The 80s called... they want their store back.

[wbswetnam]

During the Super Bowl, Radio Shack sponsored a commercial featuring iconic 80s personalities and characters who flash mob a Radio Shack store and clean it out. The commercial indicates that Radio Shack is changing back to a traditional format. Can it be true? Bring us back the radios, please!
http://youtu.be/9ft9ruGTO1w

 

[vstream02]

During the Super Bowl, Radio Shack sponsored a commercial featuring iconic 80s personalities and characters who flash mob a Radio Shack store and clean it out. The commercial indicates that Radio Shack is changing back to a traditional format. Can it be true? Bring us back the radios, please!
The Phone Call: #InWithTheNew RadioShack Commercial 30 version) - YouTube

Too little to late. Yeah just what we want...

 

[FFPM571]

should have happened years ago. they are useless..

 

[EdwardnNC]

I think they were trying to say the 80's style store is gone. They should have said it was back.

Sent from my Samsung S3 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jfhtm350]

I took it as they are cleaning out the old such as what they were in the 80's. It really didnt make sense since they are already a cellphone shack and nothing like they were in the 80's.

 

[pjtnascar]

I think what they were doing is showing that they're not the Radio Shack most of America thinks they are.

 

[phillydjdan]

When the store was empty, they switched to a shot of a sales rep holding what?... A friggin cellphone.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the new and improved...

CELL SHACK!

 

[ColonelMike]

Yes I was excited thinking they were bringing the old Radio Shack back but it was actually saying they are no longer that Radio Shack. Very sad.

 

[zzdiesel]

Yep, they're calling it a new era for sure!

 

[lynxrufus]

Radio Shack needed a game-changing ad. They didn't get it.

The ad is mildly amusing (very mildly). It acknowledges a major negative (stores with a design that belongs in the 1980s) but it doesn't provide a positive reason for anyone to go to a Radio Shack store today. Some may admire the self-deprecation but focusing on a negative doesn't make a great ad. It's a kind of 'shoot yourself in the foot' advertising.

The good news for Radio Shack is that the ad is forgettable.

Despite the fact that I and others may have liked the Radio Shack of a distant past, the only way for Radio Shack to thrive is to become something quite different from anything it has ever been. Radio Shack seems to have finally recognized that (decades late, obviously) but they don't appear to have any vision that will make a successful future.

If Radio Shack has a vision, it wasn't presented in this ad. The ad was a waste of money if you ask me.

 

[Darth_vader]

"The only way for Radio Shack to thrive is to become something quite different from anything it has ever been."

Tried already; failled. Remember "Incredible Universe"?

 

[LIScanner101]

Personally, I find the commercial at cross-purposes with itself and overall doesn’t make any sense….

By saying “the 80’s wants their store back”, the implication is that Radio Shack ALREADY IS in the 80’s. However, what do you see when you walk into any RS? Definitely not anything 80’s related, aside from a smattering of scanners, older radios and the parts bins.

Does the mere presence of those items "make" the store 80's in appearance? I personally don't think so. However, could feel that way, and they may be trying to say that they will eliminate ALL of those items and focus on – you guessed it – smartphones. Now, if THAT is the message, then you can basically write them off if you're a hobbyist.

Anyone work at RS on this site wanna chime in and help us decipher this confusing mess of a message????

 

[w8mkh]

saw that they are closing 500 stores

 

[mikesatter]

It looks like you are in a Best Buy with the Samsung Tablets sitting on the endcap and headphones on the shelve, it does not seem appealing to me.

 

[poltergeisty]

Wish my rat shack sold coaxial cable again...

 

[AndrewGS]

As a former RadioShack employee with a friend that manages a store, I think we're seeing the final days of RadioShack catering to hobbyists. I thought the commercial was bittersweet. In many ways I want to be able to walk into that '80s store today, just updated with modern technology. Instead I think we'll be seeing the demise of the parts bins and spools of wire, etc.

Back around '99 or 2000 is when things started to really go south. I worked through the transition to irrelevance in those days and got so frustrated telling customers, "Sorry, we don't carry that anymore." We used to have working displays for CB, 10m, 2m, shortwave, scanners and car audio (including amplifiers). Now the only working display I know of is the scanner at my friend's store. He'd have a CB hooked up but they no longer sell base antennas or bulk coax.

Most people that used to visit RS order their parts online or drive a few miles to the nearest Fry's. People that shop there today just need a simple part or cable, a battery for their car's keyless fob or want to shop mobile phones. While they're there they might see the GPS display or their kids might pick up a set of earphones.

 

[N9NRA]

saw that they are closing 500 stores

Hmmm...no great loss here, they closed the one in the mall near where i live, and the only one is south of here in a `burb that has no city bus access. Personally i wouldn`t lose any sleep if they just blew off all the stores and finally admitted they just couldn`t make it work, just selling cellphones, sat TV setups, and other stuff on one wants don`t get ya any buisness, Fact is, i only go there now for batteries, and i can get those at the Sears, which is closer, and more importantly i can get to it, which i can`t say for now-useless Cellphone/sat TV shack...er...Radio Shack . N9NRA

 

[Dude111]

During the Super Bowl, Radio Shack sponsored a commercial featuring iconic 80s personalities and characters who flash mob a Radio Shack store and clean it out. The commercial indicates that Radio Shack is changing back to a traditional format.

That would be good IF THE RADIOS WERE AS GOOD AS THEY WERE THEN!! (Pro-51 was one of the BEST)

 

[phillydjdan]

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Wait, when did they start selling radios again? Lol

 

[chrismol1]

I get it. They want to turn into a glorified apple store. One thing will stay the same- Apple-style prices