The One Type of Gizmodo Blogger
My team brought me this idea in response to a post about Best Buy employees on Gizmodo yesterday. Frankly, I didn’t think it was that funny and wasn’t sure it aligned with my core values. I was excited though that the team was thinking about new ways to use new media so I have decided to support their thinking and publish it. So I will be curious to hear your feedback.
We are not sure how many of you read Gizmodo, the uber gear and tech blog, but those of you who do read it likely noticed this post yesterday. While we would argue that the employees of Best Buy are far too diverse to fit into one of 7 categories (aspiring musicians, perhaps?), it was a pretty funny post. We couldn’t resist taking a stab at classifying the seven types of Gizmodo bloggers, but then we realized there’s really only one type of Gizmodo blogger. Here’s that description:
You’ll find this guy on his couch, sporting an ironic t-shirt with a delivery-food stain of some kind. He “commuted” minutes earlier by rolling out of bed and over to his laptop in his shoebox-sized Brooklyn (Williamsburg) apartment littered with empty Redbull cans. He came to Gizmodo 9 months ago after deciding that “traditional media” wasn’t edgy enough (read: required pants and didn’t like it when he powered down walls of TVs). He only puts on pants in order to put electronics down them, and he gets very upset if you mess with his Star Wars legos. He genuinely believes that the hot PR girl is into him and not just trying to get a post. He overuses the word “fail.”
Fail.
This one is just as funny as the one Gizmodo did…
And it looks like you may have nailed the persona quite nicely! http://gizmodo.com/5312051/best-buy-cmo-barry-judge-responds-with-the-one-type-of-gizmodo-blogger
[...] Update: It looks like he pulled the post for some reason. Here’s a screencap so you know I didn’t make this all up: [Barry Judge] [...]
I think it’s awesome. Gives me a little more faith that Best Buy does actually have a sense of humor!
wow you’re really wishy washy… when i read the post on giz, i thought maybe you were cool but it turns out you’re just another vacillating airhead exec who can’t figure something out for himself so he needs his underlings tell him what’s going on
Read the responce BEST BUY http://gizmodo.com/5312051/best-buy-cmo-barry-judge-responds-with-the-one-type-of-gizmodo-blogger
you just got served AGAIN
Read our response BEST BUY http://gizmodo.com/5312051/best-buy-cmo-barry-judge-responds-with-the-one-type-of-gizmodo-blogger
you just got served AGAIN
lol Thats awesome. Gizmodo seems pretty cool. The best part of it is that they were part of cosumerist.com , a site that has tons of user stories on how Best Buy screws up way too often.
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FUNNY: The one type of Gizmodo blogger [link to post]
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Brilliant response! Gizmodo just got a taste of their own medicine.
I think it’s hilarious, because it feels like it’s delivered with a wink and a nod. The Gizmodo team gets it (see their rebuttal: http://gizmodo.com/5312051/best-buy-cmo-barry-judge-responds-with-the-one-type-of-gizmodo-blogger ).
The following statement:
“Frankly, I didn’t think it was that funny and wasn’t sure it aligned with my core values. ” really just sucked all the life out of the joke, and turns a nice zinger into a “I hope I’m not offending my core audience of geeks” piece of deadwood.
Of course, maybe you’re delivering that line with the deadpan delivery only a true comic could hope to achieve, and I’m not clever enough to follow. In which case, Bravo!
Boom! Deadeningly accurate!
Nailed it!
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Best Buy may still suck, but this is a delicious riposte. [link to post]
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hehe…good one
http://gizmodo.com/5312051/best-buy-cmo-barry-judge-responds-with-the-one-type-of-gizmodo-blogger
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Now that’s comedy. RT @joeljohnson Best Buy may still suck, but this is a delicious riposte. [link to post]
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this is why @bestbuycmo rules, because he can take a joke and dish it back out: [link to post]
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You sir, have a new reader. well done!
Quite possibly the largest waste of both time and money/resources I have seen…But am I surprised? Absolutely not! I, and other readers “laughed” at the article posted about best buy employees because it is for the most part true. You should be more concerned with positively challenging these “personalities” to perform to the best of their ability in a fashion that is consistent with customer service. I have actually had employees (while i was shopping) tell me how much they hate working at best buy because of this, that, or the next reason.
Gizmodo bloggers get paid to be snarky, live at home, and review “tech”.
Best Buy Chiefs should be concerned with delivering the best products for the lowest prices, not this childish crap (excuse my language)
Sincerely,
A Disappointed Customer
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RT @cdny: this is why @bestbuycmo rules, because he can take a joke and dish it back out: [link to post]
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FUNNY: The one type of Gizmodo blogger [link to post] @gizmodo, back to you
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I am just trying to figure out why BestBuy has a chief medical officer…I mean do you guys have a lot of work related accidents or something?
