I have spoken in passing before in previous articles on the changing nature of The LEGO Group’s marketing when discussing what I hold as the best online campaign The LEGO Group has created in the last 20 years: LEGO Club TV. I alluded to the idea that LEGO has begun to lean into the brick as a lifestyle as opposed to a force of creativity and imagination. With the Adults Welcome campaign starting in 2020, the presence of sets designed for display like the Botanicals Collection has only grown with time. It’s a sign of the times, and one I’m personally not so keen on as someone who grew up with a LEGO with an incredibly different brand identity 15 years ago.

Is LEGO a lifestyle brand now? I’d like to explore what a lifestyle brand is and how The LEGO Group has, perhaps surprisingly, been following its key tenets since before the Adults Welcome campaign. LEGO is often chasing trends and modes of customer engagement as evident by their push for online games and robotics in the 90s with the advent of the internet. But in the case of developing what is now considered a lifestyle or way of life with a company, LEGO is, dare I say, a pioneer of the trend in its present form.

Before we begin I want to make some terms clear, specifically the difference between a company and a brand. A company is a legal entity that sells goods and services. A brand is the image or perception of the company that is held in the minds of consumers. It’s the company’s identity, and personality beyond what it sells. Both ‘company’ and ‘brand’ are going to be used frequently here, but not interchangeably. “The LEGO Group” is a toy company, but its brand—its image—summarized by most as simply ”LEGO” is one that presently invites consumers of all age, race and gender to adopt the LEGO brick and LEGO products as a part of their lives.

With that out of the way, it’s time to look at LEGO as a lifestyle brand.

Defining Terms: What The LEGO Group Is and Is Not

It should go without saying, but The LEGO Group is, first and foremost, a toy company. The brick is the crux of their product, and any media or products that are developed by, or in tandem with LEGO ultimately serve to sell more bricks through the numerous sets on shelves.

There aren’t factories globally just to sell a TV show

That isn’t to say that arguments have not been made to posit that LEGO is an entertainment company. RLFM member and YouTuber DuckBricks recently made an argument that LEGO is, at its best, an entertainment company (or “storytelling company” as he repeatedly refers to it):

“I think that LEGO first and foremost is most successful when they’re a storytelling company. Whether they are making products and profits off of the stories of others with licensed themes or telling their own stories, the most successful LEGO products are backed by incredibly popular stories… It’s why Ninjago does so good today because the story is so interesting… It’s why other original themes like DreamZzz have stumbled because the story isn’t that good. It just boils down to telling a good story. And I think that is the crux of LEGO.”

While The LEGO Group does have music, video games, films and television programs, these products are sourced out to other studios and companies to develop. For example, contemporary LEGO video games are not developed by an in-house studio like they were in the 90s with LEGO Media (then renamed LEGO Software). Instead, they are developed by Traveler’s Tales among others. The LEGO Movie is also not a film produced and published by The LEGO Group, rather it was Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures who are to credit. The Ninjago TV show itself was produced first by Wil Film ApS and presently WildBrain Studios—both studios not under the umbrella of The LEGO Group.

Ninjago—alongside the other “Big Bang” themes after it like Nexo Knights and The Legends of Chima—use their television shows, mobile games and other media to bolster the sets on the shelves. The brick is at the core of any experience The LEGO Group is trying to sell—both historically and presently. What very little information we have about product sales in the 2010s highlights the success of Ninjago’s inaugural line of toys: “As a theme, LEGO Ninjago, which is a combination of traditional building sets and so-called spinners launched at the beginning of 2011, exceeded expectations and was the biggest product launch in company history” (TLG).

Should Ninjago as a line of sets discontinue (again), its television show would end syndication. When Bionicle’s product line ended—what was once a massive success for The LEGO Group, so to did its story. Any new developments about the world of Bionicle are not licensed by LEGO and instead are shared by its former creatives with the fanbase.

So while DuckBricks’s sentiments about the quality of shows like DreamZzz may have merit, the success of its range of products is not solely predicated on the show because The LEGO Group is not a primarily an entertainment company, even if they have produced memorable stories and worlds with longstanding appeal.

The Tenets of a Lifestyle Brand

Evolut, a marketing group focused on driving growth for European lifestyle brands, has a solid definition of what a lifestyle brand is and what constitutes a lifestyle brand:

“A lifestyle brand thrives by creating powerful emotional bonds with its customers, offering more than just products—it represents a way of living.”

