LEGO Brand Group

The purpose of LEGO Brand Group is to protect, develop and leverage the full

potential of the LEGO® brand and to ensure active and engaged family ownership of the LEGO branded entities through generations.

The LEGO brand, driven by the LEGO Group, has developed rapidly. Over the past decades, the LEGO Group has expanded its global presence and the LEGO brand has become not only a well-known but a highly trusted and strong brand across global markets.

In addition, the LEGO brand is a part of a larger ecosystem of brands due to partnerships and licensed agreements, which makes the brand more exposed than ever and more and more strategic opportunities arise.

In light of the development of the LEGO brand, the LEGO Brand Group works to ensure that the future of the LEGO brand is managed with care and that the LEGO brand remains true to the Kirk Kristiansen family’s overall mission to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow.

LEGO Brand Group exercises the owner-governance of the LEGO brand primarily through the boards of the relevant entities.

The 2032 LEGO brand Strategy

In 2018, KIRKBI, LEGO Brand Group and the Kirk Kristiansen family made important decisions about the future of the LEGO brand. During the year, LEGO Brand Group took stock at where the brand is today and finalised a strategy process that explored the brand through four lenses:

• The owner’s vision and mentality • Brand observations • Insights and trends • External stimulus

From these four lenses, six distinct potential ways of radically stretching the brand were identified and explored. In developing these distinct ”Brand Directions”, it became clear that especially the idea around ‘The Playful Learning Brand’ held deep truth: The underlying data indicated that play, and LEGO® Play, is more relevant than ever, that creative skills and creative expression are highly sought after at all ages – however difficult to attain in some markets and geographies, and that there is a deep societal need to re-think and re-invigorate how to go about learning and education.

So, while beginning with distinct insights, trends and opportunities, one clear red thread and conclusion was ultimately found: The LEGO® Idea Paper, an internal document which describes the original LEGO® Idea, with its play, creativity and learning proposition is unique and more relevant than ever. Fully delivering on this core idea represents an opportunity to make a difference for children and families across the world, today and in the future, which the Kirk Kristiansen family hold firmly in their hearts.

Based on the brand strategy process, the owner’s vision for the LEGO brand in 2032, is to be:

A global force for establishing and innovating Learning-through-Play

Global, because the Kirk Kristiansen family wants to reach every child in the world. A force, because the family wants to make a true difference in children’s lives, which requires a push and leadership. Establishing, because the family recognises that the journey has only just begun, and the importance of Learningthrough-Play is not yet fully established. Innovating, because the LEGO brand and society as such constantly learn about new ways of learning-through-play and finally,

The LEGO Brand Group is managed in a partnership between Jørgen Vig Knudstorp (Executive Chairman) and Thomas Kirk Kristiansen (Deputy Chairman) together with a small team.

Learning-through-Play, which is the Kirk Kristiansen family’s philosophy reflecting their strong belief that the best way for children to grow and develop is through play.

With such bold ambitions – to reach all children in the world – the vision almost has an endless time horizon. The year 2032 is chosen because it marks the 100-year anniversary of the LEGO Group, but in reality, the vision expresses a task, which will not finish in this generation or the next.

The LEGO branded entities are very separately driven entities with individual strategies and expertise. On a few things, however, the Kirk Kristiansen family believes there should be alignment and synergy across the separately run entities.

The 2032 LEGO Brand Strategy is rooted in the shared mission and the vision, showing what specifically requires shared and aligned activities for the brand across the separately run entities and what the entities must succeed with together.

There are at least six different ways to characterise this LEGO brand alignment – reflecting: What is it actually we mean when we say that our mission is to “Inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow”? How will all stakeholders perceive the LEGO brand in 2032?

These are the six brand characteristics for the 2032 LEGO brand:

IN 2032 THE LEGO® BRAND WILL BE KNOWN FOR…

DELIVERING ESSENTIAL LIFE SKILLS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

The LEGO® brand represents a set of skills that are critical to successfully navigate and thrive in an uncertain, fast paced and ever changing world: creativity, curiosity, critical thinking, collaboration and engagement

A UNIFIED ECOSYSTEM OF TOUCHPOINTS

The LEGO® brand offers immersive and fully integrated experiences across all touchpoints. This allows fans to pursue their passion points in an unbroken and frictionless fashion wherever and whenever they engage with the brand

PERSONALISING PLAY

The LEGO® brand engages all individuals with a childlike curiosity based on our ability to personalise and adapt all interactions to skill and affinity levels

DIGITAL PLAY IS A NEW CORNERSTONE – SAFE & ROOTED IN THE BRICK

The LEGO® brand provides a safe, meaningful refuge for children in the digital landscape where children can actively engage in shared creativity and creation with offset in the LEGO® brick

COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

The LEGO® brand is in a leading position in terms of running a zero-impact operation. This cuts across energy consumption, waste management, sustainable materials and circular use of products

DEEP SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT FOR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN

The LEGO® brand brings people together to play across cultural, geographical and generational boundaries and works to ensure children’s access to learn and develop through play