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RT @joshuakahn: FUNNY: The one type of Gizmodo blogger [link to post]
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You hit the right tone, and the Giz guys know how to take it when its dished back to them. Best Buy in my view looks all the better for showing it can play the game fast and contribute back something funny and memorable.
The really sad part is he thought the original Gizmodo post wasn’t funny.
Something really has to be wrong with you if you can’t find humor in that.
Maybe that’s why so many people make fun of BB
Cudos, sounds like someone on your team deserves a raise for this one
Good on you for putting this back up. I think it shows a lot of character when a company can have a little bit of fun with the bloggers that cover them.
Barry, I think you need to walk into one of your stores and take a hard look at your employees. Every Best Buy I have ever been in has been made up with the exact people that are described in the gizmodo article. If you want I can travel to any one of my local best buys and take pictures of the employees fitting the description.
It’s funny, Barry, and as you can see by the Giz post, it was taken in good stride (or so I assume, I have no affiliation with them.) But the point is that this sort of post shows that you’re connected with the Internet culture, and that even a large corporation has a sense of humor. I can’t speak for others, but to me it increases my image of your company, and I am sure that goes along with one of your core values.
I think your team was right. I thought it was funny, and I found out about your reply via Gizmodo so obviously they took the joke in good spirits and they even threw out a photo to try to match your picture.
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bestbuy gives Gizmodo a taste of their own meds [link to post]
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Good Job Guys!
Trust me Barry, more of us read Gizmodo than you think.
It’s funny how the Gizmodo guy is pissed off about this. Come on man, can’t take your own medicine when it sent back to you?
And he needs to seriously take a shower. Disgusting representation of that blog.
great response! as a longtime gizmodo reader and tech junkie its things like this will get me to come back and shop at Best Buy
nice way to cover your ass with an edit. Best buy is still a horrible place to shop and only good for uninformed consumers.
funny, but you bby peoples are garbage!
No need for the lengthy preamble, Barry. BB’s response is funny, plain and simple.
Barry,
You really shouldn’t take what Gizmodo says lightly.
I think we all have encountered a Best Buy employee like the ones shown on the Gizmodo post. And if that is the case, then we don’t see Best Buy as a customer-friendly place. Instead, we associate Best Buy as a store which is suspicious, untrustworthy, shady, etc.
Instead of making jokes about this, I think as the CMO of Best Buy–if you really are the CMO–should take this seriously as start cracking on down the employees which tarnish Best Buy’s name.
Best Buy should start behaving like a real company, not a sleazy joint which hires high school students and dropouts who live in their parents’ basement. You can start doing this by making more stringent demands on how professionally employees should represent Best Buy.
Barry – this is pretty funny because your team knows Adam and did a decently off color commentary about him – sort of like they did of your people. It definitely made me smile on a Friday afternoon and think, yup, Best Buy is starting to turn the corner.
I ? Giz
“I didn’t think it was that funny and wasn’t sure it aligned with my core values.”
dude…have you been inside your own stores? i feel bad for the chics that get weirded out by the IT nerds.
Barry,
You really shouldn’t take what Gizmodo says lightly.
I think we all have encountered a Best Buy employee like the ones shown on the Gizmodo post. And if that is the case, then we don’t see Best Buy as a customer-friendly place. Instead, we associate Best Buy as a store which is suspicious, untrustworthy, shady, etc.
Instead of making jokes about this, I think as the CMO of Best Buy–if you really are the CMO–should take this seriously as start cracking on down the employees which tarnish Best Buy’s name.
Best Buy should start behaving like a real company, not a sleazy joint which hires high school students and dropouts who live in their parents’ basement. You can start doing this by making more stringent demands on how professionally employees should represent Best Buy.
You get points for agility of response and a reasonable amount of wit but you lose them all for the combination of “my team brought me” and “wasn’t sure it aligned with my core values”. Either you support them and take a calculated risk with you in point or you don’t: mealy-mouthed caveats just look like attempts to position yourself for plausible denial should it all go wrong later (’it was the new-hire comms assistant, honest!’).
“Skittish Tombs, skittish”…
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Actual response from Besy Buy CMO ([link to post]) to Gizmodo’s 7 Types of Best Buy Employee post (http://bit.ly/oekPY) good stuff.
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Barry, it’s actually fantastic.
A healthy sense of humor never hurt anyone.
Barry, your team is very clever for crafting this response to Gizmodo. You were right to trust in them and publish this.
