Radio Shack

The first computer I ever bought was a Tandy TRS-80 I got at RadioShack in the mid-1980s. There was no floppy drive, no operating system, no internet connection and no hard drive. I used a tape recorder to save data, but I still felt pretty cutting edge, even if it was largely an expensive paperweight, since I had no programming skills and used it like a big calculator. While those were also the halcyon days of RadioShack, the electronics retailer would like 2014 to be the start of a new golden age.

On Sunday, RadioShack used comedy, in the form of a Super Bowl ad, to show its stores being dismantled and rebuilt. On Tuesday, the news broke that some of the stores will be dismantled, period. According to people familiar with the matter, RadioShack is planning to close around 500 locations in the coming months. It isn't clear which of RadioShack's roughly 4,300 stores will be closed and when exactly the closings will begin. The people familiar with the matter noted that it isn't unusual for companies to close stores when going through a restructuring. 

In its latest brand-positioning shift, struggling consumer electronics retailer RadioShack is emphasizing one of its longtime core tenets: customer service. A new national advertising campaign called "Do It Together" aims to show how RadioShack and consumers can collaborate to solve technological problems like connecting today's many devices, said Jennifer Warren, the retailer's chief marketing officer. Four 15-to-30 second ads, plus two more ads targeted specifically to the Hispanic market, will roll out beginning in early February during primetime and sporting events; radio, print, digital, social and in-store marketing will support the campaign. 

Conventional wisdom suggests that putting a mobile ad as close to the point of sale as possible is, for all the obvious reasons, the smartest local mobile targeting method. Geo-fencing and location profiling are, after all, two of the hottest areas of mobile ad tech right now. We presume that proximity aligns best with either intent or opportunity. Suprisingly, the highly geotargeted campaign of banner ads and mobile circulars actually enjoyed higher clickthrough rates when the user was furthest from a RadioShack.

As thousands of companies try to link their marketing messages to Earth Day, a new study from OgilvyEarth finds that the vast majority aren't having any impact on consumer behavior. While 82 percent of Americans have "good green intentions," only 16 percent are dedicated to fulfilling them.

Radio Shack Chief Marketing Officer Lee Applbaum made a revelation that helps explain why national retail chains are warming to Foursquare. "Foursquare users at Radio Shack generally spend three-and-a-half times more compared to what non-Foursquare users [spend]," Applbaum said, while speaking at the Ad Age Digital conference.

Walgreen's, Canadian Tire, J.C. Penney, Save-A-Lot, Sports Authority, Staples and True Value are among the brands incorporating the web version of their weekly newspaper circulars into their Facebook pages.

A simple CSR training program can solve the lackluster attitude and increase conversion. Using this technique at one company I worked with, we increased conversion rates by as much as 20 percent. Also, by fostering an atmosphere of teamwork and healthy competition, we increased the enthusiasm and morale in its call center as well.

After your from line, the most compelling thing motivating recipients to open your email is its subject line. You know the drill: To stand out in a cluttered inbox, you have to work hard to capture attention. Subject lines must be carefully crafted to develop innovative ways to present your latest promotions and products.

Going “green” will become increasingly important for multichannel merchants as consumers’ spending habits continue to be influenced by environmental concerns. According to the 2007 Annual National Shopping Behavior Survey by KPMG, a vast majority of holiday shoppers expressed a willingness to pay more for ecofriendly gifts and took note of the countries where items were made. The recent survey of 815 shoppers was conducted randomly by telephone. Here are some highlights of the survey: * 88 percent of respondents said they were very concerned about the environment, with 74 percent saying they buy environmentally friendly products; * 60 percent of those respondents were willing