LEGO Creative Brief - Research Proposal Example

LЕGО Сrеаtivе Briеf  Name University Background: LEGO Group is launching a new line of merchandise branded as LEGO Playbox. Besides being ranked in the leadership position, the company feels it is not enough which has motivated the group to create new ideas that captures the attention of the customers and retaining the existing customers for the benefit of the company. Problem/Insight: Being faced with rapid increase in competition from larger companies like Mattel Inc. which are capturing the interest of majority of kids globally. As such, it has become a challenge for the company since the consumers are likely to be less interested in the LEGO Playbox and thus it is necessary to put in place strategic advertising plans to place the brand strategically in the toy market. Target Audience: Primary audience-children Tom is a 13-year-old boy in middle class and has a reputation as an active participant in the school indoor games which involve puzzle solving and mind games. Having been brought up in a family as the only child, Tom developed an interest in participating in solo games. His interest in video games and introvert behavior can be harnessed by the LEGO Playbox. The complexity in the manner that the maze like imitation in the game will provide the necessary mind challenge that Tom needs to develop creativity skills. Secondary audience- shoppers We are looking for shoppers aged between 30 and 35 years who are conscious of the evolving world of entertainment for their kids. These kind of shoppers are driven with an intense interest in discounts and offers from the sellers. As such, theprovision of coupons will provide them with the opportunity to purchase at LEGO stores. This audience can therefore utilize the various promotional means to influence the decisions of the shoppers and eventually appeal to their loyalty to the brand. Objectives: To create unique customer experiences through developing easy playing experiences for the kids that are relevant and fun to increase customer retention at the stores. To increase brand awareness by 20% among the shoppers by early 2017 as well as creating avenues for the online sales of the products. Big Idea: When in need of entertainment, the kids are unable to concentrate and focus on what may be considered as important thus they might underperform since something might be missing. At LEGO Group, we provide a perfect mean to integrate entertainment with learning experiences for the kids to make successful heroes through joyful creation. LEGO: make what you believe in. Mandatories The LEGO logo Must evoke a call to action amongst the customers Provision of the URL to Facebook page Tone: Funny Casual Inclusiveness Warmth Budget: The agency to justify the cost at LEGO Group Timings: The ads for television will be aired during watershed periods to gain attention of the targeted users. Justification Document Situation Analysis Brand Background: LEGO Playbox was developed by the LEGO Group in 2015 in collaboration with Joseph Hein and Cecilia Peake during Young Ones Advertising Competition (Jensen, El Sawy and Andersen, 2016). The play box has been filled with children games that allow the children visiting the stores to play by blindly drawing a Lego from the box with a color that corresponds with the sticker prizes they may receive. Market overview / Industry overview: The market for the play box has experienced fast increase in revenue.Returns on both local and international level. For instance, there has been zero product recalls for the last five years which implies that the markets are stable for the play box. The EU market for the toy industry was EUR 15.8 billion followed by US market with EUR 14 billion and Chinese market at EUR 4.8 billion by 2011 and the income levels have the potential to rise further (ECSIP Consortium Report , 2013). However, there has been intense competition in the industry whereby such companies like Mattel Inc. has infiltrated the Brisbane toy market that is threatening the success of LEGO products in the state. The increased marketability of the toys and video games from competing companies presents a threat to the price of the LEGO products sold in Brisbane. Customer analysis: LEGO Group has set up LEGO Club, LEGOLAND and sales channels which facilitate promotions, offers and discounts that are provided through online coupons that can be redeemed (Jensen, El Sawy and Andersen, 2016). Considering the trend in online usage by the Brisbane residents, it can be noted that 75% of the residents are on Instagram and Facebook (World Public Sector Report, 2003 p. 39). This indicates that the company can easily use Facebook to advertise the company products to the Brisbane residents (Sutcliffe, 2016). SWOT: Strengths The diversification into video games and television