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RT @joeljohnson Best Buy may still suck, but this is a delicious riposte. [link to post]
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RT @keith_lipski: Actual response Besy Buy CMO ([link to post]) to Gizmodo’s 7 Types of Best Buy Employee post (http://bit.ly/oekPY)
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It was funny until you added the first paragraph. Now you just seem out of touch. Let your staff take over the writing responsibilities for you, because that WAS funny.
Yikes, the drawing could have been better. And you just alienated a good portion of your consumers, who yes do also tend to be interested in technology.
Disclaimer: The “hot PR girl” character described in this post is purely fictional and not representative of the Best Buy public relations team or its work on behalf of the company and/or its brands.
Love the post, Barry!
[...] Update 2: Looks like his post is back up with a new ass-covering intro. We knew you were a good sport, Barry. [Barry Judge] [...]
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I love that the Best Buy CMO zinged Gizmodo in response to a post they made: [link to post]
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This is the perfect response to his post. Fight sarcasm and stereotyping with sarcasm and stereotyping instead of being an evil, easily butt-hurt organization who calls on lawyers to issue cease and desist orders every time they read something they don’t like.
kudos Best Buy and CMO Barry Judge
This was entertaining – good job! I still don’t like shopping at Best Buy tho. Particularly the Colma, CA one. Those middle managers are a bunch of jerks for no good reason.
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Haha, the 1 type of @Gizmodo blogger, from the CMO of Best Buy. [link to post] SNAP!
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Oh SNAP indeed RT @awelfle Haha, the 1 type of @Gizmodo blogger, from the CMO of Best Buy. [link to post] SNAP!
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@bestbuycmo mad props to Barry Judge for standing up for his co-workers with humor! [link to post]
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i enjoyed it
What’s going on here? A corporate officer with a sense of humor? Is this the bizarro world?
FYI, the Gizmodo response is hilarious, since apparently the “one-type” article nailed at least one Giz writer to perfection.
Wow, there’s some crazy corporate speak here. It goes against my core values to read that first paragraph. Blue sky thinking and all that meaningless drivel!
Funny riposte though!
See, now this is awesome.
It’s funny that you guys took this post down and then put it back up with a disclaimer that it might be rude… something something *core values*… I like that. ^_*
I’m not a fan of Best Buy, but this post is awesome. Good on you for projecting a sense of humor instead of just being a suit without a personality.
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RT @eXxy: The CMO of Best Buy is hilarious. I’m serious. [link to post]
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As a piece, this is pretty funny and a good example of next-gen public relations.
Unfortunately, the semi-retraction paragraph at the top kills it. While the “I’m loosening up a bit – don’t freak out” message is appreciated and understood, it would have been just as effective as a postscript.
B+ (with a solid A for whomever did the copy and art)
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The CMO of Best Buy is hilarious. I’m serious. [link to post]
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Classic. way to come back. Nice LOL
Best Buy = Major FAIL. Not at a consumer friendly. Just a Giganto Corporation going horribly wrong.
Hello NewEgg!!!! Now there is company (online or not) who knows what true, helpful, non back stabbing, customer is always right, customer service is all about.
I just made myself dizzy…..
Gotta go grab another Red Bull and tell everyone I know to stay away from Best Buy.
Cheers Barry….. way to alienate a good majority of your customers and employees… FAIL
Unless you personally know gizmodo bloggers, it doesn’t really work. It might be true.
Gizmodo’s Best Buy parody works because everyone has shopped at best buy and come across interesting personalities which have any of these characteristics.
Plus, best buy employees can be annoying, which begs being made fun of — for example, six theatre “specialists” persistently asking to help me but persistently demonstrating a lack of critical knowledge about the products. Leave me alone, I don’t want your help!
Well done sir. Don’t shy away from taking shots at others like this. The new media way is a “all is fair in love and war” style. Use it.
I’m amazed you didn’t spend a little more time proofreading the article before you re-posted it.
Y’know, in case of any self-contradictions that may be in the opening 2 paragraphs.
“My team brought me this idea in response to a post about Best Buy employees on Gizmodo yesterday. Frankly, I didn’t think it was that funny and wasn’t sure it aligned with my core values.”
…
“While we would argue that the employees of Best Buy are far too diverse to fit into one of 7 categories (aspiring musicians, perhaps?), it was a pretty funny post. ”
So now you have your audience confused, which is never a good thing. Did you, or did you not find the Giz post funny? Where you might think this a small & ignorable detail, I find it to be very crucial to your claim and how you react to such posts that are intended merely for humor sake.
