Podcast Summary

Marketing Vanguard — Adweek

Episode: Building the Most Agile, Adaptable and Resilient Marketing Team: The Jennie Weber Way
Date: December 4, 2025
Host: Jenny Rooney
Guest: Jennie Weber, CMO of Best Buy

Episode Overview

This episode explores how Jennie Weber, Best Buy’s Chief Marketing Officer, navigates the complexities of retail marketing in a rapidly changing digital landscape. With an emphasis on team resilience, adaptability, and customer-centric strategy, Weber shares her leadership approach for building nimble marketing teams, leveraging customer insights, and fostering innovation within a legacy retail brand. The conversation covers her career trajectory, the unique DNA of Best Buy’s Midwestern roots, adaptations to the AI-driven era, physical stores’ evolving role, brand collaborations, and the expansion of Best Buy’s retail media network.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jennie Weber’s Career Story & Leadership Philosophy

• Background (01:34–07:08):

  • Started with a BA in history, juggling undergraduate studies as a young mom.
  • Considered teaching but pivoted, learning business through insurance sales, then moved to marketing at a tech company.
  • Emphasizes the value of a nonlinear career path and learning through diverse roles.
  • Quote (04:03):
    “I think to think about a path as more of a lattice or a jungle gym and like you're taking a bunch of different turns and learning and gaining knowledge and insights out of all of those that you then apply to the role that you're in is a really great frame or way to think about that path.” — Jennie Weber

• Best Buy Tenure (07:08–08:08):

  • Over 20 years at Best Buy, with a ‘boomerang’ return after agency experience.
  • Valuable year spent at agency BDM:
    • Gained creative confidence and appreciation for cross-functional idea generation.
    • Agency culture’s less restricted creative process informs her leadership at Best Buy.
  • Quote (08:13):
    “There's no barriers to the ideas. Right. Like, oftentimes I think in corporate we're very much like, well, we can't do that… In an agency, they just are like, not hindered by any of that thinking.” — Jennie Weber

2. Best Buy’s Midwestern Identity & Customer-Centric Approach

• Regional Insights (09:39–11:05):

  • Discusses Minnesota’s rich corporate and marketing ecosystem.
  • Attributes Best Buy’s grit, resilience, and strong work ethic to its Midwestern roots.
  • Quote (10:09):
    “There is definitely something to Midwestern grit and work ethic that I think is unique to this area and certainly at Best Buy… we have, I think, a culture of folks that will really dig in and lean in to get the job done.” — Jennie Weber

• Customer Focus (11:40–13:13):

  • Origin of Best Buy’s customer-first mentality: founder Dick Schultz.
  • Customer-centricity is woven into company culture and marketing decisions.
  • Signage everywhere signals this focus: “We put the customer at the heart of everything that we do.”

3. Navigating Retail Transformation & The Age of AI

• Adapting to Change (13:13–16:33):
  • Acknowledges retail’s transformation: from brick-and-mortar to e-commerce, mobile, social, and now AI.
  • Sees change as exciting, not threatening—stays future-focused using customer insights.
  • Quote (14:28):
    “If you're in retail and you're tied in with what's going on with a customer and you're passionate about it, you actually let that lead you. And that's exactly what we do.” — Jennie Weber
  • AI’s impact: Ensuring Best Buy content helps customers discover products through AI search tools.

4. Team Building: Agility, Adaptability, and Resilience

• Building an Elastic Team (18:06–19:47):
  • Focuses on adaptability, learning from setbacks, and growing collectively.
  • Nurtures a culture of experimentation, growth mindset, and on-the-job learning.
  • Quote (18:37):
    “Not as a setback. It's something we're going to learn from. And how do you take that into the next strategy or the next plan or the next experience that you're building?” — Jennie Weber
  • Prioritizes both formal upskilling and organic exploration of new tools and ideas.

