Best Buy's newest campaign focuses on the small, everyday wins made possible by technology.

Ads debuting this week include “Foolproof” and “Hammock." The first features a young single man looking to impress his dinner date. When a Best Buy team member offers him the “foolproof” solution of sous vide, a low and slow preparation method aided in the commercial by a high tech immersion cooker, he impresses his date so wildly she feels compelled to ask if he really made the dish himself. “Hammock” is another sweet scene, showing a Best Buy employee on the phone with a highly satisfied customer who has perfected his office setup equipped with an espresso machine, below-desk hammock, and ambient LED lights. 

“In this campaign, we made a conscious effort to make the customer the hero in their own story,” says Molly Kinsella, VP for creative services at Best Buy. “It’s about those simple and sometimes small wins in your day that have a surprisingly big impact. We’re tapping into the emotion and feeling of achievement that you can feel when something goes just right.”

The campaign launches after a transformative year. In February, Best Buy launched a new store format that halved its store footprint in some markets in order to accommodate and encourage e-commerce and online ordering. The brand saw a strong second quarter, performing better than expected with a 21% rise in same-store sales. Though Best Buy was initially uncertain about how spending habits would change in light of the ever-evolving pandemic, the company in August estimated same-store sales growth in a range of 9% to 11% this year.

“More than anything, I think the pandemic helped our customers realize how big of a role technology plays in our lives,” says Kinsella. “The pandemic helped shine a spotlight on the need for tech to work together and for Best Buy to be the source they can rely on help make that happen. It’s also given our customers a sense of independence. They can brew their own perfect cup of coffee without having to walk to the coffee shop or can create their own backyard movie night without heading to the theater.”

The Best Buy creative team paired up with Academy Award nominee Darius Marder ("Sound of Metal") to produce the two commercials. Additional ad plans include social, audio and digital.

Subscribe to Ad Age now for the latest industry news and analysis.