Theory: Lego's Ninjago Spinjitzu Scavenger Hunt is a stroke of genius

Lego’s new iOS App, Ninjago Spinjitzu Scavenger Hunt, is the perfect example of how a traditional toy or game vendor should be using modern video games to enhance their own brand.

It’s a free App to download, but it’s one that will convince you to spend a lot of money on Lego toys. By scanning barcodes on physical Lego products, equipment and items can be unlocked in-game, and indeed it’s required to complete some quests.

For the Lego fan, this is great – you’re getting your Lego products, and then additional value in extra in-game stuff. It allows you to have a Lego collection both in-game and in digital form.

Lego, of course, has always been a company with a firm grasp of marketing theory. Legoland in Germany is another example. But in Ninjago’s case, it’s a relatively simple concept – buy the product, gain additional in-game value for your App. Download the App, get encouraged to buy Lego products. So why are other toy/ game vendors so slow to adopt similar techniques?

Why can I not scan my Magic: The Gathering cards into a Magic: The Gathering App (or even my copy of Magic: The Gathering Online?) There, Wizards of the Coast are forcing me to buy things twice.

And, not to pick on Wizards, because they're certainly not the only ones falling behind, but why do I not get a .pdf copy of a Dungeons and Dragons manual when I buy it?

There are any number of toys and games that could benefit from having a cross over into digital distribution. It’s most effective where, like Ninjago, it’s not asking people to buy the same products twice, but getting people more involved with products across the board, and then more invested in the brand itself.

A strategy like that has the potential of turning casual fans into hardcore consumers, and that’s why Lego’s had a stroke of genius with this little, free, App.