Dive Brief:
- Best Buy on Monday announced a holiday campaign focused heavily around creator partnerships and sports, per details shared with sister publication Marketing Dive. The effort also includes the return of Gram, the brand’s “spokeshologram,” who appears in a variety of ad spots.
- Among the brand’s efforts are partnerships with YouTube talk show “Hot Ones” and content creator Binging With Babish. The company is also partnering with over 200 influencers and will 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 first time. Ad spots will run during 30 different NFL games, and Best Buy will debut special spots during Netflix’s two Christmas Day games.
Dive Insight:
Best Buy has been increasing its focus on creators, having already doubled the amount of storefronts available through its creator program since it launched in April. To amplify its creator strategy during 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 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 is also featuring influencers in its CTV ads for the first time this holiday season, including through a tie-up with lifestyle creator Jenny Reimold. That strategy has similarly been used by brands including State Farm, Poppi and CeraVe. A focus on creators could help Best Buy reach a wider audience and grow loyalty during a holiday season that will likely require an intentional marketing strategy, with consumers expected to spend 10% less than they did in 2024, per Deloitte.
The return of brand character Gram is another key feature of the retailer’s holiday marketing. Gram was first introduced last July and also appeared in Best Buy’s 2024 holiday campaign to showcase how technology can elevate important 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 variety of holiday gifts one dad purchased for his family, including a Nintendo Switch, Oura Ring and Beats headphones. A reindeer figurine is also observing the gifts, but once the dad appears and bites into a reindeer cookie, the figurine’s tone shifts (“oh deer,” she says).
A third 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 holidays before reminiscing on last year’s holiday, when he became a chew toy to the family’s dog.
Best Buy is also teaming with popular YouTube talk show “Hot Ones” for the first time. “Hot Ones” has recently become a popular avenue for brands looking to plug into culture. Another partnership features Binging With Babish, a content creator and home 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 set to hit theaters.
In another bid to reach a wide audience, Best Buy will be airing ad spots that include its Gram character during 30 different NFL games through the holidays, including on Thanksgiving Day during the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens game. It will also unveil special ad spots on Christmas Day during the two games that will be streamed on Netflix. Additionally, Best Buy will run ads on platforms including ESPN, Peacock and Telemundo to connect with fans of professional basketball and soccer.
Best Buy reported revenue growth of 1.6% year over year to about $9.4 billion during its second quarter. The company is scheduled to report its third-quarter earnings on Nov. 25.