In this episode of Marketing Vanguard, we sit down with Jennie Weber, chief marketing officer at Best Buy, to talk about all things iconic.
From the non-linear approach it takes to build a legacy brand to the critical importance of adaptability and resilience in marketing teams today, Jennie breaks down the strategies that have helped her and her team at Best Buy stay ahead of the curve.
As CMO, Jennie leads marketing strategy, execution, membership and loyalty programs and customer insights across both the Best Buy brand and its retail media network. With over 20 years at Best Buy and formative experience at a boutique advertising agency, she brings a unique blend of corporate and creative agency expertise to her role.
Her work in modernizing Best Buy’s approach to customer-first marketing while maintaining physical retail relevance makes her a leading voice in today’s retail marketing space.
Episode highlights:
[10:16] Making Customer-Centricity Part of Organizational Culture — Jennie reveals that Best Buy posts signage in conference rooms asking, “What do you know about the customer? How does what you’re doing solve their problem?” to ensure that customer needs drive every strategic decision. This simple but powerful practice ensures that marketing strategy, product assortment, and brand positioning all originate from genuine customer insights rather than internal assumptions. Many CMOs struggle with ensuring cross-functional alignment around customer needs, leading to disconnected strategies and wasted marketing spend. For large organizations, this approach makes customer obsession a structural advantage, preventing marketing from becoming siloed and ensuring every team member understands their role in solving customer problems.
[18:52] Adaptability > Headcount Flexibility — Jennie emphasizes that managing marketing teams in rapidly evolving markets requires prioritizing adaptability and resilience over traditional expand-and-contract models. She suggests that success lies in creating an environment where setbacks become learning opportunities rather than failures. The key step is establishing a growth mindset culture where teams ask, “What are the five things I learned from that setback, and how do I apply them next?” rather than viewing failures as endpoints.
[21:53] Use Physical Retail for a Differentiated Customer Experience — Jennie challenges the conventional wisdom that retail stores are declining by highlighting Gen Z’s love of physical experiences and the unique role brick-and-mortar plays for high-consideration purchases like technology. CMOs often deprioritize physical retail in favor of digital channels, missing the opportunity to create memorable, conversion-driving experiences where customers can see, compare, and ask questions. The critical insight is that technology purchases are highly considered decisions where in-store interaction creates significant impact on customer journey and loyalty. Jennie’s strategic approach involves transforming stores into branded experience hubs through co-branded partnerships — Meta Ray-Ban glasses try-on experiences, IKEA kitchen design showcases — rather than treating retail as transactional.
[23:50] The Three-Part “Passion Points” Framework — Jennie shines a light on the common CMO struggle of partnership ROI. She suggests that this happens because they chase trends without ensuring alignment with brand purpose, resulting in inauthentic collaborations that damage credibility. The challenge is balancing the desire for reach with the need for authentic storytelling that resonates with target audiences. Weber’s methodology requires asking: (1) Does this partnership have real cultural momentum? (2) Is it genuinely meaningful to our customers? (3) Are we authentically positioned to add value? For CMOs managing large budgets, this framework provides a defensible decision-making model that prevents wasteful partnerships and ensures collaborations amplify brand positioning.
