Best Buy introduces 'spokeshologram' and a touch of magenta in new branding campaign
Published in Business News
Say hello to "Gram" and a touch of magenta.
Best Buy is perhaps best known right now for its blue-shirted tech experts — and that bright yellow tag that has been the Richfield-based electronics chain's signature since the 1980s.
But as the company enters a new era of AI technology, it is repositioning itself as more than just a place for expert advice. It wants to become more like a playground where gadget lovers can discover new technology and how it can help their lives.
To signal the evolution, Best Buy is refreshing its marketing. That yellow tag will still be there, but it's adding touches of magenta, teal and red. Its commercials will feature Gram, the retailer's "spokeshologram."
"We really still need to have expertise ... but [customers] are also looking to us to play a much bigger role in their lives and be a critical partner in discovering technology, learning about it, being inspired," said Jennie Weber, Best Buy's chief marketing officer, in an interview. "I think what you'll see is typically technology shows up as speeds and feeds and the size of the screen. And what we really want to do is humanize the tech for customers and show them those things that they just didn't know it could do."
Nowadays, many customers are already familiar with technology and have done a lot of research on their own, but they may need help figuring out how a piece of tech could be utilized to best support their lives, Weber said.
In June, Best Buy debuted the country's widest assortment of Microsoft's Copilot+ PCs AI-enhanced laptops, which propelled its share price to its highest value in a year. While many consumers have some knowledge of artificial intelligence, AI tools are being developed at a rapid pace and many need to learn how they can use it in their daily lives.
As part of the rebrand announced Tuesday, Best Buy has created a new tagline: "Imagine that." Best Buy will also create more experiential spaces from brands like GoPro, Tesla and modular furniture company Lovesac in hundreds of stores later this summer.
Best Buy recently updated its mobile app so customers visit a personalized homepage and discover tabs where they can explore new technology, use a "shop with videos" experience and figure out how to use rewards.
The retailer also has a partnership with tech review site CNET that will integrate the site's editorial advice on Best Buy's website and app, as well as its stores. Advertisers will also be able to share ad spaces across both Best Buy and CNET.
The company will still provide tech tips from store employees, but it also introduced more video content to help reach customers and a podcast series about innovators. More than 500 videos will be rolled out by the end of the year on the Best Buy YouTube channel.
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