• by Ken Hein , February 13, 2015

RadioShack is the brand equivalent of a car caught in a skid. We could all see the crash happening, it was just a matter of when.

As an editor at Adweek’s former sister publication, Brandweek, I covered the chain more closely than most. For nearly a decade, I spent a great deal of time talking to the marketing team, visiting the set during ad shoots as well as speaking to analysts about the brand. 

All of these years later, there are four clear reasons why RadioShack imploded as well as four ways the brand could have reversed course:

1. Trying to compete against Best Buy. RadioShack was to Best Buy, what Ace Hardware is to Home Depot. It was a place one could go to find consumer electronics, radio-controlled toys and every oddball accessory, battery or wire under the sun. It was small, well-staffed, and you could get in and get out satisfied that you purchased the right product.

What it should have done: Doubled down on the homespun, “we are here to help you” mentality. As computers and cellphones were exploding, RadioShack could have been ground zero for Luddites in need of help.

2. Firing former NFL star Howie Long and pre-“Desperate Housewives” Teri Hatcher as its spokespeople. RadioShack’s corny campaign starring Long and Hatcher had a so-bad-it’s-good quality. The two shared an odd chemistry as did the other B-List actors they brought on to deliver the “You’ve Got Questions. We’ve Got Answers” tagline. The chain never recovered from sacking its in-house agency and killing the campaign in 2005.

What it should have done: Spent its $200 million ad budget saying exactly what it did. Need a weird battery or unusual wire? We got it! Need expert advice? We’re here for you! It could have even been Geek Squad before Geek Squad. 

3. Failing to act on the data it collected. Before big data became a marketing cliché, you practically needed to give your blood type in order to make a purchase at a RadioShack. As a customer, I felt violated every time it grilled me for information because there was no upside. All told, it stopped the aggressive data collection practice about a decade ago.

What it should have done: Used the data. RadioShack could have easily sent special offers or custom reminders when, say, the batteries a customer purchased were likely to die.

4. Refusing to completely rebrand. You know the song: Video killed the radio star. In the first video on MTV, The Buggles called it way back in 1980. There is no more dated word than “radio.” At a point, the brand tried to reposition itself as “The Shack.” Obviously, the word “shack” is meant to convey affordability, but still no one wants to go to a shack. 

What it should have done: A complete and utter rebrand would have been a gutsy call, but it was necessary. By sticking to its roots in terms of name, product and philosophy, it never gave Millennials a compelling reason to shop there.

It’s easy to be a Monday morning quarterback regarding the fate of RadioShack. And it’s easy to see how the one-two punch of Amazon (online) and Best Buy (offline) knocked out this 94-year-old company. But it’s still hard to watch as this great American brand smacked head-on into this inevitable crash, especially since we all saw it coming.