Honestly, sir, for being a “CMO of Best Buy”, you’re not impressing me too much with the poor attention to your own writings. If you can’t keep an eye on something like this, I’m scared to know how you handle your day-to-day job.
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RT @darkstar21: BBY CMO responds to gizmodo WIN!!!! [link to post]
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I expect Best Buy to have a bit of professionalism, and not act like children when mocked.
I don’t want my electronics store to waste their time on this crap, I just want cheap prices and good customer service.
Try as I might, I cannot get the button to translate the first two paragraphs to English.
” I didn’t think it was that funny and wasn’t sure it aligned with my core values.” WTF does that even mean?
Very funny post, but forget the “core values” stuff. Too much CYA.
You’re core values either include having a sense of humor (which I suspect they do), or they don’t. If you’re the CMO of a firm like best buy, you need to not just connect to the snark and sense of fun, but also to embrace them. Somewhere in there is one of your primary customer archetypes. The other types of BB customers will never read this and never care.
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eXxy: The CMO of Best Buy is hilarious. I’m serious. [link to post] [Patrick Klepak] http://tinyurl.com/muszb4
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Well played sir! This is a well thought out and humorous response that makes me think you and your staff are actual human beings with a sense of humour rather than corporate drones.
I do agree – without the first paragraph this was a riot and showed that a corporate representative could give as well as he/she could take. Get rid of the first part, or make it too small to read, move it to the bottom of the page – I can understand covering yourself in case of a lawsuit but don’t suck all the good humor out of it.
Well played, Best Buy, well played.
Eh, you are right, it’s not that funny, but it’s still very chill of you to post it. Good work.
AliasP: Thank you, I’m glad someone saw that!
Barry: tsk-tsk
Thank you for playing along…I love stuff like this and it’s all in good fun.
Awesome, finally a corporate guy that has a sense of humor. Touche Mr. blogger, touche. That was good clean fun from both parties:)
Sounds like you’re jealous of Gizmodo bloggers
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Barry Judge » Blog Archive » The One Type of Gizmodo Blogger [link to post]
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I guess I’m curious why you would post it once, take it down, and then re-post it, but then pass credit (or blame, haha) to your team?
It was ballsy, at first, to respond directly but then the “i don’t think its funny but my TEAM does” seems needless at best and cowardly at worst.
it’s refreshing to that theres a human on the other side of the corporate wall. you “got it” that gizmodo tried to get a few chuckles at your expense and clearly with a well displayed sense of humor you responded. So bravo. And yes this entire situation, at least makes me want to take a stroll through best ; for if nothing else tan to observe the 7 types of employees.
Note: The new intro sucks. the corporate speak doesn’t vibe with blogging scene. for the lovers of corporate speak, there’s still traditional media and PR releases, go back to those.
It’s funny when a blog on the internet takes a jab at a major corporation. It’s lame, and immature when the major corporation takes a “stab back” at a silly blog post.
I was a Geeksquad agent for two years…Gizmodo is dead on right! Those 7 people worked in my store and every other BB I have encountered. The only difference was that our LP guy was really an ex marine.
haha best buy sucks and in Canada sells over priced junk from years gone by.
it’s all good tho I just don’t shop there.
But this stuff is truly funny, I didn’t fully agree with the original post.
but I didn’t expect Best Buy to respond, and the response was Awesome!
Truly Well Done!
hahahah
Very nice, I love it when companies have a lovers quarl over the internet. It makes me feel all fuzzy inside. However the description of the picture does not sound as though it was written by an educated corporate exceutive but more like one of the sinical highscoolers that work in the store.
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Man, Barry Judge (our @BestBuyCMO ) is so awesome. [link to post]
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This is funny, a big cooperation high exec is getting upset over a harmless joke.
Russell Peter: ” Be a MAN, do the RIGHT thing !! ”
A job not NOT WELL done Mr. Judge
I worked at a best buy for 9 months and all but one category of employee was _absolutely_ dead-on. This speaks much more to the uber-corporate culture of your stores (and the strictly corporate “core values”) than about particular employees.
hilarious response! i’m pleasantly surprised best buy has a sense of humor. well done.
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@jennifer_lyn215 This was the response Best Buy’s CMO Barry Judge posted on his blog [link to post] Thanks @Agt2960 for the link!
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@taleopold Harsh man, I love Gizmodo
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I could not agree more with Gozmodo. I have never walked into Best Buy and not had to deal with at least one of those stereotypes.
How original.
soooooooo clever…
Best Buy fail.
Kids work at Best Buy. Barry is a perfect example.
1. FAIL
2.
