RadioShack calls itself 'The Shack' in attempt to modernize image

Long-running electronics retailer RadioShack is updating its image by referring to itself as "The Shack" in a new campaign.

"This creative is not about changing our name," said Chief Marketing Officer Lee Applbaum, Rather, we're contemporizing the way we want people to think about our brand. THE SHACK speaks to consumers in a fresh, new voice and distinctive creative look that reinforces RadioShack's authority in innovative products, leading brands and knowledgeable, helpful associates."

The company filed for a trademark of "The Shack" earlier this month, listing it as "retail store services featuring consumer electronics, communication devices, and communication service plans."

"We have tremendous equity in consumers' minds around cables, parts and batteries, but it's critically important that we help them to understand the role that we play in keeping people connected in this highly mobile world," Applbaum continued in a statement today. "You will see a real focus on mobility and wireless products from leading brands in our new advertising."

In its last year of existence, Circuit City attempted a nearly identical rebranding scheme, calling all of its last stores "The City" before it dissolved.

"When a brand becomes a friend, it often gets a nickname -- take FedEx or Coke, for example," Applbaum said. "Our customers, associates and even the investor community have long referred to RadioShack as 'THE SHACK,' so we decided to embrace that fact and share it with the world."

When news of this campaign leaked earlier today, the theory was that "The Shack" was actually going to be the new name for RadioShack. It was being supported with a screenshot of an in-house terminal that leaked yesterday showing the name on a store computer, and a highly detailed update to the RadioShack Wikipedia entry.

To inaugurate "The Shack," RadioShack is hosting Netogether, a three-day event beginning on August 6th where two 17-foot high laptops --one in New York City and one in San Francisco-- will be connected together.