Why Lego barely advertises.

The other day, Spencer asked me why we see so many ads on TV for cars and almost none for truly cool things, like Legos. This occasioned what was probably an overlong explanation of advertising for a six-year-old. I told him there are basically four reasons a company advertises.

First, to expose people to an unknown product.

Second, to preserve market share against viable competitors.

Third, to improve the public perception of the company or product, usually by correcting false (or true) beliefs about their flaws.

Fourth, to promote specific offers and discounts.

As I explained all this to him, he easily understood why Lego doesn’t really need to advertise. Everyone knows their product. There are no real competitors for what they make. People have a universally positive view of them. And they never go on sale, mostly because of the first three facts.

But all of this did make me wonder which sort of advertising purposes make sense for 21st Century American Christianity, especially since we are obviously not as securely positioned in this market as Legos.

Postscript: Fifth, to remind people in proximity to a purchasing opportunity about the product they like. This, I think, explains most of what little advertising Lego does do.