ... :-D

Ok, I'm going in hiding now. Next time I'll put down the crying 4 month old before reading the Lego related sites.

Yellowcastle

No worries, I get them mixed up too. You can't throw a battlepack around here without hitting an English IT guy. :o)

bluemoose

^^ please don't take offence, it was a light-hearted comment ... I just don't want Huw getting the blame for my rubbish news posts :-)

^ I don't work in IT. :-P

Bludchylde1

No offense taken.

The wife hasn't been feeling good past couple days. Means more time spent with my 4 month old son. On the other hand makes checking e-mails, Brickset, etc. a pain when he tries to "help" me.

Si_Dorking_Surrey_UK

You wait til he gets to 6 months old and the 'grabber hands' get going - nothing's safe!