Lego Is Germany's Favourite Brand Again
Updated: 1 day ago
Lego has been named Germany's Brand of the Year for 2026 in the YouGov/Handelsblatt ranking, topping a field of 961 brands across 32 categories and pushing drugstore chain dm into second — a reminder that in branding, boring consistency beats brilliant reinvention.
A familiar name back on top
Lego has reclaimed the number-one spot in the YouGov 'Marken des Jahres' ranking for Germany, assessed across 961 brands in 32 categories and measured on how consumers actually perceive them. It displaces dm, the drugstore chain, with other perennial favourites like PayPal in the mix. For a brand of Lego's age, staying this beloved is itself the achievement.
What stands out is not novelty but durability. Lego does not top these rankings by reinventing itself every year; it does so by being relentlessly, recognisably itself across decades.
Why consistency out-performs reinvention
Brands that endure share a discipline most marketers find hard: they resist the urge to constantly change. Lego's colours, logo, play pattern and tone have stayed remarkably stable, so every new product, film and partnership deposits into the same brand account rather than starting a new one. Consistency compounds; reinvention resets.
It also spans generations. The adults buying Lego today played with it as children, and are now introducing it to their own — a flywheel of familiarity that no single clever campaign could manufacture. Trust like that is built in decades, not quarters.
The lesson for your brand
The temptation to refresh, rebrand and chase the new is constant, and often counter-productive. Before you change your logo, your tone or your tagline, ask what equity you would be throwing away. Distinctive assets are only valuable if you keep them long enough to become memorable.
Consistency is not the same as stagnation. Lego innovates constantly in products and partnerships — but always inside a stable brand frame. Change the offering; protect the identity. That is how a toy becomes a national favourite for generations.
Quick FAQ
What is the YouGov Brand of the Year ranking?
It is an annual YouGov/Handelsblatt study measuring how German consumers perceive brands - for 2026 assessed across 961 brands in 32 categories, with Lego taking the top spot ahead of dm.
Why does Lego keep topping brand rankings?
Through disciplined consistency: stable distinctive assets and tone that compound across generations, so every new product and partnership reinforces the same brand rather than resetting it.
Lego doesn't win these rankings by reinventing itself - it wins by refusing to. Its colours, logo and play pattern have barely changed in decades, so everything new deposits into the same brand account. Most marketers itch to refresh and rebrand. Lego's lesson is the opposite: protect what makes you recognisable. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
Change your offering constantly, but protect your distinctive identity - consistency compounds while reinvention resets.
What distinctive brand asset have you kept long enough for it to actually become memorable?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: YouGov, Handelsblatt, Campaign Germany, W&V.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
