Details are a bit light on this one, but thanks to a tipster and some chatter we picked up on the interblogs, it looks like Radio Shack may be about to undergo a pretty noticeable rebranding. The above image was taken from a terminal within a store, and while it's not completely clear if this is a short-term promotional push or long-term strategy (apparently the company will remain Radio Shack on the corporate side), our tipster says that in-store signs will reflect the change this week, and storefront signage will begin to be reworked as "The Shack" sometime later this year. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense -- radios aren't exactly considered cutting edge these days, and from the sounds of things, the store is about to launch a full assault on the mobile space, bringing T-Mobile into the fold this month, and attempting to cover the gamut on cellphone reselling. Still, we're not sure "The Shack" is the right direction... unless they
wanted us to immediately picture a remote location where very, very bad things happen.
Update: Apparently we're not the only ones talking about this -- someone has added
detailed info on the rebranding to the company's Wikipedia page. According to the writeup, the switch will kick off with celebrations "in San Francisco and New York featuring '14 foot tall laptops' streaming the images from their webcams from one city to the other, live music in both locations, as well as television coverage of the event." Uh, okay!
Update 2: Guess they weren't kidding.
Here's the promo page on Radio Shack's site. Thanks Ellis D.!
posted August 2nd 2009 9:15PM
THE SHACK IS WACKK!!!!!!! Lmao
And? Their products will still suck.
Radios are the cutting edge of technology these days. Promoting cell phones only adds to the relevancy of radio and the appropriateness of the name Radio Shack. The only more appropriate name would be Overpriced Crap Shack.
I hope they change their motto along with the name from; "You've got questions, we've got answers" to "You've got simple questions we can't possibly answer".
Ask if they have radial lead electrolytic capacitors in the 470 farad range and you will be treated to a blank stare.
Name changes can indicate a struggling business. I wouldn't be surprised if The Shack falls in 1 year.
Yeah, I used to go to the Shack to get electronic parts, but they stopped carrying a lot of those so I have to order online as there's nothing else nearby. They do, however, have some awesome affordable KJ equipment. The name is only going to work with people who regularly went to Radio Shack. If you've never been, it makes no sense. Shack Attack.
someone tell me how this is supposed to help radio shack? are they reinventing themselves? running away from themselves? i found an interesting article on the curious rebrand of radioshack here: http://onthebutton.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/the-shack/ cheers!
I see a promotional opportunity for Shaquille O'Neil, a/k/a the original Shaq.
I think it's a big mistake for them to change their name. Who said that they don't sell radios anymore? Isn't a cell phone a radio? Isn't a wireless router a radio? Isn't a cordless phone a radio? Anything "Wireless" is a radio and transmits Radio Waves. Keep the name or it's the begining of the end.
As an old and outdated concept they needed to do something "Tech Shack" would have been a much better name. Obviously they did not ask me as the last time I was in a store was over 3 years ago...they just are not competitive. Maybe this T-Mobile change will help.
@ Ricardo Rivera
Radio Shack has always been about pushing extended warranties and selling useless accessories. The electronics sold there provide little if any discernable type of competitive features that are available from other retailers.
Regarding knowledge, I have had to school the employees on what an e-SATA port was, the difference between integrated and dedicated graphics cards, and the different types of flash memory out there. This is not new technology we're talking about.
The stores I've gone to and been pounced are North Hills, Northridge, Long Beach, and Downtown LA.
I am less than impressed at The Knowledge, The Service, and The Merchandise selections.
Whaterver happened to Rodeo Snak?
It's easy to predict that "The Shack" will go down in flames and the people responsible for this insanity will join millions of other Americans in the unemployment line.
I can throw a pile of books on the desk that all say that doing this is a MAJOR marketing mistake! Haven't these people ever heard of test-marketing?
I bet they can get a deal on the brand name "Circuit City" - which would offer a better chance for success than "The Shack"
this is a test
TEST
Get over it bunch of nubs
Hey, if we're lucky, we might see God.