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reinvent their business models. “Opening up a business model to external ideas
can capture greater value using key assets or resources, not only in the compa-
ny's own business but also in relation to other partners such as customers
(Djelassi and Decoopman
2013
).” It is evident that new business models emerge
and gain control over ideas and creative potential outside the company, while
developing new ways of earning revenues. “Bringing the two together - ideas
and companies - and getting them to cooperate could seriously foster innova-
tion and offer many more people the chance to benefi t from their ideas (Weiers
2014
).” Given this trajectory, using the LEGO Group and its fans, as an example
of one of the most active fan communities in the world (Antorini
2007
), will
provide an important key for understanding many forms of fans empowerment
(Baym and Burnett
2009
) and corporate strategies for value co-creation (Zwick
et al.
2008
) in order to shed light on the broader ontological and epistemological
changes that occurred within fan/corporate practices (Lanier and Fowler
2013
).
Theoretical links between fan culture and a set of corporate practices that seek
to capture and exploit participatory culture (Jenkins et al.
2013
, p. 48), such a
complex discourse in the sense of innovation and user appropriation, are central
to this chapter.
9.2
The Infusion of New Interactions
In the year 2000, the LEGO Group had a loss of DKK 831 million (LEGO Annual
Report
2000
). That year was a very diffi cult year for the entire toy industry, but
despite many strengths and high points, the LEGO Company was impacted
because they had lost focus. Even though the year of 2002 may in the circum-
stances be regarded as a good year (LEGO Annual Report 2002), 2003 was a very
disappointing year for LEGO Company, when the negative development refl ected
an unsuccessful growth strategy with a consequent loss of market shares. At the
end of the year, it was decided to change the business strategy and set out a series
of specifi c initiatives in order to ensure a stable platform for the company's
development. The successful implementation of these initiatives was crucial for
LEGO Company to ensure profi table growth and, at the same time, uphold its
strong, global brand position among families with children. The following year,
the LEGO Group took radical new steps in order to tackle its most serious fi nan-
cial crisis to date. The main objective was to restore competitiveness by focusing
on customers. The Lego Group, therefore, and many fi rms and industries had to
make fundamental changes to long-held business models in order to adapt (von
Hippel
2005
). The Lego Group realized the fundamental transformations of user-
producer relations, where the infusion of new technologies in such interactions
has redefi ned the roles in innovation and value creation processes (Thomke and
von Hippel
2002
).
