Just yesterday, Best Buy ran full spreads in the nation’s top newspapers. No, it’s not what you think–nothing terrible had happened requiring a public apology, nor did the company want to dispel a myth or public rumor. The retailer was simply promoting the fact that they have something more to offer their customers: “happiness.” The advertisement was not promoting any product or service offering; rather, it was communicating the value that Best Buy has built into their brand. It’s about an experience that extends to all touchpoints. Twelpforce, for example, is a Twitter-based customer service line that extends the reach of the ”blue shirt” to thousands. Best Buy IdeaX (idea exchange) is a Web-based communication tool where customers can provide the ideas they think would help improve the buying experience, and many of those ideas are actually being realized and integrated.
And this leads me to the latest customer touch point that Modern Climate has helped produce for Best Buy. Last week the Digital Blue Shirt platform was launched in the Roseville and Minnetonka stores. The idea here is to provide the on-floor staff an added touch point to help the customer find the perfect computer. We all know that given too many choices and options, most of us tend to lock up and become disengaged. Having four or five choices is much more manageable than, say, 15 or 20. So the Digital Blue Shirt touch interactive will ask a few simple questions. In just a couple of minutes, the entire catalog of computers is distilled to the best match. Now, a comparison of features gives the customer the ability to make a decision and feel confident in it. After all, choosing the right product is what Best Buy is all about. It says so in their tagline, “Buyer be happy.”
The Digital Blue Shirt is a great example of how a brand not only says it cares about its customers, but it actually goes to the full extent to provide the experiences that make the promise a reality. Which is why the latest Best Buy advertisement is so great. It makes the brand relevant in its authenticity. It’s also the reason why Best Buy will win over the other category brands.
Tags: Best Buy, Brand, Digital Blue Shirt, touch