Best Buy CMO Barry Judge Responds with ‘The One Type of Gizmodo Blogger’ [Ouch] « Tech Pulse!July 10th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
[...] Update: It looks like he pulled the post for some reason. Here’s a screencap so you know I didn’t make this all up: [Barry Judge] [...]
3. read: JCY
Well played sir..
anyone who’s ever been into a Best Buy knows that the article about Best Buy employees is accurate. This one might be accurate as well but honestly, who cares what a Gizmodo writer is like? Millions shop at Best Buy.
Funny
The opening comment does sound a bit pretentious, however. Just relax and have a good time with something like this, and leave the corporate MBA-speak behind.
Barry,
Give them a raise. Seriously, that was the best PR boost I’ve ever seen from a company, ever.
Oh except for what google does.
Awesome response! You and Best Buy rule.
Just dropped by to read your post, probably part of the most traffic you’ve had in a long time. I’d imagine your core audience just reads the book you’re eventually required to publish about your life to detail your rise to fame.
Just make sure you don’t really talk about taking responsibility, or the roles of a leader. Because after you shirk the idea of a possibly-unpopular post off on to your “staff”(not that they might exist, but that you’re blaming a vague people), I would not have any respect for anything you had to say on the subject.
I’ll bet you also take credit for your “staff’s” achievements. Man, I would hate working for you.
Granted, I’m anonymous, and you put your name on this, but figured I’d throw two pennies into the ring.
Barry, I was impressed with your response and thought..”wow, the best buy folks are catching up with the times and being, well… cool” and then you took the post down ::FAIL:: and then put it back up with an intro/explanation saying “I didn’t think it was that funny and wasn’t sure it aligned with my core values” What kind of corporate B.S. think outside the paradigm buzz phrase crap is that? If I was your superior I’d fire your a** for giving people the impression that you might actually be human (instead of an empty SUIT) and then pulling the rug out from under us.
Thanks, I think I’ll take my ca$h elsewhere for electronics… and to think – you were so close to being as cool as gizmodo and actually relevant. “Missed it by *that* much”
The irony in this blog post is killing me! Too much presumptuous crap, not enough well-rounded, ambiguous description. Take jokes in stride, matey.
Gizmodians are going a bit too far insulting others. They should be taught a lesson!
lol…not. Can’t really relate cause it has been forever since I have stepped into a Best Buy after my incident due to an overzealous supervisor acting like a Manager haha. I have better options, WAL-MART and Amazon FTW.
Pretty funny. Just wish shopping in a Best Buy was half as fun as this post.
SHOP @ NewEgg
It’s just all in good fun.
It think its pretty cool they even noticed, much less poked fun back.
Good sense of humor. Nice to see a company normally labeled as “evil” show some human emotion.
Great comeback BB but please get rid of the snaking line to the cashier so that I can be tempted to buy candy and other miscellaneous items. I come in to buy electronics not candy.
Way to stay in the game. While not as funny as you could have gone, I think you made your point. Kudos!
Nice post barry, unfortunatly Gizmodo, and it’s fanboi population thinks thier original post was acceptable. I found it to be good, with exception to the geeksquad section. They obviously don’t know about our strict data protection policies, and how much further as a company we have come in the last few years in this area.
In my opinion, that section of the post can acctually be considered slander/libel, as it would acctually deter me from using those services if I was a uninformed reader (like the majority of Gizmodo readers). Im not saying Best Buy has a perfect reputation, there have been incidents, and people have been handeled accordingly. People have to understand, when issues like this happened, It was against corporate policies, these people were acting of thier own stupidity. It is like blaming the post office because someone steals your mail, it makes no sense.
Consideirng bestbuy probably sees more than 2000 computer’s a day company wide, I believe we have a lot less issues per 1000 computers than any other company.
finally big companies play the game like it’s played these days…..
dear exec: your core values don’t match many other’s people values,it’s not what it’s about here, a good sense of humor and some self derision will do wonder to make best buy cooler,edgier and more human and trust me everyone will be better off.
o and BTW many people do read GIZ…
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The One Type of Gizmodo Blogger. [link to post]
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[...] Gizmodo Gets A Taste of Its Own Medicine After awesome geek gadget blog Gizmodo decided to write about The Seven Types of Employees You Meet at Best Buy, a Fortune 500 company. Best Buy’s CMO, Barry Judge, decided to respond and gets his own back with a “One Type of Gizmodo Blogger‘. [...]
[...] Barry Judge: The One Type of Gizmodo Blogger [...]
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Depois do “Seven Types of Employees You Meet at BestBuy” http://bit.ly/oekPY, a resposta do CMO da BestBuy [link to post] #fail #lol
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A CMO in a blog fight. Shameful.
