Airline body urges African governments to act on opening market access
‘Strategies don’t move people. Now it is time to make the difficult decisions and execute them,’ senior executive stresses.
BRAND MILESTONES
Iconic Lego brand turns 90 – but still remains far from retirement
By our News Team | 2022
Created in 1932 in a small carpentry workshop in Denmark, Lego has since evolved into a huge global brand valued at over US$9-billion.
The iconic toy brand Lego celebrated its 90th birthday yesterday (Wednesday, 10 August) with a campaign called World Play Day, in which the company invited families to spend time playing games together at Lego stores, online on the brand’s website, and at Legoland theme parks in various countries.
There was even a birthday ‘cake’ at the head office in Denmark – made of the famous Lego naturally blocks naturally. In all, the massive cake required more than 94 000 blocks and comprised nine layers; one layer for each decade of the brand’s existence.
Image by Matthias Wewering from Pixabay
“Our 90th birthday today gave us the perfect excuse to build this cake! A feast for the eyes if not for the stomach,” Lego noted on its Twitter feed.
“Play has always been the cornerstone of humanity,” said Julia Goldin, Global Chief Product & Marketing Officer at the Lego Group.
Helping to develop crucial life skills
“It’s not only fun, but it’s crucial to helping children develop essential life skills, strengthening family bonds and building communities. But with competing pressures on the lives of parents and children, play is often deprioritised.”
According to The Brick Fan website, since its inception the iconic Lego brick has featured in over 18,000 Lego sets and inspired millions of children and fans to play and create. It’s helped them master engineering, learn about robotics and coding, explore friendships and adventure, explore new digital playgrounds with over 85 mobile and console games, and even enabled them to help design some of the brand’s most popular sets.
The famous brick was even celebrated in the bright lights of Hollywood in ‘The Lego Movie’. In 2015, fuelled by the success of the movie, Lego overtook Ferrari to become the world’s most powerful brand, according to the Brand Finance Global 500 report at the time.
In 2021, the Lego brand was valued at approximately US$9.1-billion, the website Statista reported.
Watch a video of some of the 90th anniversary celebrations here.
Uganda Tourism Board partners with major European ice hockey league
UTB says its ambition is to turn the visibility into interest, bookings and more visitors choosing to explore Uganda.
Researchers explain why 10-second micro ads outperform longer spots
Short ads shown on TV increased website visits within five minutes of airing by 10-40% compared with longer advertisements.
Competition continues to grow in the Moroccan supermarket sector
Supeco’s rapid expansion shows how the discount model is becoming a bigger part of grocery retail in the North African country.
Study identifies harmful paradox behind well-meaning green efforts
Consumers reward visible eco-friendly additions such as reusable bottles, but give little credit to businesses that reduce or remove products.
President Mahama commissions expanded evaporated milk facility in Ghana
Nestlé believes Ghana will continue to play a leading role in the future of Central and West Africa.
Momentum beginning to build for 2027 ACCS gathering in Addis Ababa
Ethiopia’s marketers gather to celebrate hosting next year’s conference – but with an eye on the hard work ahead.
PwC report examines the future of African entertainment and media
Tech is creating more ways for audiences to connect, but lasting value will come from understanding the people behind those connections.
Unilever investment expands its Vaseline production capacity in Africa
The new production line at the historic Maydon Wharf facility in Durban will address growing international demand.
World MICE Awards in Jamaica honour best African and global achievers
Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and South Africa all feature in the African meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions awards.
AI won’t replace market research. But it will expose weak strategy
Much of the broader conversation around AI in market research assumes conditions that do not consistently exist across many African markets, writes Soyinka Witness.