merit
As gas prices surged, BJ's Wholesale Club saw an opportunity. Many shoppers didn’t know BJ’s even sold gas, let alone at rock-bottom prices. Our spot "Balloon Shop" aimed to show consumers just how absurdly simple it is to fill the tank at BJ's.
With inflation running rampant, consumers were taking extra efforts to hunt for the lowest possible gas prices. But many consumers—even current BJ’s customers—did not think of the wholesale club when looking to fill their pump. Our goal was to alert these budget-conscious consumers to just how much they stood to save by choosing BJ’s Wholesale Club over traditional gas stations.
At BJ’s Wholesale Club, the savings are, frankly, ridiculously good. So to emphasize these absurd savings, we created a campaign built on absurdist humor. 'Balloon Shop' epitomizes this simple formula. Set in a party store, it features a customer and employee who inadvertently experience the voice-altering effects of helium when a tank springs a leak. However, rather than drawing attention to this absurd scenario, they dryly muse about the everyday low price of a different kind of gas at BJ’s Wholesale Club. All the while, their voices comically soar to cartoonish heights.
Did it work? Yup; in fact, the spot was absurdly effective! While the broader campaign saw BJ’s Wholesale Club’s sales increase 6.2% and membership revenue rise 7.1%, this spot in particular, according to testing, caused an absurd 79% of viewers to take action either by visiting a BJ’s Wholesale Club or visiting their site.
BJ’s Wholesale Club is an American membership-only warehouse club. The retailer sells everything from groceries to household goods to gas. With inflation rocking the global and domestic economies, gas (gasoline/petrol) in particular has proved to be a key expense for American consumers. Consequently, BJ’s Wholesale Club shifted its messaging to focus more on gas to steal market share from traditional gas stations.
