More Than a Toy, a Loyalty Icon
International LEGO® Day is a moment to reflect on how LEGO Group has become one of the strongest examples of brand-led loyalty in the world. What began as a children’s toy has evolved into a global powerhouse spanning generations, interests, and cultures.
LEGO’s brand values – creativity, imagination, and learning through play – are deeply embedded in its community and resonate with diverse customer segments. By being outspoken about these values, LEGO builds credibility and fosters deep emotional brand connections with these customers.
Through powerful emotional connections, smart brand collaborations, and a loyalty programme designed around belonging rather than discounts, LEGO has created fiercely loyal customers. Emotionally connected customers have a significantly higher lifetime value and are more likely to recommend the brand. The reflections from our team bring this story to life, showing exactly why LEGO continues to endure.
Emotional Connection: Loyalty That Starts Early and Lasts
Building emotional connections is increasingly important because consumers are sceptical of generic marketing. A recurring theme across the team is simple: LEGO is never really thrown away.
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Several memories weren’t about perfect builds, but about friends sitting on the bedroom floor, sharing ideas, laughing, and creating stories together
A Brand That Grows With Its Customers
From Early Development to Adult Escapism
LEGO’s strength lies in its ability to evolve alongside its audience:
- Children develop dexterity, focus, and imagination
- Teenagers explore fandoms, engineering, and creativity
- Adults rediscover LEGO as a form of mindfulness and escapism: physical, screen-free, and calming
As one team member noted, LEGO gives adults “a chance to stop, relax, and do something physical without screens”. Another highlighted LEGO botanicals, ‘flowers you can’t kill’, alongside architecture, art, and engineering builds that are designed to be admired as much as the enjoyment of the build itself.
LEGO at Home: Loyalty in Real Life
One family story perfectly illustrates LEGO’s universal appeal:
- LEGO began at age three, helping build patience, dexterity, and a love of construction.
- Children progressed from Spidey sets to LEGO City and emergency vehicles, often completing sets beyond their years.
- LEGO became a shared family passion - from Disney character displays to botanical builds, to an ever-growing collection of LEGO cars inspired by a love of engineering and motorsport.
“LEGO is a shared passion in our house. It’s a place of escapism and relaxation.”
This is loyalty rooted in shared experience, not price promotion.
In-Store Experience: Building Loyalty Brick by Brick
A truly successful customer engagement strategy doesn’t stop at the checkout counter, it comes alive in the store, where brands have the unique opportunity to create meaningful interactions that foster customer loyalty and drive long-term customer lifetime value. In today’s new world of retail, where digital natives expect seamless integration between online and offline experiences, the in-store environment is more important than ever for building a loyal customer base.
Brands that excel in customer engagement understand that every visit is a chance to deepen the emotional connection with their target audience. Offering exclusive discounts, early access to new products, and special perks in-store not only rewards loyal customers but also encourages them to become brand advocates. For example, a clothing retailer might invite members with a VIP account to shop exclusive products before anyone else, or a coffee shop could reward repeat purchases with complimentary drinks, simple gestures that increase customer loyalty and boost retention rates.
Communication channels play a vital role in this environment. Live chat support and points-based programmes allow businesses to respond quickly to customer needs, creating a sense of community and commitment. General managers and staff can further enhance the experience by engaging with customers directly, signing them up for loyalty programmes, and sharing the brand story in a way that resonates with personal values.
User-generated content is another powerful tool for in-store engagement. Encouraging customers to share their experiences on social media, whether it’s a photo of an instore build, a new purchase or a review of a special event, helps create buzz and attracts new customers. These authentic stories reinforce the brand’s values and foster loyalty by making customers feel seen and appreciated.
A well-designed loyalty strategy integrates both traditional marketing and digital innovations. For instance, self-service kiosks and mobile payments cater to younger generations while maintaining the personal touch that builds meaningful relationships. By ensuring a consistent customer journey across all touchpoints, companies can increase revenue and maximise lifetime value.
