Countering the anti-plastic narrative, Lego champions its product as a "best use" of plastic due to extreme durability. The promise of backward compatibility—that today's bricks fit with those from 40 years ago—reinforces a core brand message of longevity and multi-generational reuse over disposability.
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To truly change a brand's narrative, marketing's 'talking the talk' is insufficient. The product experience itself must embody the desired story. This 'walking the walk' through the product is the most powerful way to shape core brand perception and make the narrative shareable.
A brand's history is a valuable asset. The most powerful ideas for future growth are often rooted in the brand's 'archaeology.' Reviving timeless concepts, like the Pepsi Taste Challenge, and making them culturally relevant today is often more effective than chasing novelty.
When building a brand, differentiate between long-term and short-term elements. The core purpose and emotional connection should be enduring. In contrast, functional and experiential benefits must be constantly refreshed to remain relevant as markets and consumer tastes evolve.
Enduring 'stay-up' brands don't need to fundamentally reinvent their core product. Instead, they should focus on creating opportunities for consumers to 'reappraise' the brand in a current context. The goal is to make the familiar feel fresh and relevant again, connecting it to modern culture.
Lego maintains relevance by replacing over 400 products each year. Their structured creative process blends internal ideas with external cultural trends, leveraging partnerships with major IPs like Star Wars for early insights. This ensures their product roadmap aligns with what will capture kids' future attention.
A brand's strength can be measured by its "durability"—the permission customers grant it to enter new categories. For example, a "Nike hotel" is conceivable, but a "Hilton shoe" is not. This mental model tests whether your brand is defined by a narrow function or a broad customer relationship.
Lego fuels its extensive innovation pipeline by linking it directly to operational efficiency. A global "Partner for Productivity" program systematically generates significant annual savings. This creates a powerful cultural understanding that cost discipline is not an obstacle to creativity but the very engine that pays for it.
LEGO doesn't just co-brand products. Its partnerships with franchises like Star Wars are deeply integrated into its business model, spanning museum exhibits, video games, and special collections, offering a lesson in holistic collaboration that becomes central to the company's strategy.
Hexclad rejects the Apple model of products that "wear out in three years." Instead, they model themselves after 1980s Sony, where brand trust was paramount. By offering lifetime guarantees, they aim to have customers buy their entire ecosystem based on trust, not a forced upgrade cycle.
LoveSack operated successfully for years based on product instinct alone. However, transformational growth occurred only after the company intentionally defined its core brand philosophy—'Designed for Life'—and then amplified that clear message with advertising. This shows that a well-defined brand story is a powerful, distinct growth lever, separate from initial product-market fit.
