Best Buy is leveraging its massive physical retail footprint as a unique advertising channel. This "in-store takeover" capability allows brands to create immersive experiences using window displays, digital walls, and interactive screens, reaching customers at the crucial point of purchase.
During its COVID-era pivot, Lifetime replaced its entire sales team with a "concierge" service focused on member experience and ceased all traditional advertising. This counter-intuitive strategy, focused purely on product quality and customer help, led to a doubling of revenue in three years and waitlists at many locations.
Nick Berglund's core philosophy is that personal happiness and success come from consciously curating one's world, starting with health. This mindset of intentional design informs both his personal life and his approach to building the Lifetime brand, viewing health as the foundational element of a curated life.
Lifetime's CCO, Nick Berglund, kickstarted his career by taking a street team shift for a beer brand. He proactively introduced himself to a table of creatives from the agency Fallon, which led to an internship and a full-time role. This demonstrates that creating career opportunities often happens outside of formal application processes.
Instead of being siloed in a corporate office, Lifetime's creative and marketing leadership is encouraged to work directly from their clubs. This provides invaluable, first-hand insight into member patterns, team member needs, and the real-world customer journey, which directly informs a more authentic marketing strategy.
The company culture at Lifetime uses shared physical activity—like group classes and training sessions—as a core team-building tool. This practice moves beyond typical corporate bonding, creating a deeper level of trust and shared values among colleagues, which they believe is invaluable in an increasingly remote world.
To help people adopt healthier lifestyles, Lifetime focuses on making the first steps small, easy, and fun. The goal is to let people experience immediate positive feedback—like a "little bounce" from 10 minutes on a treadmill. This builds a habit loop, creating a positive "addiction" to feeling good, which is more powerful than focusing on a daunting long-term goal.
Lifetime's CCO argues that creative leaders should not become pure managers. He maintains his edge and leads by example by actively participating in the creative process, from logo design to app experience concepts. He believes any creative leader who doesn't "get their hands dirty" is less trustworthy and effective.