From LEGO sets to enterprise IT equipment, examples abound of establishing a loyal customer base through the development of a flexible framework.

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The mission was to acquire newly released Lego sets bearing the resemblance of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with whom the boys particularly identify.

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Launched last October in America and Britain, the product has been a tremendous success, outselling by a factor of at least six the 12, 000 sets that Lego thought it would sell in America before Christmas.

ECONOMIST: Lego

These two types of Lego play involve different skill sets.

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The massive, open world of LEGO City lets players explore the city using numerous vehicles from the real-life play sets to pursue criminal mastermind Rex Fury.

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Still, we lose something when the nondescript buckets of freeform Lego bricks are moved to the back of the toy store, while the highly specialized Disney sets fly off the shelves.

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