Best Buy, the leading consumer tech retailer in the U.S., and Roku, have teamed up in many ways to create a better TV experience – from selling Roku TVs exclusively at Best Buy to a new ads partnership.¹ But when it comes to its own marketing campaigns, Best Buy Ads has also leveraged the unique content and innovative ad formats that Roku has to offer.
By being the premiere sponsor of Roku’s show Idea House: Mountain Modern, Best Buy Ads aimed to reach homeowners, in-market buyers and home TV enthusiasts in a new and compelling way – all with the goal of increasing awareness and consideration for Best Buy.
The challenge
The Best Buy Ads team wanted a unique TV advertising solution to capture viewer attention in a way that goes beyond traditional 15- or 30-second ads. That’s why Best Buy Ads teamed up with Roku Brand Studio for a bespoke program, integrating into a brand-new, original home improvement TV show to showcase Best Buy as the go-to retailer for innovative tech solutions for the entire home.
The approach
Best Buy Ads and Roku teamed up together to have Best Buy organically integrated into The Roku Channel’s original series Idea House: Mountain Modern. Part of the This Old House franchise, the show follows Jared and Amber Pfifer, a husband-and-wife team building a home in the Rocky Mountains. As they design their home, Best Buy's virtual and home experts make several on-camera appearances to offer product and design advice.
With Best Buy’s assistance, Jared and Amber add indoor and outdoor cameras, home security systems, innovative kitchen appliances, TV and entertainment solutions, and more. They also outfit the home with office and home gym products.
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Best Buy Ads also worked with Roku Brand Studio to co-produce custom content like vignettes touting their virtual store offering that ran ahead of ad breaks. To make the series easy for streamers to find, Best Buy Ads sponsored native ads on the Roku homescreen that drove viewers into a branded destination of the series just in one click.
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“Idea House: Mountain Modern’s premise was a great fit for Best Buy and allowed us to showcase Best Buy’s expertise and services in an authentic way to an audience of knowledgeable home improvement TV fans,” said Anna Kruse, VP of media, performance, and activation at Best Buy.
The results
Best Buy Ads’ brand integration helped streamers differentiate Best Buy’s unique value as a retailer and smart home offerings, while also successfully helping Roku streamers find this new show.
1.3M Roku streamers clicked Best Buy’s homescreen ad units to be driven into the show playlist experience. Meanwhile, among consumers who are in-market for electronics and appliances over the next six months, the integration led to a 25% lift in agreement with the phrase, "Best Buy is a brand for someone like me." Best Buy also saw a 13% increase in consideration intent among those exposed to its custom vignettes. Finally, the overall campaign led to a 9% lift in agreement with the phrase, “Best Buy is different from other retailers.”²
“The campaign showed how Best Buy is different and unique — and drove deep engagement with home improvement TV fans. Best Buy’s innovative virtual store experience brought to life for viewers one of the many ways that Best Buy can help them with their tech, including the next time they’re looking for appliances or electronics, or doing a bigger home renovation,” said Sarah Monahan, head of retail, ad sales at Roku.
“This was all fueled by Best Buy Ads’ ability to tell a deeper story than a traditional 30-second commercial with an engaging, full-funnel content program.”
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¹ By hours streamed, Dec 2022, Hypothesis Group
² Kantar Millward Brown Brand Lift Study, 2023; Campaign Flight: July – December 2022
