Best Buy Reorganizing its Marketing Department

Best Buy is reorganizing its marketing team in an effort to make it more streamlined and cost effective. Three of the company’s top marketing executives have left, and the retailer is folding marketing responsibilities into merchandising. Best Buy's former Chief Marketing Officer Greg Revelle and Mary Lou Kelley, president of e-commerce, have both left the company. Revelle was appointed CMO of Kohl's last week. Tom Nowak, the former head of agency Peterson Milla Hooks, who was hired by Best Buy less than two years ago as the electronic brand's first-ever chief creative officer, has also left. Chief Merchandising Officer Mike Mohan is now responsible for overseeing marketing.

Total Retail’s Take: Although electronics haven’t been hit as hard as apparel, retail sales in the category have been down. And with a lack of innovative product launches on the horizon, the struggles may continue. Best Buy is essentially the last man standing against Amazon.com in the electronics category — HHGregg filed for bankruptcy earlier this year and will be going out of business, while RadioShack is hanging on by a thread. We'll have to see if Best Buy’s strategy of showrooming and highlighting product for consumers to touch and see will offer it an advantage against Amazon.