Pete Maginn, Managing Director, Beano Brain.
With LEGO saying ‘Just Do it’ to a multi-year collaboration with Nike the stage is set for the two mega brands to win big when it comes to Gen Alpha.
These youngsters born since 2010 are savvy consumers with sophisticated and high expectations when it comes to brand consumption. Brands are anchored in these kids’ lives from an early age, and they expect them to be around to mark their key moments and milestones.
Constant brand innovation, super-fast delivery, reliability, safety built-in and depth and breadth of offering are all just simple hygiene factors to this most brand-literate generation.
And the great news for LEGO® and Nike is that they LOVE brand collaborations because such mergers and extensions echo the fluid world that is their reality.
Kids can expect co-branded products, content and experiences that combine the imaginative power of LEGO® bricks with the “Just Do It” spirit of Nike to invite all kids into play and sport.
Many kids have grown up playing LEGO® with their parents who also enjoyed the toy in their own childhoods, creating fond memories and warm nostalgia – a key emotional need for kids and parents alike.
Kids recognize that LEGO® draws on their inherent creativity and imagination, offering them endless ways to personalize their builds and designs. In return, LEGO® continuously innovates. The brand finds new ways to connect with the kids by hitting current themes and trends – their Botanical Collection, appears to have up-aged the brand, attracting girls in particular who enjoyed the aesthetically-pleasing design and more challenging build and who may otherwise have exited the brand.
Meanwhile, with its brand sponsorships, celebrity collaborations, Nike Training Club workouts on Netflix and a members-only Nike SNKRS app that grants exclusive access to Nike products, Nike is the cultural uniform for Gen Alpha. Continuous new product design, hot drops and cool collaborations has kept the brand at the forefront of kids’ minds – and top of their wish lists.
LEGO® and Nike are both firmly in the Top 10 of Beano Brain’s annual 100 Coolest Brands US report, where 31,000 US youngsters were quizzed on the brands they love.
Together they will be even more than the sum of their parts with each brand giving the other more of something it lacks.
LEGO® (#8 in Beano Brain’s ranking) gains more credibility and space to "play" in the active world, while Nike (#4) gains more credibility in the creative space – which is of paramount importance to Gen Alpha who are characterised by creative entrepreneurial traits.
By joining forces, they leverage their established market positions, tap into new demographics and reinforce their core values, all while meeting the evolving needs of consumers.
So, what can other brands learn from this collaboration and are there any golden rules to follow?
Firstly, kids love collaborations and are especially drawn to brands that take risks outside of their comfort zone. Pairing footwear with chocolate and candies (Crocs with Hershey and Jolly Ranger) perhaps weren’t the most obvious collaboration – but they were a sell-out success.
These brands tapped into key Gen Alpha drivers of collectability, personalisation, and creativity and gave them an accessible way in which to interact with peers to build social currency. Feed these traits and brands will score highly with Gen Alpha.
Despite carrying the mantle of being our planet’s future saviours, this cohort are also very much drawn to humor.
Brands that can ‘up the funny’ when working together will always do well. Humor is playground currency for kids and smart use of it can make entry into a brand’s universe so much easier.
And this is pivotal because kids are quite resistant to ‘new’ brands. Only two of the Beano Brain 100 Coolest Brands US – Amazon and Roblox - were born in the 21st century.
Which is why collaborations are so powerful. Joining together with a partner gives a route into Gen Alpha’s world that might not otherwise be available.
Unlike some of the previous generations, Gen Alpha really values being able to demonstrate achievement and seek approval for displaying a skill to an audience – which could easily translate to building a complex design or mastering a sport in Lego-branded Nike apparel.
The collab doesn’t launch until 2025, but it’s easy to see how it could meet all of Gen Alpha’s motivational needs.
Imagine, building a Nike Air Jordan out of bricks before going for a run in LEGO® branded apparel as you’re en route to enjoying an IRL LEGO® /Nike experience while rubbing shoulders with brand ambassadors like LeBron James and then back home to play in the LEGO® /Nike metaverse where an exclusive hot drop is up for grabs.
For any brands thinking about a collab, look at Gen Alpha’s drivers, and just do it!