Lifestyle brands provide their customers with a means of self-expression and identity. A place in the world, a sense of belonging. What we purchase, the hobbies we pursue, and the clothes we wear all help to create a particular identity for ourselves. These factors also determine how we relate to one another.

The question then, is how do lifestyle brands provide this way of life for its customers, and does The LEGO Group’s business tactics align with what constitutes a lifestyle brand?

The three tenets of a lifestyle brand are focusing on a particular niche, the use of storytelling to resonate with consumers, and authenticity.

Tenet 1: Focus on a Particular Niche

Lifestyle brands are experts in a particular field, be that technology, beauty and cosmetics, or sportswear, among others. This expertise helps to create a loyal following—you wouldn’t want to buy a pair of shoes from a company that does not specialize in shoemaking, I’d wager. Rather, you’d seek to purchase shoes from a company whose business revolves around them like Nike or Converse. A trusted brand helps to generate customer loyalty.

The LEGO Group is no stranger to this idea, being that it is the leading toy company and the leading creator of construction toys. Conny Kalcher, former Vice President of Marketing and Consumer Experiences with The LEGO Group, wrote an article in 2014 on the company’s consumer engagement (which we will look at again in this article), highlighting the power of The LEGO Group’s main product: the brick. They said:

“Adhering to a basic value of high quality materials, the key concept was the revolutionary idea of a ‘system in play’ that went far beyond just the bricks themselves. This strategy was to make sure that regardless of the additional sets that became available, they would fit with existing systems. The guiding principle was ‘only the best is good enough’ for children.”

The LEGO Group has done a very thorough job of standing out from its competitors. Products from lines like Mega Construx—which hold the license for Pokemon and Halo—are often misconstrued by general consumers as LEGO. I have heard many times that products from companies like Mega Construx are referred to as “Pokemon Legos.” All brick-based building toys, whether they are or not, are often considered “Lego.” That’s a testament to the power LEGO has had in this niche of the construction toy world (and why they are so fierce to defend their brand name lest it become genericized).

Tenet 2: Storytelling is Key

Lifestyle brands use storytelling to develop a particular narrative around their products and services. This narrative serves to build pathos—an emotional connection—with its customers; it makes them more relatable.

What is referred to as “storytelling” in this instance refers to the self-created image a company presents to its consumers about its history and its values—not the intellectual properties it may license or develop to create products.

The LEGO Group has created for itself a particular story about its history that I’m sure the majority of BrickNerd readers, let alone general fans of LEGO, are aware of: Humble beginnings as a family owned business that sold wooden toys; numerous hardships, including several factory fires; ingenuity and perseverance leading to overwhelming success; making a comeback after certain failure… It’s the American story of success, y’know, if it was in Denmark.

Many books and media have been created to help push this particular (often romanticized) image of LEGO’s history. If you’re unsure of the wholesome, inspiring image LEGO pushes as its legacy, just check out The LEGO Story - How It All Started. (If you want to know more of the real story, we have an article about it here.)

The storytelling of a lifestyle brand is not limited to the company’s history of growth and evolution. It can also refer to its acknowledgement of its own history of products. If the shoe company Vans can return to retro styles for its shoes reminiscent of products past, so can The LEGO Group. Sets like the Galaxy Explorer remake and the Lion Knights’ Castle hearken back to a time many AFOLs look back on fondly. Legacy sets go a long way to help perpetuate a particular image of The LEGO Group’s history and present trajectory.

Tenet 3: Authenticity Builds Trust and Credibility

The last of the three tenets of a lifestyle brand is authenticity. Lifestyle brands seek to be transparent (as transparent as a major company can be) which means they’re honest about their values, their practices and their products. Lifestyle brands are also open to making known their flaws and weaknesses, and actively seek out feedback from their customers. All of this serves to build trust and credibility—ethos—between a company and its consumers.

The LEGO Group is no stranger to the goals of authenticity in a lifestyle brand. The LEGO Group’s customer service is, in my eyes, unmatched. I’ve received personalized responses from a representative of the company every time I’ve reached out with concerns or other comments. There are many testimonies to LEGO’s customer service both published and unpublished. One of the earliest forms of The LEGO Group’s attempts to personalize customer service was through correspondence with customers being conducted by one Susan Williams (who was really a whole team of men and women in the customer service department).

