Best Buy Wants You to ‘Take Over’ Its Stores. Should Your Brand Buy In?

The battle for retail media dollars has officially stormed the front doors of the big-box store. In a clear signal of its ambitions, Best Buy Ads recently hosted its first-ever upfront-style event, rolling out a new, high-stakes advertising format: in-store "takeover packages".

The pitch is compelling. For a premium investment, brands can "own key moments of the customer shopping journey" by dominating the most visible real estate inside and outside Best Buy's U.S. stores. This includes everything from window displays and entrance signage to checkout counters and the massive, eye-catching TV and PC monitor walls.

This move is Best Buy's aggressive entry into the next frontier of retail media: the physical aisle. As online ad space becomes saturated, retailers are realizing that the vast majority of sales still happen in brick-and-mortar locations, representing a massive and largely untapped media channel. Best Buy is betting that brands will pay a premium to influence high-intent electronics shoppers just steps away from the cash register.

But while the concept is alluring, seasoned media buyers know that shiny new formats don't automatically equal smart investments. Like any emerging media channel, these takeover packages raise critical questions that demand scrutiny before brands divert significant budgets.

The Three Questions Every Brand Must Ask

Before signing up for a full-store takeover, brands need to ask:

1. Does this truly move the needle on sales?

The final ad touchpoint in the store is powerful, but it's hard to prove true incrementality. You need to determine if the ad is driving a sale that wouldn't have happened anyway.

2. Can I measure this accurately?

The burden of proof lies with the media owner. Unlike online ads, these in-store packages demand custom measurement solutions. Brands need to push for clear, credible methodology.

3. How does this integrate with my digital spend?

A physical takeover needs to be perfectly aligned with your digital strategy. The in-store creative should amplify the brand message being delivered on Best Buy.com and off-site programmatic campaigns.

MediaAMP's POV: Test, Measure, and Validate

Best Buy is selling a powerful narrative: that an ad placed at the checkout counter or on a monitor wall—the final, physical touchpoint—can be the final nudge that sways a customer's decision. However, potential is not performance.

We advise our clients to treat this as a high-potential experiment that must be rigorously tested before scaling. This is a classic "test-and-learn" opportunity.

• Allocate Experimental Budget: Dedicate a portion of your innovation or experimental media funds—the "10%" in a 70-20-10 allocation model—to a limited pilot program.
• Define Success First: Before spending a single dollar, establish clear, measurable KPIs. Is the goal to increase sales for a specific product line by X% in test stores versus control stores?
• Demand Measurement Transparency: Push for a clear and credible measurement methodology, asking for incrementality testing options, and be prepared to walk away if the reporting framework is a black box.

The Bottom Line: Best Buy's takeover packages are an exciting development, but excitement doesn't pay the bills—results do. We advise approaching it with the same level of scrutiny applied to any new and unproven channel.