Never buy Best Buy?

you."

Geek Squad marketed itself effectively through stories that had characters. Employees would be called "intelligence agents," divided into functional units. For instance, "counter intelligence agents" would help customers in the store, from behind the counter, etc. "Special agents" would go on home calls, to install or repair products. "Double agents" would be cross-trained to work in either environment. "Covert agents" would assist customers remotely, over the telephone and Internet.

"These well thought-out stories help set up expectations for customers, like the Starbucks baristas. We were interested in Geek Squad for these stories, and the brand elements that could help Best Buy get its ducks in a row," Skelley explained.

So he met with Geek Squad founder Stephens and began brainstorming. "As I see it, Rob and I began dating eight years ago. We acquired Geek Squad six years ago. He likes to say Geek Squad acquired Best Buy, and in truth, the acquisition did change our history. It also convinced us that it is necessary to have a story that people can believe in passionately," he continued.

Marketing the Geek Squad services part of the big box's offering took time and planning. New posters went up in the Best Buy stores. Geek Squad services were tested in some stores for a year, then rolled out nationwide four years ago. One of the early challenges was scale; Geek Squad was small, Best Buy was big -- where would all the agents required for a national rollout come from?