How LEGO Won Adults Back — And What It Teaches Us About Podcast Marketing

Some brands don’t have an awareness problem. They have a relevance problem.

LEGO is one of those brands. Everyone knows it. Everyone grew up with it. But somewhere between college, careers, kids, and calendars, a lot of adults quietly filed LEGO under “kids’ stuff” and moved on.

The question LEGO had to answer wasn’t:“Do adults know who we are?”

It was:“Do adults still see themselves in us?”

The way they answered that question is a masterclass in why podcasts are becoming one of the most powerful tools in the modern marketer’s kit — and exactly why we’re investing in a podcast + multimedia studio at FREKWENCY.

The Real Insight: Adults Didn’t Stop Liking LEGO. They Just Forgot.

LEGO didn’t need to convince adults that building is fun. Adults already know that playing, making, tinkering, and focusing on something tactile feels good.

The problem was emotional positioning.

Most adults subconsciously put LEGO in a box labeled:

“For kids, nostalgia, and stepping on in the dark.”

So LEGO had to re-enter adult life in a way that didn’t feel:

• Forced (“Hey, you’re old now, but remember toys?”)

• Cringe (“We made a serious, grown-up LEGO campaign… please clap.”)

• Purely nostalgic (“Relive your childhood!”)

Instead of shouting, “We’re for adults now!” LEGO needed to quietly hand people permission to enjoy something they already loved — on their own terms.

Adults Don’t Respond to Ads. They Respond to Permission.

The older we get, the harder it is to justify “play.” Our days are measured in productivity, responsibilities, deadlines, and being “on” all the time.

So when a brand shows up as an ad, our guard is up.But when a brand shows up as permission — that’s different.

That permission rarely comes from the brand itself. It comes from a trusted voice.

A host. A personality.A voice you let into your ears on purpose — during your commute, your workout, your Sunday reset.

That’s where podcasts come in.

Why LEGO Turned to Podcasts — And Chose the Right Show

LEGO partnered with Global (the UK’s biggest audio group) and aligned with the podcast “At Your Leisure with Sue Perkins.”

On paper, it’s not a “LEGO show.”It’s a show about:

• Joy

• Hobbies

• Personal rituals

• Lighthearted self-discovery

In other words:Exactly the emotional territory where adult LEGO lives.

The brilliance wasn’t just “run some podcast ads.”It was contextual integration — placing the brand inside a show where the themes already matched what LEGO wanted to stand for in adults’ lives:

“Joyful focus.”“Adult creativity.”“Leisure you’re allowed to lean into.”

And they didn’t just slap a logo on it.The message was delivered by Sue Perkins — a voice with cultural warmth, credibility, and built-in trust.

This is important: people weren’t just hearing an ad. They were hearing Sue talk about LEGO in a way that fit the tone, content, and emotional vibe of the show.

The Results: Not Just Awareness — Identity

From an on-device brand lift study, LEGO saw:

• 📈 +3 ppt consideration

• 🔥 +7 ppt purchase intent

• 🎯 +8 ppt agreement with:

  “LEGO provides challenging and relevant sets for adults.”

That last line is the unlock.The campaign didn’t just make adults remember LEGO.

It made adults say:

“This is for me.”

That’s the power of the right message, in the right environment, from the right voice. The lift wasn’t just about brand metrics — it was about identity.

Adults didn’t just see LEGO again.They saw themselves in LEGO again.

Why Podcast Trust Hits Different

On paper, podcasts might not always win the reach war against big display, social, or video campaigns. But reach is only one piece of the puzzle.

Podcast trust is built on three things:

1. Relevance – The content matches what the listener already cares about.

2. Intimacy – Podcasts are often a one-to-one experience. AirPods in. World tuned out.

3. Timing – Listeners opt in during their own leisure moments — not when they’re trying to scroll, skim, or survive their inbox.

When a host you trust speaks authentically about a brand, inside a show you already love, during a moment you’ve chosen for yourself… that brand doesn’t feel like an interruption.

It feels like a recommendation.Or better yet — a permission slip.

“Hey, it’s okay to enjoy this again.”“Hey, this is for people like you.”

That’s the shift from product to lifestyle. From logo to identity.

What This Means for Your Brand

If you’re trying to re-engage adults — or reposition your brand for a new audience — you don’t just need more impressions.

You need more intentional impressions.

You need to:

• Stop interrupting people’s leisure.

• Start showing up inside it.

• Align with hosts and shows that share your brand’s emotional territory.

• Treat audio not as “ad space,” but as “relationship space.”

Whether you’re a B2B brand trying to become a trusted category voice, or a consumer brand looking to reconnect with lapsed fans… podcasts give you a format where long-form storytelling, personality, and emotional nuance actually have room to breathe.

How FREKWENCY Is Leaning In: Our Podcast + Multimedia Studio

At FREKWENCY, we’ve spent years helping brands amplify their story across web, video, social, and campaigns. The next logical step — and honestly, the most exciting one — is building a space where those stories can live in a deeper way.

That’s why we’re opening our own podcast + multimedia studio.

Our goal isn’t just to record “shows.”It’s to help brands:

• Develop podcast concepts that align with their audience’s real downtime — not just their job titles.

• Build host voices that feel credible, warm, and human — not scripted.

• Design integrations that feel contextual and organic, like LEGO on At Your Leisure, not like a mid-roll interruption.

• Capture video, clips, and social assets from each recording to extend the impact across channels.

In other words: we want to help you create the kind of content your audience chooses to spend time with — not the kind they skip past.

Ready to Be the Brand That Shows Up Inside Their Leisure?

If LEGO can reclaim adults by showing up inside their most joyful, reflective moments… what could your brand do with that same approach?

• What show could you belong inside?

• What host could be your trusted voice?

• What emotional territory do you want to own in your audience’s life — not just in their feed?

At FREKWENCY, we’re here to help you answer those questions — and then bring them to life in the studio.

Because if you want adults to reconsider your brand, don’t fight for a louder ad. Show up where they’re already listening.