Best Buy Having Fun with Social Media
One of the great benefits for big brands that has come from the rise of social media is the revolution it has created in the communications industry. It’s now possible for brands to communicate directly with stakeholders in a much quicker, more human and arguably more effective way than ever before.
A recent example of just how far things have come happened a couple weeks ago between electronics retailer Best Buy and Gizmodo, one of the Web’s most-visited and influential resources of news and information on tech gadgets. Gizmodo blogger Adam Frucci posted a humorous, if unflattering, article about the seven types of employees that one can find at virtually any Best Buy in America, ranging from the “infuriatingly chipper and perky” customer service girl to the “terrifying loss-prevention guy” who will “snap your neck” if you cross him.
The damage to Best Buy’s brand from Gizmodo’s article on its own was probably pretty minimal. There’s nothing particularly incendiary or controversial in the story, but it adds to a perception that may exist among some consumers that having to deal with a Best Buy employee might not be a very fun experience.
In the pre-social media world, the PR and marketing teams might do one of the following things to quell any damage that such a story could cause: 1) Create a campaign combining PR and advertising to educate the general consumer, as well as Gizmodo and other media “gatekeepers” about the diversity of employees and their unique skill sets; 2) Ignore the story altogether if the impact is perceived to be low; or 3) In the worst case scenario, ”blacklist” the outlet, i.e., stop offering important news to the blog and pull any advertising dollars in favor of competing outlets.
But Best Buy took a different approach, made possible by the changing media and technology landscape. CMO Barry Judge posted a blog the next day about the characteristics of the “typical Gizmodo blogger,” which was equally funny, if not funnier than Gizmodo’s. You can read it for yourself here.
Comments to Best Buy’s blog and general feedback have been positive for the brand. Social media, namely a blog, provided the platform for Best Buy to create a lighthearted and funny riposte, underscoring how social media is driving people and brands to communicate online in a way much more akin to how we interact in the offline world.
It will be interesting to see how brands continue to evolve their communications strategies in light of the technological revolution taking place. It appears Best Buy’s evolution is well under way.