The key takeaways for any business are clear: focus on creating positive experiences, reward engagement, and build a sense of community. By offering exclusive experiences, special discounts, and meaningful interactions in-store, brands can turn everyday transactions into long-term loyalty. In a marketplace overflowing with choices, it’s these thoughtful engagement efforts that transform customers into lifelong fans - one brick at a time.
The Power of Brand Collaboration
LEGO’s collaborations are a masterclass in relevance and reach. By partnering with brands its audience already loves, LEGO deepens engagement while staying true to its core.
Notable collaborations include:
- Star Wars
- Disney
- Formula 1
- Marvel
One team member shared how watching a Formula 1 film reignited interest in LEGO, quickly followed by discovering LEGO’s F1 car range. Another household proudly displays Stitch, Disney builds, and collectible cars.
Brands that excel at community engagement generate a fast-spinning flywheel, where brand advocates generate conversation, engagement, and sales. In saturated markets, emotional bonds are a unique asset that competitors cannot easily replicate.
LEGO Insiders: Turning Transactions into Belonging
Formerly LEGO VIP, the LEGO Insiders programme represents a shift from points-based rewards to community-led loyalty.
The programme uses strategies to engage both new and existing customers, nurturing engaged customers through personalised outreach and community involvement. The sign-up process is an important sign of customer commitment, and is required to upgrade membership tiers and access exclusive benefits.
The programme rewards not just for spending, but for engaging. Benefits include:
- Points redeemable for rewards and discounts
- Early access to new and limited-edition sets
- Exclusive member gifts and collectibles
- Digital content, challenges, and experiences
Successful loyalty programmes often provide exclusive benefits for members, such as early access to product drops and flash sales. Many brands are turning to experiential-based benefits, including community events and personalised experiences.
Community-focused loyalty programmes that engage customers through shared interests and values can create strong emotional ties and foster a sense of belonging. Successful loyalty programmes also leverage customer insights to create personalised experiences that resonate emotionally. Brands that excel in building emotional connections with their customers often see higher engagement levels and conversion rates.
Team Ideas That Reinforce LEGO’s Loyalty Strength
Subscription Boxes: Loyalty Through Anticipation
The idea of LEGO subscription boxes - particularly age-based for children - aligns perfectly with LEGO’s strategy.
Benefits include:
- Regular engagement rather than one-off purchases
- Structured progression by age or skill
- Excitement and anticipation that deepen emotional attachment
For adults, subscriptions could focus on botanicals, architecture, automotive, or engineering themes.
Swaps and Trades: Circular Loyalty
Another idea was a LEGO trade-in or swap scheme, exchanging old LEGO for discounts or rewards.
This concept taps into:
- Sustainability and circular economy thinking
- The emotional reluctance to discard LEGO
- Rewarding longevity of ownership, not just new spend
Innovation Without Losing the Core
LEGO continues to innovate carefully and credibly:
Innovation is allowing businesses to provide new services and improve customer engagement by enabling them to engage with customers across multiple communication channels, utilising real-time data and integrations to personalise experiences and respond promptly to customer behaviour. Customer engagement is about making it easy for customers to do business with you by reducing the effort they need to exert to resolve problems with your product or service. Additionally, customer engagement metrics measure the quality and frequency of customers' interactions with your company.
Conclusion: What Brands Can Learn from LEGO
LEGO’s loyalty success is no accident. It is built through deliberate, customer-centric choices that any organisation can learn from:
- Build emotional connections, not just transactions
- Design products and loyalty programmes that evolve with customers
- Use partnerships to extend relevance, not dilute identity
- Reward engagement, ownership, and longevity - not just spend
- Create shared experiences that foster community and belonging
On International LEGO Day, the takeaway is clear:
The strongest brands aren’t built quickly. They are built brick by brick - with loyalty at their core. 🧱