I think it is awesome that you’ve published this. Good on you.
Don’t take it down, it’s just a bit of fun.
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Gotta respect a CMO that says to hell with the media and stands up for his people [link to post] Nice work @BestBuyCMO
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RT @daveknox: Gotta respect a CMO that says to hell with the media and stands up for his people [link to post] Nice work @BestBuyCMO
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Haha. That Journey video is pretty funny… They did a good job.
Another one I saw was Best Buy Canada merchandisers making a music video and dancing to the Pussycat Dolls:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAHidfy85lY
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Yes-@BestBuyCMO=true leader! RT @kellyokeefe @daveknox Gotta respect CMO that says 2 hell w/ media & supports his people [link to post]
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“aligned with my core values”, “team” Are you serious? Do you have a single thought that doesn’t originate from some cheap ‘how to manage’ book, or are you completely incapable of independent thinking?
Tip: Go to a real university (and actually graduate), then go do something that will a) allow you to maintain your integrity, b) give you something to be truly proud of. And c) help you to stop thinking and speaking like a complete idiot.
Major kudos to responding and you did it with professionalism and humor…nice work!
~ M.
I Really don’t like Gizmodo, or Kotaku, or any of those nerdy, bloggy, type “news” sites, so I really enjoyed this “one type of blogger.”
That being said, you guys at best buy really do only have a handful of employee types. He wasn’t exaggerating much.
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I love @BestBuyCMO take on Gizmodo bloggers (via @daveknox) [link to post]
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Seriously Barry? Your core values? I respected when you stood up for your people, but your ass covering is WEAK to say the least. Did you rewrite to include the minimum 5 social media buzzwords or just because you were worried people that read the site wouldn’t buy from bestbuy.
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mktgwithmeaning: I love @BestBuyCMO take on Gizmodo bloggers (via @daveknox) [link to post]
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Love the video! The part with the guys running and leaping out behind the Best Buy brought back an awesome ’80’s movie flashback. Glad to see the Best Buy can have fun with bloggers!
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@mktgwithmeaning I liked the response better before he did a rear end covering routine. You read the original response? http://bit.ly/eBfuZ
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@torchio didn’t see the original – I’m guessing PR dept. got worried…
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Wait wait wait…. so a little sarcastic banter is against your “core values” but supporting a corporation known for rip-off pricing and terrible customer service is ok? Nice priorities Barry.
I go sometimes in 2 canadian BestBuy in Montreal. I always have a really bad service. I’m an hardware engineer and a system administrator. Sometimes, I ask noob questions for fun and I always have an answer which is out-from-nowhere…
The only thing BestBuy have… it’s good prices and good deals. But the staff is *mostly* incompetent. Anyways, you can’t hire excellent sellers and technicians with the minimum salary.
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Love it: 1st this http://bit.ly/wNLop Replied by BB [link to post] and this http://bit.ly/eBfuZ Point best buy well played.
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How about those UNICRU employment application surveys?
Those ones corporate retailers, such as BestBuy, use to weed out any potential employees that aren’t completely spineless and subservient. BestBuy truly has only one type of employee on the retail floor. The spineless wage slave.
Also, BestBuy profiles its customers into one of 5 personalities. So I guess only 5 kinds of people shop at BestBuy? No, only one kind of person shops at BestBuy, and that’s the kind that doesn’t know they could have gotten whatever it was for half the price at newegg.com.
700% markup on ethernet cables. That’s the BestBuy way.
Your Gizmodo description was apt and hilarious.
Too bad you had to ruin it with your corporate shill BS about “exploring new media” and “core values.” With that you just nailed the One Type of Best Buy VP: Soul-less corporate robot.
AWESOME!!!!
now if we can fight back against consumerist then we’ll be all good
sorry just wanna add….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UySUu5VLfKY
Thats a real band FROM best buy… not like mr rock band video~!
[...] It was all in good fun. Here’s a screencap so you know I didn’t make this all up: [Barry Judge] Tagged:best buyouchrandom [...]
Agree with Anon. above – how can anybody, even someone with disdain for the English language use the phrase “exploring new media” and “core values?” I would recommend you listen to several hours of George Carlin…
The “core values” thing was just another joke, guys.
I love how its their idea now that its back up. You’re super good at the internet!
Fail.
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Bar… [link to post]
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So i have a question for Barry Judge. How is it that your employees are so diverse that they cannot be fit into 7 categories, but with your “customer centricity” initiative you classify your customers into 5. I dont know about you but that math is wrong, there are definitely more bby customers than there are employees. I think gizmodo was just following your example of generalizing your employees as you generalize your customers. Oh and FAIL.
