Barry Judge // Updates from the CMO of Best Buy

If you’ve visited a Best Buy store in the past few weeks, you may have noticed a logo next to certain items designating them as an @15 Gift. I’ve mentioned @15 before, but am particularly proud of how Best Buy’s philanthropic platform is inviting our customers to partner with us, benefiting teens in our communities this holiday season.

Here’s how it works: every time a customer buys a product designated as an @15 Gift during the months of November and December, a portion of the sale will be donated by the manufacturer to the @15 FundTM within the Best Buy’s Children Foundation. Then teens are empowered to direct the $1 million fund to non-profits supporting other teens in our communities through http://www.at15.com/.

In the past, participating teens have recognized groups like Youth Venture, a non-profit that helps young people lead community projects from tutoring groups to disaster relief programs; Genesys Works, which provides inner-city teens with training and guidance to help them jump-start their careers; and the American Red Cross Youth Volunteers group. Recently, the fund supported the Pacer Center’s Teens Against Bullying, which was created by and for teens and features videos, blogs, and powerful ideas to help teens stand up to bullying.

Customers told us they liked the idea of purchasing products with benevolent ties more than they liked being asked for a donation at the register. We hope this giving option resonates with our customers, giving them another reason to leave the store feeling happy, not just with the service and product, but also with the satisfying feeling of having given back to the community.

I would love to hear what you think about this program. I am also interested learning about other retailer programs that you admire so that we can make @15 better in the future.