LEGO bricks are the world’s favorite toys. According to Brand Finance, it is “the toy industry’s most valuable and strongest brand.” What’s the marketing secret behind a handful of colorful plastic bricks?
On June 9, BBA MARK & MGTO alumnus Kenny SHAM, Head of Marketing of The LEGO Group, shared his experience at the HKUST Business School Ideas Lunch Series – Alumni Online Sharing. Kenny’s marketing teacher, Professor Anirban MUKHOPADHYAY, Chair Professor, Lifestyle International Professor of Business, Associate Dean of the School, moderated the event.
Kenny’s dialogue with Professor MUKHOPADHYAY kicked off by exploring his marketing strategies to navigate through Hong Kong’s current events and COVID-19. With so much complex emotion built up from the disruptions, positivity, creativity, and agility were keys for Kenny and his team to keep developing meaningful and positive marketing campaigns. As a regional leader, Kenny emphasized on maintaining local relevance.
During the Q&A session, Kenny shared that LEGO had been conducting extensive research to prepare the brand to evolve with technology. While physical play remained an important aspect of a child’s early development, consumers’ appetite for digital content increased drastically over the years. The pandemic also sped up the transition into the digital era drastically. On the product development side, Kenny shared that he and his teams have been working hard to introduce local Chinese elements to this Danish brand.
Throughout the webinar, Kenny also touched on his personal experience transitioning from a sales role into a marketing expert. He felt that gaining hard skills is more important for junior positions to excel and progress onto senior roles, where one can pick up the art of people skills.
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