Unexpected Brand Partnerships Are the Future of Marketing

Over the last decade, Cristina Liquori has built a career based on culture, trust and support... one tiny plastic brick at a time. Cristina began her Lego career in 2011 as a marketing assistant and would move on to roles in brand management and customer development before working in digital and brand marketing in the U.K. and Ireland. In January 2021, Cristina became head of U.S. marketing at The LEGO Group, where she recently worked on projects such as the "Rebuild the World" campaign and helping the company become a more diverse and inclusive workplace. Learn more about Cristina's career path, her time being a part of the Adweek Executive Mentorship Program, and the innovation in marketing she is most exited about. Adweek: How did you get to where you are today? Any noteworthy "Aha!" moments along the way? CL: Two things come to mind: hard work and other people’s support. I have had a string of leaders, mentors, peers, etc. who have supported me, championed my work, spoken on my behalf or mentioned my name in rooms where there are opportunities, and for that I’m extremely grateful. They have built my confidence and simultaneously humbled me. To earn that sponsorship, I always put in the hard work to ensure I’m prepared for those opportunities and deserving of that support. My biggest "Aha!" moment has been that we do nothing alone—so much of our success is the network and community we build, and I am grateful for the community I have found at The LEGO Group. What's the most innovative thing you recently worked on? There is a campaign we did this year in Spanish called "Sigue Imaginando." It is an extension of our "Rebuild the World" campaign, and it stands for the benefits of play, imagination and creativity, all through the fun of building and rebuilding with Lego bricks. It has been innovative based on the way we have worked to understand the audience, partnered with experts in the space, and expressed our brand promise through unique creative in a way that we never have before. What new or up-and-coming innovation(s) are you most excited about, and how do you think it will change the future of marketing? I’m really excited about the innovation that is happening in the unexpected brand partnership space, including both in marketing activation and product integration. In the near future, shoppers, families and kids will want solutions from brands that are more integrated, convenient and exciting than ever. This will require brand partnerships that might never have been considered in the past. The Lego Group has dabbled in this space as a global organization in our partnerships with the likes of Adidas or Levi’s. But I would say the future of marketing will be about pushing those boundaries even further. And the brilliant part is that the consumer benefits from the innovation—we’ve seen this with Apple+Nike, Starbucks and Spotify, or the brilliant offerings from Airbnb with many different partners. I’m so excited to see which brands that I love will partner next. What’s one piece of work from your career that you’re the proudest of? It is hard to choose and, as I mentioned, one never does anything alone. So I might choose a team effort from our U.K. marketing team in 2019 around our launch of "Rebuild the World" for the holiday season. We sought to find a way to bring the magic of the campaign message to life in a locally relevant way. That came to be in an activation called the "12 Rebuilds of Christmas," an installation of creative and imaginative Lego brick models at The Savoy Hotel in London. The Dragon Christmas tree was even voted best Christmas Tree in London that year. I am proud of it because of the team that worked on it and the children it inspired who saw it in person and through content. Was there ever a time where you questioned your career path? How did you handle that? There was a time where cross-functional experience was highly valued, and so I made the jump to sales from marketing. I doubted at the time that it was what I would want longer term, but in hindsight, the experience has made me a far better marketer than I could ever be without that experience. I did not know it at the time, but it put me in the center of our journey into investing in retail media. That then opened up a pathway into digital marketing for a time, an experience that now is obviously highly relevant. Sometimes you can’t over-plan your career, you just need to jump and see where it takes you. What is one skill that you think is currently underdeveloped in Marketing? I have to say playfulness. My favorite campaigns and activations are the ones that do not take themselves too seriously, while also having deep meaning behind them, and that is the same as play. It doesn’t feel like work; it feels fun, but really, it is benefiting you longer term. I think more of us could use play in our process of campaign planning. How do you pick and develop the talent on your team? I have been lucky to always work alongside extremely talented teams. On the occasion I do get to pick talent, I am always happy to be surrounded by those who exhibit curiosity, bravery and focus. I find asking the right questions at the right time often unlocks the next brilliant opportunity in front of us, bravery gives us the courage to go after it, and focus gives us the resilience to actually get the work done. The last thing I would say is caring. Caring is a value of The LEGO Group, and when your team cares for the business, the brand and each other, that’s often a recipe for success. What's one way that you predict marketing will change as more people begin traveling/going out again? If I could predict this, I would have a different job. But one way I hope it changes is that we have a reckoning with marketing that matters and advertising that gets noticed because of its impact. I think people will look for advertising that is bringing something positive to the world. I think we more than ever are going to think about how our ads benefit our audience no matter where they are interacting with it. What’s the first post to come to mind when you hear “best-in-class social”? Innocent Drinks always come to mind. We had the pleasure of meeting with their team in London, and they were truly inspiring. Their “Blue Drink” campaign is absolutely brilliant, but they are also incredibly funny on a day-to-day basis. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? “Don’t work too hard.” My father would say [that] to me on the way out the door most mornings. Coming from someone who I know absolutely expects me to work hard, it has been the permission I have needed throughout my life to not be too hard on myself. Even those of us who value “hard work” need a break, rest, recovery. This advice has always kept me balanced, and I still value it today. You're also part of the Adweek Executive Mentorship Program. What has been the biggest takeaway from your time with your mentor? I have been lucky enough to have two mentors as part of the Adweek Executive Mentorship Program. Josh Dean and Rodney Williams have been two of the most inspiring people I’ve encountered in my career. Josh made me pause when he asked me, “What’s important in your life?” He did not want to know about my career path, my skills, my experience—rather, he centered our conversation in values and my own view of success. I am thankful for his extremely human approach to mentoring marketers. Rodney has been equally inspiring in helping me to find ways to stay connected in the industry. He has influenced me to think about how you can also build community outside of your team, company or even industry. He really moved me to refocus my energy and attention to stay connected with others from whom I can constantly learn. Why Building Communities Should Start With Fortifying Brand Love Through Relationships

Innovators

Expect Unexpected Brand Partnerships, Says The LEGO Group's Head of US Marketing

Cristina Liquori on her career path, the future of the industry and more

Al Mannarino

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