It was a simple proposition: Get a job at Best Buy.

A few months ago at the 4A’s, Tom Carroll challenged planners to get out there and get their hands dirty. Just recently, Scott Stanner from TBWA\Chiat\Day in LA did just that for our Pioneer client.

He became a part-time employee at the infamous American electronic superstore, Best Buy.

He tells us his story:

It was a simple proposition: Get a job at Best Buy.


The objective was to give the Pioneer team insight into the culture surrounding the Brand’s largest sales channel. Scott called it: Project Blue Shirt (because all Best Buy employees must wear blue shirts). Here’s what he focused on:

- How Pioneer was perceived in the retail environment and how their products were sold on the floor
- Ways Pioneer could influence the retail environment
- The lifestyles and behaviors of flat panel shoppers
- The lifestyles and behaviors of Best Buy sales associates
- The typical consumer mindset at purchase

We needed to know more about what really goes on in the retail environment. Conventional account planning would consist
of interviewing Best Buy sales associates, perhaps chatting with consumers as they enter, or conducting focus groups.
All of that can be incredibly tedious and monotonous. So, Scott decided to work in the home theater department at Best Buy
for a month and document the experience. This wasn’t "work in Taco Bell for a day," it was palpable and concrete. Scott
got to witness the sights, sounds and smells of the Best Buy floor over an extended period of time. Here is what Scott said about his experience: “From the first orientation/team meeting I was called in at 7:30 a.m. on a Sunday, I knew I was in for a one-of-a-kind experience. After some initial hazing – including being called up in front of the entire store to act out the song 'YMCA' by the Village People – I was able to settle in and get a deep look inside the culture of the employees and the typical consumer moods and anxiety levels as they shopped for a flat panel TV.

"As the job progressed, I injected myself into the employee culture and cultivated relationships with the managers, fellow sales associates, warehouse workers and security guards. The internal culture was well defined and vibrant. Employees buy into the Best Buy brand – a positive atmosphere where employees are friends, you can let your personality hang out, and you’re recognized for your enthusiasm. Individual store pride is almost collegiate in its intensity.

"The impact of Best Buy on American culture is pretty remarkable. From the 40-Year-Old Virgin to the wealth of videos on YouTube, Best Buy represents a unique gathering place that can bring out the best and worst in people. I was exposed to the full gamut: harsh, frustrated and exasperated people as well as genuinely nice, patient shoppers. "But this is only a snippet of the experience. I also suffered a bit of identity loss, an increase in alcohol intake and a permanent aversion to the Village People. But I’d do it again."

Thank you, Scott, for sharing this story.
All too often we get stuck in our own world, never finding time to discover anyone else’s – most importantly, our audience's.

http://www.tbwa.com/content/pdf_store/7/TBWA__Thursday_by_JMD_1969_344.pdf