As one of the world’s largest toymakers,
LEGO is building the future one brick at a time
Over the last year and a half,
I’ve done countless interviews
with companies in every
industry imaginable, ranging
from cosmetics and chemical materials to
AI and automobiles. But no company has
brought about such strong feelings of
nostalgia like LEGO. In an era where
people are glued to their cellphones
(including yours truly) and everything is
becoming digitized, LEGO Group’s
brightly colored toy bricks continue to
appeal to kids and the kids at heart.
LEGO bricks are part of a “universal system”,
meaning that regardless of the year
it was made and the set it belongs to, each
piece is compatible with existing pieces.
So a LEGO brick from 1965 would still
interlock with one made in 2017. It’s this
kind of connection with the past, present
and future that brings about endless possibilities
and creative expression for the
consumer. LEGO lovers have let their
imagination fly over the years, building
everything from real houses and life-size
forests to even a braille printer for the
blind.
LEGO Korea’s General Manager Bo
H. Kristensen hopes to continue this tradition
of challenging both young and old
consumers to think outside the blocks. As
the most innovative country on earth,
Korea provided an ideal business and
consumer environment for the company.
Here’s what Kristensen had to say about
the company’s success in Korea.
Our company name LEGO derived
from the Danish phrase ‘leg godt’, which
translates into ‘play well’.
The LEGO Group is a privately held,
family-owned company with headquarters
in Billund, Denmark, and main
offices in the United States, United
Kingdom, China and Singapore. Founded
in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, and
based on the iconic LEGO brick, it is one
of the world's leading manufacturers of
play materials.
Guided by the company spirit: "Only
the best is good enough”, the company is
committed to the development of children
and aims to inspire and develop the
builders of tomorrow through creative
play and learning. LEGO products are
sold worldwide.
LEGO Korea Co., Ltd. was founded in
1984 currently focusing on sales, marketing
and customer service. Think of us as
the LEGO Group being in Korea. We
operate at the same level as we do in
Denmark.
Korea is one of the most important
markets in Asia due to its unique environment—
a great market to learn from and
apply globally within the LEGO Group.
When it comes to toys, Korea is a highly
advanced and dynamic market that
requires companies to adapt to its speed.
In our view, this is mainly driven by
Korean consumers as they are more
attracted to quality contents.
In addition, the educational aspect for
kids plays an enormous role within Korea
—an area where LEGO can support and help in the long-term.
When elaborating a
bit more on quality, the retail space is
more than developed compared to other
developed markets. One of our key executives
visited Korea at the end of last year
and he was shocked with the high retail
standards.
All this is only possible thanks to the
high level of workforce in Korea. I have
the privilege of working with exceptional
team members here in Korea as they have
the ability to assess and view any situation
from various perspectives, especially
cross-culturally. They also bring broad
business acumen and understanding, as
well as an open-minded perspective that
serves Koreans as well as non-Koreans
equally.
When it comes to Korean toy companies,
they have an enormous potential of
cultural impact outside of Korea. Their
recent moves are a great way to influence
other markets backed by unique and fun
stories in relation to their products.
LEGO also has its unique characteristics
of unlimited play—only limited by
your own imagination. Its expandability
goes beyond just products. It can expand
to other sectors such as movies, exhibitions,
cultural content, education and
many more.
The key challenge was and still is
delivering the true value of LEGO.
LEGO is beyond toys as we try to convey
the true play culture—imagination, creativity,
fun, learning, caring and quality.
Korean consumers are aware of the
LEGO brand and its educational values.
But awareness on the social aspect—creating
something together and sharing
them—of LEGO is still missing. We
want to change it.
Let me give you an example. I have
heard that Korean parents laminate our
building instructions so that their kids can
rebuild our LEGO sets over and over
again. But the core value of LEGO is not
about just following the instructions in a
LEGO set. It’s about putting all the bricks
in one box and creating something totally
new based on your own imagination.
We have a very close relationship with our local retail partner. Our relationship goes years back with strong foundation that mutually benefits both parties. Based on the LEGO Group’s brand framework, we uphold our highest respect towards
our partners to fulfill our partner promise, which is to create mutual value. When it comes to working together, trust is crucial and this goes both ways.
Our primary goal is to reach out to as many kids as possible to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow. To reach our goal, it is important to promote the joy of building and pride of creation. Key values that we envision for the future of kids in Korea is imagination, creativity, fun, learning, caring and quality.
