Groundswell, Expanded and Revised Edition

3. the social technographics profile

How do people participate in the groundswell? Consider a tale of three AFOLs.

AFOLs are adult fans of Lego. Lego bricks, of course, are a favorite building toy of children everywhere. According to Tormod Askildsen, senior director of business development at the Lego Group, 5 percent to 10 percent of the company’s sales—at least $50 million—goes to AFOLs. And unlike children, AFOLs don’t age out of the target market. They just get more enthusiastic and buy more. So it turns out that selling Lego bricks to grown-ups is an important business. Furthermore, AFOLs tend to congregate online, so the groundswell is a great way to reach them. But not all AFOLs participate equally.

Among the most active and creative ...