PRE-SCHOOL NEWS 65 Lego: There’s room to improve Duplo
Company pledges to improve range and campaigns to get pre-schoolers into Lego at a younger age... by Dominic Sacco
LEGO IS reconsidering its strategy for its big block range Duplo so that kids become aware of it as early as possible. The toy giant says it is enjoying
‘good traction’ with the pre-school brand, thanks to innovative products and licences, but plans to improve Duplo’s marketing and product development even further. “Duplo is one brand we’re really working hard with,” Lego’s VP and GM for the UK and Ireland Drew Brazer told ToyNews. “We’re much stronger with older boys than the pre-school kids. And we’re seeing some good traction in our Duplo range – we think it’s strategically important for us to get people involved with Lego at age two, three and four. “There’s opportunity for us to improve there, and I think you’ll see our marketing and product development efforts improve quite a bit in the Duplo range.
“I think first we’re looking at price value and making sure we have a compelling offer that’s good value for money. That’s one thing we’ve worked hard on and are addressing.”
The new Read and Build line allows a parent and child to read a book while building a story-related object from Duplo...
Brazer also talked up the ‘great Disney Princess licence’ for the brand, Duplo cupcake-style Creative Cakes and the Read and Build range. The latter allows a parent and child to read a book while building a story- related object out of Duplo. “This is a good example of innovation, where we’re combining
books with bricks, telling stories at a very early age and engaging children with Lego,” he added. Lego currently sends Duplo products out to mummy bloggers, but admits it could do more online to promote the brand. “There is content we can stream on our own site, and we’re so
confident in our product quality that we gladly have mummy bloggers write about it.
“Endorsements like that go a long way – more than paid advertising. “And we are still looking at how we can make the most of the internet for Duplo,” Brazer concluded. Lego: 01753 495000
EDMONTON IN North London is now the home of the UK’s largest Mothercare store, with TV personality and celebrity mum Myleene Klass officially opening the outlet last month. The 30,000 square foot shop has been designed to reflect customer needs and boasts a ‘mumspace’ zone for parents to bond with their toddlers, a 4D ultra-sound scanning studio, the UK’s largest ‘buggy park’ and staff equipped with iPads to help make the sales experience even more interactive. “The Edmonton store has been designed to give everything a new mum needs in one place and we look forward to rolling out further updates across the rest of the Mothercare estate,” said the retailer’s chief executive, Simon Calver. Mothercare: 01923 241000
Salon Univers d’enfants January 22nd-24th, 2013 Salon International du Jouet SA www.univers-enfants.com
Harrogate Nursery Fair March 24th-26th, 2013 Harrogate International Centre www.nurseryfair.com