Representatives of The LEGO Group themselves have spoken about the authenticity they strive to seek with consumers:

“Lead users [fans of LEGO highest on the affinity pyramid], for instance, want to affect the company, tell us when something is right or wrong (as in the case of the canceled order), and even help us design products. One notch down the engagement pyramid, the 1-to-1 community wants to know everything there is to know about our company and product. They want to be the first to hear about new developments. The reason for all of these activities is that we have found that engaging consumers leads to growth. We focus on delivering personally relevant experiences. This results in higher customer affinity and retention. As the engagement process continues, we are seeing more promoters among our customers. These engaged customers mean higher spending and, consequently, revenue growth.”

Lead users include LUGs (LEGO User Groups) and members and influencers of the LAN (LEGO Ambassadors Network). These are fans sharing their love of LEGO with other fans of LEGO in ways that may be more accessible to consumers. The utilization of Lead Users via YouTube and social media platforms over the last decade has been a very effective means of reaching KFOLs and TFOLs whose lives often revolve around the internet and their smartphones.

To close out this exploration of the tenets of the lifestyle brand, I’d like to share another statement from Conny Kalcher about the strategies—including connections with Lead Users and customer service—that The LEGO Group uses to create what she calls “an experience brand”:

“Our approach to customer engagement is based on the idea that the LEGO product is far more than just a plastic brick or even a building system—although it is both of those. Instead, LEGO bricks represent an experience. Experience brands such as the LEGO brand put as much emphasis on the experience around their products and services as on the product and service itself. The brand is not just what the consumer pays for, but everything that wraps around it.”

LEGO’s Collaboration with major clothing brands also serves the ‘experience’ | Source: Brick Architect

“What this means is that the LEGO brick sits at the core of a set of experiences that embrace all aspects of our operation. We emphasize the LEGO brand as an experience brand at each turn, including our LEGO Brand Stores, LEGO community experiences, the building instructions in each set, our catalog, and LEGOLAND. As an experience brand, we take steps to get people talking about our product, sharing ideas, recommending it, and promoting it to friends. So, you can say that our fans help us market the product.”

Where Do We Go From Here As Fans of LEGO?

The LEGO Group has—dare I say—always strived to be an experience brand, or in more trendy terms, a lifestyle brand. This goal has existed for at least as long as LEGOLAND Billund has been around, a park initially designed to provide visitors to Denmark a look at the potential of the LEGO brick.

LEGOLAND Billund 1968 | Source: Wikimedia Commons

If LEGO has always been an experience brand, then its recent push toward lifestyle branding isn’t so much a reinvention as it is an evolution—one that reflects changing consumer habits, broader demographics, and the realities of modern marketing. While the days of LEGO being solely a family-run toy company centered on play may seem distant, its continued expansion into complex and static display models, fashion collaborations and IP partnerships, and a dependence on adult-targeted marketing is, in many ways, a natural progression of what began decades ago.

But where does that leave us, the fans? For some AFOLs, LEGO’s shift away from hands-on, imagination-driven play and products to more curated aesthetics and lifestyle positioning feels like a departure from its roots. For others, it’s a welcome expansion, allowing them to engage with the brand in all the ways that fit their current lives digitally, physically and emotionally.

LEGO has always had something for everyone… As weird as that something was sometimes

Perhaps one of LEGO’s greatest strengths isn’t in being exactly one thing or the other, but in maintaining a balance—offering something for both a child discovering their creativiity and an adult looking to LEGO to validate their identity. So, let’s look at our original question. Is LEGO truly a lifestyle brand?

For many, LEGO has already become a lifestyle brand while for others perhaps it is still on its way—but the trajectory is clear. Whether through nostalgia, community, or personal expression, LEGO has found a way to remain relevant across generations. And maybe that’s what keeps us all coming back—regardless of whether we return for creativity, the community, status, or pure addiction.

But if LEGO is now a lifestyle, it’s worth asking, who is shaping that lifestyle? With the rise of influencer-driven marketing and the commodification of fan engagement, are we, as consumers, driving the brand—or is the brand driving us? In a follow-up article, I’ll take a hard look at the role of LEGO influencers, their part in shaping fan perception, and whether the pursuit of engagement has come at the cost of authenticity. Stay tuned.

Where do you stand with LEGO as a lifestyle brand? Let us know in the comments below!

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