It might be a slight understatement to say that Best Buy hasn’t had one of its best opening quarters compared to the last few years. On January 31^st, almost 900 employees around Canada went to work to find that many of the Best Buy doors were closed until further notice. Why? Some analysts chalked it up to “lousy customer service” which contributed to the tanking in-store purchasing, while others lamented over the statistics from the post-Christmas shopping season. With this sort of backlash in the news being released into the public, it is hard for Best Buy to maintain customer loyalty while the threat of online-shopping seems to be more alarming than ever.

But no fear to be had… Best Buy released its coveted Superbowl commercial just days later which starred Amy Poehler, a famed comedian following her success as a writer, actress and recent Golden Globe stint, in an attempt to promote Best Buy’s in-house sales and attract other members, such as females, who may not be frequent shoppers at the store.

To counter Cowan’s article (see: first link), Poehler endorses the fact that Best Buy employees are ready to help by bombarding questions to the ‘expert’ in the span of a 60-second commercial. This type of social referencing in Best Buy’s marketing can be quite effective by narrowing the burgeoning gap between male and female shoppers – it provides an indirect aspirational group to be a part of. Considering Poehler’s style of comedy and target audience are to those who find her allusive, witty humour to be an attractive trait, this marketing strategy could be a touchdown for Best Buy in the future. I mean, I’d definitely go to Best Buy to buy my electronics if I could bump into Amy Poehler there while she was shopping.