Best Buy introduces ‘spokeshologram’ and a hint of magenta in new branding campaign

Say hello to “Gram” and a touch of magenta.

Best Buy is perhaps best known 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 artificial intelligence and other technology, it is repositioning itself as more than just a place for expert advice. It wants to become more like a tech lab or playground where gadget lovers can discover new technology and how it can enrich 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 to the background of its branding materials. Best Buy’s commercials will feature Gram, the retailer’s “spokeshologram.” Plus, many Best Buy stores will also incorporate more ways for customers to learn and try out new tech.

“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. “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 much of the hottest tech 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.

Best Buy’s core business has been in a state of flux as electronics sales have slowed industrywide in the past two years. Yet company leaders have hinted to a resurgence in electronics demand as consumers begin to replace items they might have purchased during the pandemic.

While some marketing changes like adding a new gradient of colors might seem insignificant, even small changes can signal culture shifts and modernization, said Kim Sovell, a marketing professor at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business.

“It is simple, but it still changes that perception of your business so it influences consumer decisions,” she said.

As Best Buy has put less emphasis on the price tag in its logo over the years, it shows that it is a more digital forward brand that isn’t strictly just about ringing up customers, she said.

“Yes, we’re the same Best Buy if you want to come in and buy stuff but we are also moving forward,” Sovell 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 there is still a steep learning curve for many people on how AI can be used 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.

“We will be touching every single store experience in the chain and improving those and creating experiences where customers can come in, see product, test it, learn what it will do for them,” Weber said.

Best Buy has already converted some of its stores to full experiential stores with large areas to showcase emerging products like e-bikes and wellness solutions.

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 with personalized video content and figure out how to use rewards.

The retailer also has a partnership with tech review site CNET, which customers have identified as a top tech source, that will integrate the site’s editorial advice on Best Buy’s website and app, as well as its stores. Sovell said she hadn’t heard of a similar partnership between a media company and a retailer. Advertisers will also be able to share ad spaces across both Best Buy and CNET.

The company has also introduced more video content to help reach customers including 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, the Best Buy app and BestBuy.com.