While most folks are only too quick to hit the “skip ad” button on YouTube, more than 1.4 million viewers have actually sought out a new online commercial from hhgregg.
The 30-second spot plays off a form of shopping anxiety described by researchers as “fear of better options,” or FOBO. The syndrome, which supposedly affects some 69 percent of millennials, leaves consumers paralyzed by choice, and wondering whether a better deal or product option may exist elsewhere.
hhgregg’s ad agency, Zimmerman, seized upon the phenomenon, seeing it as an opportunity to tout the retailer’s wide assortment, assisted sales floor and guaranteed lowest prices.
“FOBO is the perfect frame to express our client’s commitment to having unmatched selection, price and service experts that help consumers make the very best decision, anywhere, every time,” said chief client officer Jim Heidelberg.
The result was the million-plus-hits Memorial Day spot, “Hannah & Jade,” which shows how the multiregional majap, CE and furniture chain can allay shopper worries (below).
hhgregg has long taken to YouTube, often with wicked tongue-in-cheek parodies, as an alternative to pricier TV time. Indeed, the company saved $67 million last year by trimming corporate overhead, cutting employee salaries and benefits, and shifting its ad dollars to digital, amid persistent quarterly losses.