Hah I love the Aspiring musician quip. I could be an aspiring astronaut but working at Best Buy wouldn’t get me any closer and the wage made there is laughable for the crap your employees have to put up with from both the inside and outside sources.
I’m sure there were some brown nosing underlings that are trying to be noticed and said this would be a fantastic idea and to a point it was entertaining but like another poster said you really need to take a look at some of the people you hire and stop going to the best performing stores in La Jolla or other “nicer” places and hit the more obscure and I’m sure you will be surprised.
nice. giz fans need to lighten up. this was funny. how much do bloggers make any way? about as much as the guy who delivered his pizza! j/k. it’s all good.
[...] caricatures and everything. Pretty funny, right? Well, Barry Judge and his fellow Best Buy peeps thought to respond in kind which is fair, despite them only finding one type of Gizmodo bloggers. Which sparked targeted [...]
[...] is an excerpt from Judge’s blog: “We couldn’t resist taking a stab at classifying the seven types of Gizmodo bloggers, but [...]
I thought the 7 Kinds of Best Buy Employee’s bit was hilarious.
Your response was even funnier! Way to go! I just wish you hadn’t added the disclaimer to it. There’s no need to apologize Barry.
This was much, much better in the original, pre-disclaimer version. The addition of the serious corporate jargon takes away from the humor, which, by itself, showed a wonderful thick-skinned, confident attitude. When life gives you viral attention and an opportunity to chime in on the meme, go with it, is my advice.
Gizmodo’s response (to the original) was awesome and showed they had a sense of humor about themselves, and the combination of the three posts is the stuff that most viral marketing efforts can only dream of, and I honestly cannot see what harm it does to Best Buy to play along without apologizing and backpedaling. Getting written about in Gizmodo involves being snarked about — they snark, it’s what they do — but it also involves a great deal of traffic and publicity. Rising to the occasion by showing a sense of humor about yourself/your company equals making the best of that publicity.
Barry, give me a job :/
[...] Barry Judge: The One Type of Gizmodo Blogger [...]
“I was excited though that the team was thinking about new ways to use new media?”
seriously? new ways, huh?
you know, being the CMO and all, i kinda figured it was part of you job to maybe help your company avoid customer backlash. shouldn’t you be concerned about the image of best buy and the fact that the image portrayed gizmodo’s comic is a sentiment held by a large portion of the population rather than trying to show how hip and with the new media you are?
[...] caricatures and everything. Pretty funny, right? Well, Barry Judge and his fellow Best Buy peeps thought to respond in kind which is fair, despite them only finding one type of Gizmodo bloggers. Which sparked targeted [...]
Please leave your “core values” in the conference room.
So who wrote this, Barry or Bust Out Solutions? (you’ll find a link to them in the footer) I can just imagine the conversation between Bary and Bust out on how to handle the Giz post. Looks like it was an awkward compromise.
@jcy@ – what are you 13?
Pretty awesome Barry. I think you hit the target dead on.
It was a better response before the CYA post at the start — now its just cheese
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fenomenal http://is.gd/1xiSc la respuesta [link to post] el contraataque http://is.gd/1xj1i. Well isn’t that just great viral marketing.
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Nice job on posting in responce to Gizmodo. As a Gizmodo reader and a Best Buy customer, It is nice to see that you can have some good hearted fun.
Boom goes the dynamite.
You GO Gizmodo. I praise you for your GREEN commute to the couch. At least you are not the CMO, CFO, C3PO stealing my parking spot in the lot.
Anyone ever seen this site before today? Gonna see it again? Anyone? Bueller?
Gizmodo helps move products you sell – sometimes better than your sales associates ever will. I’m not their frequent reader, but if I were you, I wouldn’t be so bitter. I never visit Best Buy for the exact reasons they listed – truth hurts.
P.S. Their stereotypes were way more thorough than yours – you are unconsciously bashing your most loyal fans
As a keen Gizmodo reader, I thought the Best Buy Employee post was pathetic.
A well deserved put down.
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Pretty entertaining “friendly blog battle” between @BestBuyCMO and Gizmodo [link to post] Looking forward to my meetings at BB manana
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funny as hell
I thought this was great until i read that you weren’t sure it aligned with your ‘core values,’ and don’t think it’s funny. That intro paragraph is just awful.
It made me smile –to be honest, all of it. Good back and forth, and not pulling out the traditional PR shield.
We ask companies to be part of the conversation in the market –and here’s a marketing leader that’s living it.
