- Best Buy today (Nov. 3) announced a holiday campaign focused heavily around creator partnerships and sports, per details shared with Marketing Dive. The effort also includes the return of Gram, the brand’s “spokeshologram,” who appears in quite a lot of ad spots.
- Among the brand’s efforts are partnerships with YouTube talk show “Hot Ones” and content creator Binging With Babish. The company can also be partnering with over 200 influencers and can feature creator storefronts to provide gifting inspiration.
- The campaign spans digital, social and connected TV, with ads on the latter channel featuring influencers for the primary time. Ad spots will run during 30 different NFL games, and Best Buy will debut special spots during Netflix’s two Christmas Day games.
Best Buy has been increasing its focus on creators, having already doubled the quantity of storefronts available through its creator program because it launched in April. To amplify its creator strategy through the holiday season, Best Buy is partnering with over 200 influencers, who will share their favorite and latest tech purchases from the retailer. Creator storefronts from the retailer’s Best Buy Creator Program will probably be featured on its Gift Center landing page. Featured creators will include Judner Aura, Jenna Ezarik, Just Josh Tech, Julia Crist and more.
Best Buy can also be featuring influencers in its CTV ads for the primary time this holiday season, including through a tie-up with lifestyle creator Jenny Reimold. That strategy has similarly been utilized by brands including State Farm, Poppi and CeraVe. A spotlight on creators could help Best Buy reach a wider audience and grow loyalty during a holiday season that can likely require an intentional marketing strategy, with consumers expected to spend 10% less than they did in 2024, per Deloitte.
The return of name character Gram is one other key feature of the retailer’s holiday marketing. Gram was first introduced last July and in addition appeared in Best Buy’s 2024 holiday campaign to showcase how technology can elevate essential seasonal moments.
Key to the campaign are a series of ads, including “Freeze,” a 30-second spot that follows Gram as he touts the convenience of Best Buy’s doorbuster deals to a Santa figurine that has come to life. In “Cookie,” viewers see the range of holiday gifts one dad purchased for his family, including a Nintendo Switch, Oura Ring and Beats headphones. A reindeer figurine can also be observing the gifts, but once the dad appears and bites right into a reindeer cookie, the figurine’s tone shifts (“oh deer,” she says).
A 3rd spot, “Cozy,” stars Gram alongside a snowman stuffed decoration propped on the mantle, who admires the tech that his family of humans purchased to streamline the vacations before reminiscing on last yr’s holiday, when he became a chew toy to the family’s dog.
Best Buy can also be teaming with popular YouTube talk show “Hot Ones” for the primary time. “Hot Ones” has recently grow to be a well-liked avenue for brands looking to plug into culture. Another partnership features Binging With Babish, a content creator and residential chef. The host, Andrew Rea, will create movie-themed dishes from “A Minecraft Movie,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and more. To plug into the hype surrounding the “Wicked” universe, the retailer will take over all related content and communities on Fandom.com, timed to when sequel “Wicked: For Good” is ready to hit theaters.
In one other bid to reach a large audience, Best Buy will probably be airing ad spots that include its Gram character during 30 different NFL games through the vacations, including on Thanksgiving Day through the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens game. It can even unveil special ad spots on Christmas Day through the two games that will probably be streamed on Netflix. Additionally, Best Buy will run ads on platforms including ESPN, Peacock and Telemundo to connect with fans of skilled basketball and soccer.
Best Buy reported revenue growth of 1.6% yr over yr to about $9.4 billion during its second quarter. The company is scheduled to report its third-quarter earnings on Nov. 25.
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