LEGO Overtakes Ferrari as the World’s Most Powerful Brand

Very interesting of an article, what I find even more interesting is the partnership between Lego and Ferrari. Not that I think that this would affect the licence between them, but more of the fact that the Top Powerful Brands teamed up together! Understandable but yet remarkable at the same time.

I also would have figured that Apple would have been the most powerful brand due to them now being the most valuable company so this did come as much of a surprise.

I wonder, and I hope that Lego will be able to keep this spot in the forthcoming year, even if they do not have another Lego Movie coming out this year.

Although people do buy Mega Bloks, LEGO still sells more, so therefore it's more popular, which is part of its "brand power", isn't it? Also, the fact that anyone on the street would call a MB brick "LEGO" just shows how powerful the brand really is: it overshadows all similar brands; LEGO is the one people know, whether or not they are actively supporting it with their purchases.

It's a pretty silly claim, "most powerful brand", anyway, as it's very subjective. But that doesn't mean it doesn't have some truth. I definitely agree that LEGO is a very powerful brand.

And I definitely think non-AFOLs have an opinion on LEGO, too. The company is generally viewed with basically all the things listed in the original post.

Interesting article, regardless. Thanks Huw and Automattic Comics!

Even to non-FOLs, LEGO stands for more than just one of many building toy brands. It's a childhood experience — perhaps not a universal one, but close to it. And it stands for certain values like creativity and learning.

I get as annoyed as anybody about all the non-FOL cliches that float around, like "LEGO kits today only build one thing" or "LEGO doesn't make basic bricks anymore" or "LEGO Friends is sexist", but there is a common thread there: LEGO is expected to adhere to an immensely higher standard than your typical toy company, and that really shows how deeply even non-FOLs identify with the brand.

You rarely hear people talk about Hasbro or Mattel with the same reverence that is reserved for LEGO. Even fans of Hasbro brands like My Little Pony often speak of them as if they have succeeded not because of, but in spite of, the management of their parent company.

Will there be "Scuderia Ferrari Lego" in the future? At least they got the same brand colour and Lego logo in the Ferrari F1 car will be a hit worldwide :D

The only thing I take away from this is fewer and fewer discounts/sales on LEGO. It's so popular now, everything has to be purchased at MSRP..needless to say I've purchased less over the last few years because it is too expensive of a hobby.

Yes I was about to say pretty much exactly what Sethro3 just said ^

As long as I've known the brand, Apple for example has made a huge effort behind the scenes to make sure their products are hardly ever on sale and even old models hardly lose any value on RRP.

I've already had to make a conscious decision to 'vote with my wallet' and buy less Lego this year because it's just not viable to buy as much as I have in the past. I'm sure I'm seeing more and more clone brands on shelves in the UK, such as in Wilkinsons and especially in smaller toy shops. They are of course, rubbish in comparison to Lego but accessible to a much wider audience than Lego's premium pricing.

All being said and done though, even with less Lego, I've never stopped playing or building with the brand, without a dark age, so it's great that something that's had a huge influence on my life is now the world's most powerful brand!

I approve of this article, subjective as it is. Kind of have to agree with Sethro though. Prices need some lowering.

What Clone said. This is just PR. Nearly as bad as the administrator who took over Caterham F1 and then used it to promote the crowd-funding company it had invested in heavily.

A lot of you are confusing brand 'value' with brand 'strength'. Apple is still the most valuable brand, according to this very article...

True Lego fans know the difference between Mega blocks and Lego....I would never allow Mega blocks into my house period. How Lego started and has progressed over the years they will always have my full support. Yes they are a pricey toy to buy, but if I shop around I've managed to buy all my sets on sale through the year. As for now being the leading brand this certainly doesn't surprise me, they have been steadily growing in the last decade, so with the Lego Movie coming out I'm sure it has not only reignited old fans back to wanting to get back into Lego but would have also created a whole new generation of fans. In the Lego Movie showing an Adult with his Lego collection what a genius marketing strategy, it reinstates that it's ok to be an adult with Lego. I wonder how many people raced out and started buying Lego just on that alone.

As for what "World's Most Powerful Brand" means, it means nothing; they might get a commemorative plaque out of the deal. But Aanchir hits the nail on the head; a non-FOL may not be able to distinguish between a knockoff 2x4 and the real thing, but they're going to take one look at it and say "Oh, Legos (sic)" and more than likely have a positive anecdote to share about what Lego meant to them at some point. *That* means something, and you're seeing little signs of it in every TLG press release.

In any event, it is kind of odd to see people hammering TLG on prices; 6390 retailed for 40.00 in 1980... that'd translate to over 113.00USD today, or nearly .20 per element. 6970 went for 37.00, or roughly .41 per element; that all occurred when oil was roughly 112.00 a barrel (adjusted for inflation) back in that oil crisis. These days, we didn't see sub-100 oil until Q3 2014, but even the most overpriced sets of 2014 (like 76022) didn't approach the price per piece we were seeing back in the "good old" days.

That said, I would be shocked if TLG lowered prices, even with oil leaking out of every hole on earth. It'd be nice, but... they rely on a traded commodity to get their raw material, and have to map set prices months or even years in advance. If they bet wrong, the whole company could implode. I'd rather pay a little premium and toast the health of my favorite corporate entity than nibble them out of existence over a few pennies here and there.

Besides, even at today's prices, Lego is *not* expensive - not for what you're getting. You want to talk expensive hobbies, try being a computer nerd or a gun nut or a grease jockey. The truth is, interlocking ABS is one of the cheapest obsessions out there. If it were cheaper, I'd need a bigger house.

Am I surprised? No. Do I think this really matters? No. But it's nice to see this sort of thing every now and then.

The Brand has a high feel good level with an total age range so im not supprised.
Its good for the Brand's future !