"The Future Advantage Won’t Come From Using More Technology": A Conversation with Lars Silberbauer, Former Senior Global Director of Digital at LEGO

In a world where brands compete not only with each other, but with creators, platforms, algorithms and shrinking attention spans, marketing has become far more than advertising. It’s now about cultural relevance, emotional connection and the ability to evolve without losing humanity.

Few people understand this shift better than Lars Silberbauer, award-winning global CMO and one of the leading voices in brand transformation and digital innovation. Known for leading LEGO’s global digital reinvention, Lars has also shaped marketing strategies for iconic organizations including MTV/Paramount, Nokia Phones and the International Olympic Committee. Ahead of his upcoming appearance, we spoke with Lars about AI, creativity, community building and what it truly takes to create brands that last longer than the next viral trend.

💡 From traditional media to digital transformation

Although his background is rooted in communication and media, Lars quickly realized he was drawn toward something much bigger than traditional advertising. "Media and communication taught me how culture moves. But digital transformation felt like being in the engine room while the entire world was being rebuilt in real time.”

For him, the shift toward digital wasn’t simply about technology. It was about understanding how brands suddenly found themselves competing with entirely new forms of attention: gaming, entertainment platforms, creators and constantly evolving digital behaviors. “That felt like a far more exciting creative challenge than simply making another TV commercial.”

🤖 Why emotional intelligence becomes more valuable in the AI era

As conversations around artificial intelligence continue to dominate the business world, Lars believes the real challenge isn’t technological capability, it’s preserving humanity in an increasingly automated landscape.

According to him, we are entering a period where execution becomes abundant, while genuine meaning becomes increasingly rare. “Technology can already produce content, optimise campaigns and analyse behaviour at incredible speed. But emotional truth, cultural instinct and genuine originality are still deeply human qualities.”

Rather than replacing human instinct, Lars sees AI as a powerful tool that should work quietly behind the scenes while brands focus more deeply on understanding people.

📊 Why communities outperform advertising budgets

While advertising can drive visibility, Lars argues that true brand strength comes from something much harder to buy: emotional ownership. “Advertising can buy attention. Communities create emotional ownership.”

This distinction becomes increasingly important in a digital world where consumers want participation, not passive messaging. A strong community transforms a brand from a company-owned asset into something people genuinely feel connected to.

“One disappears when the budget stops. The other compounds over decades.”

It’s a perspective that explains why some of today’s strongest brands focus less on campaigns and more on creating spaces where audiences feel involved, heard and represented.

👻 Why “weirdness” may become a competitive advantage

Despite advocating for innovation and AI-powered creativity, Lars warns against becoming too polished, too optimized and ultimately too forgettable. “If every brand starts sounding equally polished, optimised and machine-made, then weirdness becomes a competitive advantage.”

For him, the brands people truly love are rarely the most perfect ones. Instead, they are the brands willing to embrace personality, tension and emotional honesty.

In a market flooded with synthetic content, authentic imperfection may become one of the most valuable brand assets.

👉 What separates short-term hype from long-term relevance

One of the strongest ideas Lars returns to is the danger of optimizing only for short-term attention. While the internet rewards novelty and constant visibility, people still build long-term loyalty around trust, consistency and emotional relevance. “Most brands today are optimising for attention when they should be building meaning.”

His advice for companies hoping to remain relevant for decades is surprisingly simple: “Stop asking ‘How do we go viral?’ and start asking ‘What role do we genuinely play in people’s lives?’” Because ultimately, sustainable brands are built around usefulness, emotional connection and trust, not temporary spikes in engagement.

📢 Marketing needs fewer buzzwords and more humanity

When asked what advice he would give young marketers trying to find their voice in an overcrowded industry, Lars offers a refreshingly direct perspective. “Spend less time trying to sound like ‘a marketer’ and more time sounding like an actual human being.”

He believes much of today’s communication suffers from excessive corporate language and overcomplicated messaging. The people who truly stand out, he says, are usually those who combine clarity with curiosity and personality. “The people who stand out usually have clarity, personality and genuine curiosity about the world around them.”

💡 Final Takeaway

For Lars Silberbauer, the future belongs to brands that stay deeply human in an increasingly automated world. Technology may accelerate execution, but emotional connection, authenticity and cultural relevance are still what make people truly care.

🎤  Lars Silberbauer at Innovation Summit 

At Innovation Summit, Lars will take audiences behind the scenes of transformation inside global brands like LEGO, MTV, Nokia and The Olympics. Through real stories and practical insights, he’ll explore why iconic brands continue to reinvent themselves and why authenticity matters more than perfection in today’s fast-changing world.

📍 Join him live at Innovation Summit on June 15 at Nord Events Center by GlobalWorth.