- Best Buy today (July 23) has unveiled a brand refresh inclusive of a new brand character, refreshed color palette and tagline entitled “imagine that.,” based on details shared with Marketing Dive.
- The refresh and tagline are supposed to position Best Buy as a hub for locating new technologies. A more modern look is inclusive of a refreshed color palette that may see the addition of colours magenta, teal and red to its iconic blue and yellow branding.
- A new “spokeshologram,” aptly named Gram, will appear in ads, including for the back-to-school season, to assist spark customer curiosity. A concentrate on personalization rounds out the hassle, which arrives as tech spending continues to be sluggish.
Best Buy is vying to combat lackluster tech sales with a brand refresh that arrives in time for the back-to-school shopping season, which is again expected to be a rough period for tech marketers. Spending by parents is forecast to fall 11% yr over yr within the tech category as kids head back to high school, per Deloitte.
The unveiling of “imagine that.” is inspired by the evolving role that Best Buy plays in consumers’ lives, per release details. Consumers are looking less to the retailer for expertise, as a substitute seeking to it for help discovering new technology and understanding how it will possibly elevate their lives. The tagline is centered around asking consumers, “What if?,” an issue meant to assist showcase new possibilities for a way technology could be used.
“We’re embracing this alteration, and we’re enthusiastic about it, because we realize it’s where our customers want us to go,” said CMO Jennie Weber in release details.
A modernized version of the brand’s tag will show up across a wide range of channels. Notably, the brand can also be introducing Gram, a “spokeshologram” who can be an everyday character within the retailer’s ads to assist spark curiosity and help with discovery. The character stars in a series of comedic back-to-school ads spanning TV, online and social media platforms.
The broader decline in tech spending has been reflected in Best Buy’s results: The retailer in the primary quarter of its fiscal yr 2025 reported a 6.1% decline in comparable sales. Discussing the outcomes on an earnings call, CEO Corie Barry said Best Buy expects this yr “to be a yr of accelerating industry stabilization,” though the exec also noted that the retailer still faces challenges like inflation, high mortgage rates and the pull forward of tech purchases made in the course of the pandemic which have lowered current demand.
Along with its refresh, Best Buy can also be specializing in personalization, including with the recent rollout of new features for its app that include a Discover tab, a customized home page and personalized push notifications. The brand can also be making a new lineup of video content focused around discovery, tech suggestions, new products and more to satisfy the growing variety of its customers preferring video content when learning about technology, per release details. Over 500 videos — over thrice greater than what was shared last yr — can be rolled out by the tip of the yr on the brand’s YouTube channel, the Best Buy app and its website.
Best Buy this summer and fall will introduce more experiential spaces in tons of of its stores to showcase the newest tech, including from brands like GoPro, Tesla, Lovesac and Starlink. Through a partnership with Google Cloud, the retailer is specializing in offering more personalized tech experiences, including with a generative artificial intelligence (AI) virtual assistant. A partnership with CNET may even allow Best Buy to integrate editorial advice through various stages of the shopper journey, including online, in-store and via the Best Buy app.
With the announcement of its refresh, Best Buy joins a swath of others, starting from Verizon to Kraft Heinz’ Mio to Manischewitz, who’ve similarly sought a new search for 2024. The company also joins others seeking to capitalize on the critical back-to-school shopping period, with marketers including Amazon, Urban Outfitters and stationary brand BIC amongst those that have recently debuted splashy campaigns.
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