Of course, now comes the challenging part: fixing this impression Gizmodo and others may have. What could blue shirts do to talk about what makes them unique and stand out to help customers?
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This made me giggle: @Gizmodo parodies Best Buy employees http://bit.ly/DHBsy @BestBuyCMO rolls with it [link to post]
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@Gizmodo parodies Best Buy employees http://bit.ly/DHBsy @BestBuyCMO rolls with it [link to post] via @jowyang Blog Battles
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I think your team had the right idea. Nothing wrong with a sense of humor!
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@Gizmodo parodies BestBuy employees http://bit.ly/DHBsy (via @jowyang) @BestBuyCMO responds [link to post] >that’s how you do it
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RT @jowyang: This made me giggle: @Gizmodo parodies Best Buy employees http://bit.ly/DHBsy @BestBuyCMO rolls with it [link to post]
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LOL Applaud @bestbuycmo sense of humor RT @jowyang & @Gizmodo parody Best Buy http://bit.ly/DHBsy his reply [link to post]
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Classic, love it LMAO @Gizmodo parodies Best Buy employees http://bit.ly/DHBsy @BestBuyCMO rolls with it [link to post] (via @jowyang)
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Kudos to playful pokes! RT @jowyang @Gizmodo parodies Best Buy employees http://bit.ly/DHBsy @BestBuyCMO rolls with it [link to post]
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@jowyang I loved it as well, although some of the comments left on Barry’s site were a little harsh. @BestBuyCMO- I got your back.
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@jowyang at the same time, there is some truth to comments – http://bit.ly/m2JRC
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@jowyang have you seen the BestBuy reaction http://su.pr/8dszrp
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Lots of comments on the response!! > RT @jowyang @Gizmodo parodies Best Buy employees @BestBuyCMO rolls with it [link to post]
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RT jowyang This made me giggle: @Gizmodo parodies Best Buy employees http://bit.ly/DHBsy @BestBuyCMO rolls with it [link to post]
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@ConversationAge Valeria thanks a lot for taking time to write an email to me
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Great work and response. Those characters exist in every business and at every family reunion that’s why people could relate to it.
Your response was great. Social media is about listening, transparency and connecting. Your response made Best Buy more human and added a personality to the brand. I had a good laugh too, on both sides.
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RT: @jowyang: This made me giggle: @Gizmodo parodies Best Buy employees http://bit.ly/DHBsy @BestBuyCMO rolls with it [link to post]
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great response by bb cmo! RT @shanegibson: Gizmodo parodies Best Buy employees http://bit.ly/DHBsy @BestBuyCMO response [link to post]
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LOL RT @jowyang This made me giggle: @Gizmodo parodies Best Buy employees http://bit.ly/DHBsy @BestBuyCMO rolls with it [link to post]
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@nlupus likewise, Sasha. Congratulations again on your new blog – we look forward to learning with you.
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still not a fan of the BB, just a glorified electronics show room
try again, this time in your stores not online…
lame
Frigging EXCELLENT and hysterical response. Excellent, Barry!
I agree with several comments, Barry. Your original post was spot on. I read Gizmodo religiously and shop at Best Buy once in a while (let’s say, when I actually buy new electronics, I usually get them there), and I thought your response was clever and sharp. Those Giz guys don’t cut anyone any slack, and it showed some moxie to roll with the punches and give them a poke back. However, when you reposted and added the “disclaimer” at the top, it took a bit o’ wind out of your sails. Next time, stick with the original post and don’t try to patronize the audience or hedge to avoid blowback. Nice work!
I still won’t shop at Best Buy. The employees are clueless teenagers and the prices are too high. NewEgg all the way!!
You are a good story Barry, loved the response!
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gr8 riposte! RT @jowyang:This made me giggle:@Gizmodo parodies Best Buy employees@BestBuyCMO rolls with it [link to post]
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I 100% agree with Greg Edwards, posting the wussy disclaimer at the top totally ruined your otherwise funny response.
the real issue here is the spotty experiences consumers are having with Blue Shirts. For me most have been average, a couple have been great and several have sucked. Until there’s feedback from the consumer and accountability by Best Buy, I think you’ll have a tough time solving this.
Please never mention “core values” in a blog ever again.
Ain’t this funny! Good response there!
How many Extended Service Plans did it take for you to afford the time for this witty remark?
I’ve gotta say that I didn’t think Best Buy had a soul but this at least made me smile!
[...] But Best Buy took a different approach, made possible by the changing media and technology landscape. CMO Barry Judge posted a blog the next day about the characteristics of the “typical Gizmodo blogger,” which was equally funny, if not funnier than Gizmodo’s. You can read it for yourself here. [...]