hhgregg is a rapidly growing, publicly owned and operated consumer electronics and home appliances retailer headquartered in Indiana specializing in high end TVs and appliances.
For their latest TV spot, Leo Burnett came up with a nightmarish date scenario in which a TV-obsessed tech geek (possibly an hhgregg employee), who bears a slight resemblance to a young Mario Batali, can’t stop talking about “light and illuminating pixels” and “variable refresh rates” while on a paddle boat ride with his date. The extremely bored date sits, paddling with her feet while holding a rose from TV-Obsessed Tech Geek. The poor woman stares off, bored out of her mind, as her date drivels on, “Of course, you wouldn’t know that unless you read the blogs I read.” Then we cut to an hh gregg salesman who says, “Talking about TVs doesn’t make you sound smart, it makes you sound lonely,” perfectly followed by the tagline, “hhgregg knows TVs, so you don’t have to.”
The ad is effective not just because it dovetails so well with the tagline, but because it presents such a humorous real-life situation that everyone can relate to. Ladies, I’m sure you’ve been there: stuck with some dude yammering on about some techie drivel without letting you sneak in a word of conversation, completely oblivious to your boredom. And I’m sure that tech-obsessed guys have felt at times a bit too much like the guy in this spot. Maybe this spot will raise some self-awareness. An advertisement that may open up some eyes and improve first date behavior? I’d say that’s a pubic service.