and movies (LEGO.com. 2016). Incorporation of education skills in the game building contributes to the brand’s image perception amongst the consumers. The strong brand name globally and product portfolio contributes to the strengths the company has in the toy market (LEGO.com. 2016). Weaknesses The intense competition from such large companies as Mattel Inc. implies that the prices are highly destabilized which contributes to the high brand switching. This eventually leads to the loss of market shares by the company (Gordon, Vernick and Sukys, 2016). Imitation of the products made by the company and being provided on faster platforms like the online gaming reduces the marketability of the products from LEGO Group. Opportunities Organizing school competition in the different games developed by the group (Gordon, Vernick and Sukys, 2016). The setting up of the collaborative channels like the social media platforms and other online advertising means provides an opportunity for the company to reach newer market segments hence broadening the market share for the brand and the products (LEGO.com. 2016). Threats Outdoor games and what the schools are encouraging the children to participate in to prevent obesity and social isolation. This is threatening the profit margins for the company because brand purchaser will opt to buy less of the games developed by the company to encourage their kids to participate in outdoor games (Sutcliffe, 2016). The internet and social media platforms have provided the kids with alternative forms of entertainment other than gaming which is threatening the survival of the toy industry (LEGO.com. 2016). Insight: The rapid increase in competition within the toy industry presents a problem to the success of the LEGO Playbox. Therefore, development of the new product will most certainly attract new customers and position the brand strategically in the toy market (Botoric, 2015). Target Audience: Geographic- The targeted audience is comprised of the shoppers who are the purchasers of the brand and the children who are the brand users who reside in Brisbane. The Brisbane residents are more driven by affordable price and the promotional value associated with the products (Altstiel and Grow, 2016). For instance, the LEGO stores at Brisbane is higher in Brisbane state than other Australian states and therefore retaining and attracting new customers at the region will mean providing more promotional values like coupons for redeeming on selected products. As such, these residents will be easily lured into purchasing the LEGO products on the perception that the coupons are availed. Demographic- the brand users are aged between the age of 5 to 15 years. The Brisbane state is comprised of middle aged parents who form the larger part of the shoppers of the products. Besides, it has been established that the residents are educated to at least high school level which implies that they understand the essence of creativity (Erskine and Sablynski, 2016). Furthermore, the Brisbane residents are mostly employed earning over $50k making them suitable for purchasing of the LEGO games like the LEGO Creator which are at times expensive. Moreover, the majority of the residents are married and mostly with a maximum of two kids which makes it conducive to budget for the games for the children. Psychographic- the Brisbaneresidents are trendy and most of the children like watching movies besides playing video games. In the same manner, the parents in the households who are the brand purchaser are known to believe in educational values of products before purchasing (Jensen,El Sawy and Andersen, 2016). This indicates that the kids will be attracted to the video games that are based on popular movies like the Star Wars. Moreover, the shoppers will be intrigued with the idea of the educational value in the creation of the LEGO bricks and how it engages the kids actively. Behavioral- the Brisbane households have been recorded to have installed internet connection in approximately 75% of the homes. This indicates that the possibility of the residents being online is higher and therefore at least 75% of the residents can be reached through online means. Furthermore, the statistics have indicated that the residents conduct online research on goods and services before purchasing and therefore they tend to make decisions depending on how much information they have acquired about the product(Gordon, Vernick and Sukys, 2016). Aim and Objectives (Marketing & Advertising) To increase the LEGO market share by 5% withinBrisbane state in the next 8 months since it has included more online advertising which has acquired much recognition among the Brisbane residents and therefore it will be facilitated by the Facebook and Instagram users (Gordon, Vernick and Sukys, 2016). The company seeks to improve on