Best Buy Continues "Stick Men" Ads

Consumer electronics and entertainment retailer Best Buy tomorrow will launch its second online advertising campaign, this time designed to promote its collection of movies and home entertainment systems.

The month-long “Think You Know Movies?” effort centers around ads in which stick figures, used in Best Buy’s inaugural online campaign, now reenact famous film scenes from such classics as “Psycho” and “The Seven Year Itch.” More modern-day hits like “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” also are featured.

Unlike the Minneapolis, Minn.-based retailer’s previous work, which had served as a test case of sorts to determine whether online media could increase Best Buy’s brand awareness, the new campaign will include bolder rich media ads.

In one skyscraper execution, a stick figure watches TV while a “Snitch” from “Harry Potter” flies around. Copy reads: “Into movies? Find out what happens when movies get into you. Click here.” Clicking on the ad opens a smaller window, in which the stick figures reenact film scenes.

Afterwards, music from the company’s TV spots begins playing as the ad displays the copy: “All the movies you know and love. All the stuff you need to watch them.”

The advertisement also appears in an Eyeblaster “takeover” format. Both executions show the Best Buy logo and its tagline, “Turn on the Fun”.

Spending was not disclosed.

As before, the campaign was created by Digitas with media buying by Avenue A . The ads will run on iVillage , Disney.com, Weather.com and About.com.

“Our new branding campaign is designed to communicate that Best Buy is a fun place to shop and has the products customers need to make life more enjoyable,” said Mary Miller, vice president for Enterprise Consumer Marketing at Best Buy.

The deal is the most recent move by Best Buy, which of late has been upping its investment in interactive advertising media. In March, the retailer inked an agreement with TiVo to put ads on the Los Angeles-based firm’s personal video recorder systems. That effort came to fruition earlier this month in conjunction with Best Buy’s national “Go Mobile” campaign.