As we continue our Cannes Lions series, Alan Hart and David Sandstrom, chief marketing officer at Klarna, discuss how embracing change, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), and balancing data-driven efficiency with creativity are shaping the future of marketing and brand-building.

Klarna is a financial technology company that is well-known for its "buy now, pay later" (BNPL) options. David highlights the macroeconomic trends that he believes are contributing to the growth of BNPL, while also sharing Klarna’s efforts to diversify their offerings with digital banking and mobile phone plans. Innovation and experimentation are core to Klarna’s culture, and can be seen in initiatives like their interactive customer hotline featuring an AI avatar of their chief executive officer.

David also outlines how he and his team encourage employees to use AI internally by actively measuring AI usage, using it as a team daily, and challenging team members to complete tasks that would be impossible without it. However, despite Klarna embracing AI usage and adopting new technologies, David emphasizes the essential role of human creativity in creating resonant messaging. He also discusses his interest in “anti-trends” like long-form content as open spaces to build brands and tell stories.