- Lucia Moses

OfficeMax, anticipating soft back-to-school sales, is harnessing social media again as part of an effort to bolster its image as a value retailer. Inline with its "Back to School for Pennies" program, OfficeMax is releasing seven new videos on YouTube starring improv actor Matt McCarthy.

The videos feature hidden-camera scenarios in which McCarthy and a sidekick try to buy costly items with only pennies. The video series was created by the Escape Pod, the Chicago-based ad agency that was behind OfficeMax's 2008 viral campaign on YouTube, which also featured McCarthy.

With the "Back to School for Pennies" program, the office supply company offers weekly deals on school supplies for a penny or bundled "buy one, get one for a penny" offers. The program is supported by TV spots and radio ads that are airing in top U.S. markets during the back-to-school season.

“The 'Penny Prank' videos are a fun way to engage our audience during back-to-school season and call attention to the special one-penny price offers available weekly at OfficeMax,” Ryan Vero, executive vp and chief merchandising officer for OfficeMax, said in a statement.

OfficeMax expects sales to decline in the second half of 2009 due to the soft economy, the company said in its second-quarter earnings report on July 30. Sales in the second quarter fell 16.5 percent to $1.66 billion, due to weak small business and consumer spending.