Best Buy Finds Its Colors and Hopes Shoppers Will, Too

There are certain visual shorthand elements in American retailing that require no explanation: the Target bullseye, the Walmart spark, the Amazon smile that doubles as an arrow. Best Buy would very much like its yellow price tag to join that company.

The electronics retailer on Wednesday unveiled a holiday campaign called "Open More" that places its blue-and-yellow color scheme, and particularly the familiar yellow tag, at the center of the proceedings. The campaign, which begins Nov. 1, is meant to suggest what happens after the unwrapping — learning a hobby, starting a side business, hosting family game night — rather than simply the transaction itself.

"We almost wanted to think about this as part holiday campaign, but really, part brand campaign," said Marty Senn, the senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Best Buy. "You'll notice we're stripped down to just our really primary blue and yellow colors. We really are keying off of the tag almost as a portal."

(A portal to consumer electronics. One imagines a wardrobe, but instead of Narnia, there are Bluetooth speakers.)

The campaign was developed by Best Buy's in-house creative team working with the agencies Rise and Shine and Partners and Accenture Song. Television spots were directed by Chris Barrett and Luke Taylor through the production company Reset, and will run across television, social media, and digital video through the holiday season.

In what has become an annual ritual for marketers seeking to reach younger consumers through means other than thirty-second spots, Best Buy is also enlisting creators including Marques Brownlee, the technology reviewer, and Dude Perfect, the trick-shot collective, to produce content for TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. The retailer recently opened a TikTok Shop storefront, allowing viewers to purchase products without leaving the app.

Mr. Senn was careful to note that Best Buy does not wish to compete on price alone. "Value is going to be wildly top-of-mind for everybody this holiday season," he said, "and what we want to be careful of is we don't conflate it just with low prices."

Whether shoppers will see the yellow tag as a portal or simply a price remains, of course, their decision to make.

Original story published in Adweek: "Best Buy's Signature Yellow Tag Is the Star of New Holiday Campaign"