TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider is among the '80s icons who are featured in a new Super Bowl commercial for RadioShack. The pop-culture figures can be seen taking back the store, poking fun at the perception that the electronics store is outdated. "This is a bold, strategic move for RadioShack, and we're using the Super Bowl as the platform to get people to rethink RadioShack," said Jennifer Warren, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at RadioShack. "This ad is meant to grab attention, make viewers laugh, and let people know, it's out with the old and in with the new RadioShack." The ad, titled "The Phone Call," features icons from '80s pop culture who show up to reclaim the technology of their decade, helping the brand turn the page on the RadioShack of the past. The spot opens in a throwback RadioShack store; an associate receives a warning phone call before familiar '80s personalities including Hulk Hogan, Mary Lou Retton, Kid 'n' Play, and Alf, among others, barge in to "take back" their technology. What's left is a sleek, modern store that serves as an introduction and invitation for consumers to shop the new RadioShack. "We have spent months talking to consumers about their perceptions of RadioShack and what they want in a shopping experience," Warren said. "Our Super Bowl commercial allows us to show customers that we are listening to them as we reposition the brand." The Super Bowl ad, extended online footage and Twitter giveaway are the first works to debut from RadioShack's new advertising and media partner, Austin-based GSD&M. The agency selected veteran Super Bowl ad man Frank Todaro from Moxie Pictures to direct the "Phone Call" spot. "We wanted to directly address outdated perceptions of RadioShack, using both humor and nostalgia," said Joe Magnacca, chief executive officer of RadioShack. "We have committed significant work in stores across the country, with design and product assortment, as part of our turnaround effort. And we want to invite consumers back in to experience RadioShack. We love the '80s like everyone else, but it was time to show how we've evolved." The Super Bowl ad lays the foundation for RadioShack's new integrated marketing campaign, which debuts Monday, February 3, and brings to life RadioShack's recently announced brand positioning, "It Can Be Done, When We Do It Together." The new positioning speaks to the brand's ability to collaborate with consumers to help them discover what is possible through technology. The new Do It Together-themed creative will be centered around RadioShack's associates, who have the know-how to bring consumers' ideas to life. The multifaceted marketing plan includes TV, print, digital, social and in-store executions, all created with a how-to perspective in mind and placed to reach and engage a very tech-forward audience. "We're thrilled to be launching our newest work with our agency of record, GSD&M. We collaborated with them from research to concept to creative, which vividly illustrates DIT. It's an exciting time for our brand, and having one of the top creative agencies in the country as our partner through this turnaround time is proving invaluable," said Ms. Warren.
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