In an interview with Ad Age, Chief Marketing Officer Lee Applbaum downplayed criticisms of the nickname. He pointed out that consumers and media are drawing conclusion before they’ve seen any of the new campaign. The company has no plans to eliminate its RadioShack moniker, and the name will remain unchanged on exterior signage at stores. Those details were not apparent based on the company’s press release, as evidenced by the media coverage the announcement received.
When asked why the company did not roll out the campaign in a way that would have avoided at least some of the confusion, Mr. Applbaum insisted that the company is “very strategic.” He said it’s difficult to “dissect any one piece” of the platform and its rollout.
“When you contemporize an iconic brand, when you in any way seek to change that, it makes people uncomfortable, and I understand that,” he said. “I think [the criticism] is a reflection on the passion people have for an iconic brand. If people aren’t uncomfortable, then you haven’t done your job in being transformative.”
RadioShack had several opportunities here and seized them all. In going out of character for their brand, they inadvertently ignited controversy and the resulting media coverage. They then extended the coverage and turned the tables on critics by granting interviews to several magazines and popular blogs. Nationwide media attention before a new campaign’s even launched? Thanks to effective crisis response and some smart folks in marketing, Radioshack came out on top in this one.
JB
Jonathan Bernstein
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/