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October 15, 2008 at 10:28 am by Michelle Leder

Best Buy loves Powerpoint…

Google the words “I hate Powerpoint” and you’ll wind up with over 2,000 results, including this funny slideshow that provides detailed instructions on how not to kill off your audience from boredom.

I thought of that yesterday morning when I was skimming through this lengthy presentation that Best Buy (BBY) did yesterday on its international business which they filed as an 8K. The good news is that all investors now have access to this sort of thing. The bad news is that at 102 pages, it’s hard to imagine all but the most avid Best Buyers making it through the bloated presentation.

Much of the presentation had to deal with Best Buy’s $2 billion-plusĀ investment in the UK-based Carphone Warehouse. At the time, the companies said they would open 100 megastores in the UK and Europe over the next five years. Yesterday’s presentation seemed to temper that a bit, given the current economic slowdown. As this story in the Times (U.K.) notes, the plans to open the first stores have been pushed back by 6 months.

So check out the Best Buy Powerpoint if you must. Chances are, in addition to learning something about Best Buy’s international expansion, you’ll also learn something about boring Powerpoint presentations.

4 Responses to “Best Buy loves Powerpoint…”

  1. Grace Says:

    In this year SXSW they ran a real funny panel. Powerpoint meets Karaoke in this battle of wits :)
    http://2008.sxsw.com/interactive/programming/panels_schedule/?action=show&id=IAP060546

  2. Paul S. Bailey Says:

    Edward Tufte has published some excellent books on the right way to present information, as compared to using Power Point. The fact that Best has produced a prodigy of PP doesn’t mean they are disclosing anything in particular. If they used Tufte’s techniques, they would have no choice but to communicate clearly. PP seems tailor-made for producing good looking pitches devoid of content.

  3. Michelle Leder Says:

    Maybe it’s time to rethink my own PPTs :)

  4. JetPunk Says:

    I think boring powerpoints provide an acceptable excuse for everybody to take their afternoon nap.

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