5. The Enduring Role of Physical Stores

• Physical Presence (20:25–22:58):
  • Stores remain critical, especially for high-consideration purchases common in tech.
  • Retail partnerships (Meta, Ikea) create experiential, interactive brand moments.
  • Quote (20:30):
    “If they can come into a physical space and see and compare and when needed, ask a few questions of a knowledgeable associate, it really has a big impact on their shopping journey.” — Jennie Weber

6. Brand Collaborations and Influencer Partnerships

• Collaborations (22:58–25:20):

  • Leverages cultural ‘passion points’ (e.g. sports) that are meaningful and authentic.
  • Collaborations with NFL, TGL (tech-driven golf league), and Dude Perfect target key audiences and intersect tech with enthusiasm.
  • Quote (22:58):
    “There are, we call them passion points. So things that one have cultural momentum, are meaningful to customers and also are authentic to Best Buy.” — Jennie Weber

• Influencer Strategy (25:34–27:43):

  • "Best Buy Creators" program: over 1,000 creators; 250+ have their own storefronts.
  • Influencers showcase product usage and lifestyle integrations, driving authenticity.
  • Repurposes influencer content for broader campaigns, e.g., CTV spots.
  • Quote (25:34):
    “We launched our creator program last spring, and it has worked really well. We're very excited about it. We have grown the program to over a thousand creators that are part of the program.” — Jennie Weber

7. Holiday Campaigns & Customer Insights

• Holiday Strategy (28:10–30:51):
  • 2025 campaign began on Halloween, capitalizing on customers’ early shopping trends.
  • Doorbusters all season, leveraging promotional cues customers value, with playful social and communications outputs.
  • Continued use of “Graham” the spokes-hologram in nostalgic, family-friendly holiday ads.
  • Quote (28:10):
    “We are going to do door boosters like lean in and have fun. And they really did. The social executions were absolutely adorable. Our communications team did a press release that is one of the best press releases I've ever seen.” — Jennie Weber

8. Retail Media Network: Best Buy Ads

• Growth and Differentiation (31:20–33:54):
  • Leadership from new president Lisa Valentino is accelerating growth.
  • Key advertiser needs: engaging customers in-store, robust measurement and reporting, unique partnerships/activations.
  • Media network integrates advertisers into physical and digital brand moments, prioritizing both customer experience and conversion for partners.
  • Quote (31:20):
    “Bringing Lisa in is really helping us take it to the next level, like really accelerate growth in that space and understand what advertisers are really looking for.” — Jennie Weber

9. Advice & Admiration

• Who’s Next? (34:19–35:52):
  • Recommends Dave Schneider (CMO of Red Wing), lauding his ability to create cultural relevance for an iconic workwear brand and his community work.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• On Career Path:
  “I think to think about a path as more of a lattice or a jungle gym…” — Jennie Weber [04:03]
• On Creativity Learned in Agency:
  “There's no barriers to the ideas...In an agency, they just are like, not hindered by any of that thinking.” — Jennie Weber [08:13]
• On Team Building:
  “Not as a setback. It’s something we’re going to learn from.” — Jennie Weber [18:37]
• On Role of the Store:
  “If they can come into a physical space and see and compare and…ask a few questions… it really has a big impact on their shopping journey.” — Jennie Weber [20:30]
• On Brand Partnerships:
  “There are, we call them passion points...what we're seeing is there are things that have cultural momentum, are meaningful to customers and also are authentic to Best Buy.” — Jennie Weber [22:58]

Important Timestamps

• Jennie’s Career Path: [01:34–07:08]
• Best Buy Tenure & Agency Experience: [07:08–09:16]
• Midwestern Influence & Customer Centricity: [09:39–13:13]
• Retail Transformation & AI: [13:13–16:33]
• Team Adaptability: [18:06–19:47]
• Physical Stores & Brand Collaborations: [20:25–25:20]
• Influencer Program: [25:34–27:43]
• Holiday Campaign: [28:10–30:51]
• Retail Media Network: [31:20–33:54]
• Leadership Shout-out: [34:19–35:52]

Memorable Moments

• Launching 2025’s holiday campaign on Halloween, blending fun and promotional savvy. “We invited Halloween into the holiday party and kicked off our door busters on Halloween.” [28:10]
• The playful use of a spokes-hologram “Graham” interacting with nostalgic holiday characters.
• Partnerships with tech-forward and pop-culture brands (Meta, NFL, Dude Perfect), reinforcing Best Buy’s relevance and adaptability.
• Discussion of “passion points” and the synthesis of cultural momentum and brand authenticity as the fulcrum for collaborations and campaigns.

Summary Takeaways

• Jennie Weber’s leadership at Best Buy centers on flexibility, growth mindset, and deep customer focus.
• Best Buy leverages its Midwestern roots and legacy, blending them with innovative approaches to technology and marketing.
• Physical retail remains crucial for immersive experiences, complemented by robust digital and influencer strategies.
• The Best Buy Ads network is a key differentiator, integrating advertiser value and customer experience.
• Personal and professional growth, adaptability, and authentic brand expression underpin Weber’s vision in building one of the most resilient and forward-thinking marketing teams.