In 2011, Best Buy joined the exclusive club of Super Bowl advertisers to promote a buy-back program (which we spoiled weeks in advance) that has all but vanished. Last year, it hired a roster of tech biggies to bolster its image as a knowledgeable electronics retailer — and was greeted by chirping crickets.

But of course, in the 12 months since the NY Giants did the one thing I can’t hate them for (making Tom Brady sad), Best Buy has lost a CEO to scandal, had its founder and chairman of the board step down, only to attempt to buy the company back from shareholders.

Best Buy’s new leadership is getting its attempt to win with a Super Bowl ad, and it appears they have gone a more traditional route — bringing in a celebrity ringer.

Amy Poehler, former Saturday Night Live-er and current star of NBC’s Parks & Recreation (not to mention her recent hosting gig at the Golden Globes), is being called on to kick the 64-yard field goal that the Minnesota-based retailer needs to improve its public image.

“Amy is this comedic everyperson who can make things simple,” some guy from Best Buy tells the AP. “And Best Buy is trying to accomplish the same thing — making technology simple.”

It looks like Poehler will play a Best Buy customer, one who presumably asks puzzlingly hilarious questions of the store’s blue-shirted employees.

“It was kind of a riffing, improv sort of style within a script framework,” said the Best Buy guy, who really just wants to direct. “She had a lot of creative control, and I’m really glad we did it that way because we got to a place we never could have gotten to on our own.”

But even if the commercial is funny, will it convince customers to shop at the store when going online is often the easier (and less expensive) option?

In a time when even those consumers who aren’t struggling financially are more money-savvy than they were five years ago, humorous ads and a famous face are often insufficient reasons for shoppers to patronize a store.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.