Would you buy your electronics from a shack?
August 5, 2009 • 1:21 pm • POSTED BY lhendler
In rebranding news, RadioShack will be attempting to refresh its image and identity by dropping the “Radio” completely and simply calling themseleves “The Shack” because doesn’t everybody refer to it as “The Shack” anyway? Well, I never did, but maybe I am alone on this one. While I am all for revinvention and rebrands, and I suppose radios are a bit outdated in the traditional sense, but it seems to me that RadioShack has pretty decent brand equity and recognition to begin with. Perhaps launching a campaign to showcase that you can compete with the likes of Best Buy with more electronics than just the wires and chords would make sense to me. I would never think to go to RadioShack for a computer or camera. However, “The Shack” would probably be even father down on the list. I think the only thing I would purchase from “The Shack” would be a beach towel and umbrella, and maybe one of those beaded bracelets that you always seem to come back from vacation with. Would you buy electronics from “The Shack”?
Thats ridiculous no one I know, refers to RadioShack as the Shack? In these tough times companies come up with the dumbest ideas trying to stay viable.
Just last week I tried to go to the Radio Shack or “The Shack” which I’ve never called it, on Chestnut Street to buy some outmoded electronic equipment. I needed a cassette iPod adapter for a long car trip and figured that Radio Shack would probably still carry those. In a bit of a time crunch, I ran in to grab one, only to find that The Shack was packed! I couldn’t even get a sales person to look at me. Frustrated, I walked down the street to one of those electronics shops with hip hop playing out of outside speakers and found what I needed. It even has an adapter for the lighter too! So, what does all this have to do with the name change? Not much really. I just hope it doesn’t confuse the Chestnut St. crowds.
“The Shack” has commented back saying they have no plans to actually change the name on their stores, but it is more of a nickname for the new campaign. Check out the recent article in AdAge.
http://adage.com/article?article_id=138297
[...] 80s by both The Radio Shack (selling Tandys and Optimus car stereos at a 6.75% commission, and no, we never called it “The Shack”) and The Carlton Shop, locally infamous for selling cut-rate Bugle Boys, Triple Fat Goose jackets, [...]
Too much equity in the existing name to shorten it without thinking of some backwoods bait ‘n’ tackle joint. Just ditch the name for something like Electro-Outhouse.
Stupid. That’s the word someone uses to describe (in this case) (a) situation(s) where idiots (customers who lack basic knowledge of how the real world operates) think that everyone other than themselves should only earn basic wages; and be happy to just do the job with no incentive other than “keeping their job” as a driving force. Commissioned employees are everywhere from the president of the united states to the local furniture sales professional. I find that most people who complain about commissioned employees are in fact incompetent themselves. As a matter of fact, the customer CAN and OFTEN DOES say “NO”.