Citations › Citation ID: 109

C109. BOOK: David C. Robertson, Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry (Crown, 2013), p. 48.

Ciccolella and his brand development team sought nothing less than the total transformation of LEGO from a toy to an idea, declaring that the company “will build businesses wherever our idea can be translated into unique concepts.” He also issued the brand statement “Play On,” which drew on the English translation of the LEGO name, “play well.” No doubt the “Play On” slogan reflected the company’s desire to keep kids playing with bricks—and buying bricks—through childhood and beyond. Writing in the new LEGO branding manual, Ciccolella’s image makers decreed, “PLAY ON is the ultimate expression of the LEGO brand.”

"Play On" was the phrase given by Ciccolella in the free-wheeling era where they aimed to transform "LEGO from a toy to an idea", and nearly bankrupting the company in the process.