the market share since the toy market is facing stiff competition within Brisbane. As such, a 5% increase will be achievable within an eight-month time scale since the previous campaigns have indicated that the rate of Facebook and Instagram users who post and comment on the company’s page are increasing at a faster rate. Thus, the advertising through the given social media platforms will eventually capture the attention of the shoppers who will certainly be attracted to buy the LEGO products (Olson, 2014). Brand Positioning: The LEGO Brand serves a role of entertainment and skill development for the kids whereby the kids are involved in creating and building something as a game (Luo et al, 2015). This will be important for the brand to be useful in school competition of the skills demonstrated by the kids. Big Idea: The slogan by LEGO Group indicates that the kids are encouraged to create things using the LEGO Bricks. As it has been done for the LEGO stores in Brisbane where kids visiting the stores are allowed to build things based on the rues or set up their own rules and create what they think of. Through the free thinking, the kids find the opportunity to develop their own sense in decision making and apply it in other spheres other than gaming environment. Thus, the LEGO Playbox allows the children to create various things while playing which makes it both entertaining and a learning channel for the kids(Gordon, Vernick and Sukys, 2016). Campaign Idea: Media selection- the media used in the ad will focus basically on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. This is because these mediums provide the users with the most interactive interfaces where the users will be in a position to either like, share or comment. Therefore, the posts regarding the campaign will be scheduled to be posted each hour since these platforms are visited frequently by different people (Jensen, El Sawy and Andersen, 2016). Budgeting: The agency to justify the cost at LEGO Group can be derived from the descriptive perspective of the budget theory. From this perspective, it can be note that the company since it operates in public sector, the advertisement budget should focus on how well the ad will be perceived by the public Jensen, El Sawy and Andersen, 2016). Evaluation: The effectiveness of the success of the media used will be measured by google and Facebook analytics (Olson, 2014). This will provide the information on how many people view the posts and like, share or comment on them. Timing: The presentation of television ads during watershed period will ensure that the kids are attracted by the ads. Besides, the Facebook, YouTube and Instagram posts are done on hourly basis which ensures that the different Brisbane residents that visit the websites are captured (Botoric, 2015). References Altstiel, T., & Grow, J. (2016). Advertising creative: strategy, copy, and design. Sage Publications. Botoric, V. (2015). When Ideas Generate Value: How LEGO Profitably Democratized Its Relationship with Fans. In Creativity in the Digital Age (pp. 159-170). Springer London. Erskine, L., & Sablynski, C. J. (2016). The Pacific Production Game A Multidimensional Teaching Tool Using Lego® Bricks. Management Teaching Review, 2379298116654279. ECSIP Consortium Report. (2013). The study on the competitiveness of the Toy Industry. Gordon, J., Vernick, B., & Sukys, B. (2016). How consumer insight makes or breaks a new brand (The Wise Marketer). Thewisemarketer.com. Retrieved 31 October 2016, from Jensen, P. K., El Sawy, O., & Andersen, N. B. (2016). Creating a Nimble, Fast and Effective ERP-Platform for Meeting User Demands-LEGO Group. In Cases on It Leadership. Samfundslitteratur. LEGO.com US - Inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow - LEGO.com. (2016). Lego.com. Retrieved 31 October 2016, from https://www.lego.com/en-us Luo, S. J., Yue, Y., Huang, C. K., Chung, Y. H., Imai, S., Nishita, T., & Chen, B. Y. (2015). Legolization: optimizing lego designs. ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG), 34(6), 222. Minnium, P. (2016). What’s The Big Idea: The 3 Fundamentals Of Successful Digital Creative. Marketing Land. Retrieved 31 October 2016, from Olson, J. C. (2014). A Strategic Approach to Measuring Advertising Effectiveness. Measuring Advertising Effectiveness, 337. Sutcliffe, P. (2016). Identify consumer moments and touchpoints that drive growth | TNS UK. Tnsglobal.co.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2016, from http://www.thewisemarketer.com/features/read.asp?id=82http://marketingland.com/whats -big-idea-3- fundamentals-successful-digital-creative-153747http://www.tnsglobal.co.uk/thought-leadership/identify-consumer- moments-and-touchpoints-drive-growth?page=0%2C2 World Public Sector Report. ( 2003) E-Government at the Crossroads. United Nations. Read More