“It’s all about the brick”: Mobilizing adult fans of LEGO

Abstract

In this chapter, author Nancy Jennings examines how The LEGO Group has organized their most valuable consumers, Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOLs), to create a legion of brand ambassadors and co-creators. Jennings focuses on the intersection of fan studies, public relations and labor management as AFOLs navigate their fan identity. While the LEGO Group’s success can be measured in product sales and corporate growth, these metrics fail to capture the special and deeply personal ways in which consumers connect with LEGO. Moreover, this chapter explores how The LEGO Group adroitly mobilizes its adult fans in a variety of ways: as brand ambassadors to promote LEGO through community building; as consumers to make more and bigger purchases; and as co-creators in the development of new products.