Can RadioShack Be the “Neighborhood Technology Playground”?

Posted on June 1, 2013 by bermanevansretail
RadioShack has been struggling for a while — due to competition from online retailers and discounters such as Wal-Mart. So, it is trying another remake as it moves away from its recent “The Shack” theme.
Will THIS work?
As Natalie Zmuda writes for Advertising Age: “Gyrating, scantily clad models with pouty red lips haven’t exactly been a hallmark of RadioShack advertising, but the latest spot — inspired by Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” music video and promoting Beats by Dre’s Pill speaker — is the first indication the electronics retailer is embarking on major changes. Jennifer Warren, the new chief marketing officer and a former ad-agency exec, says the retailer is moving quickly to make changes in its advertising as it attempts an aggressive turnaround. It hopes to attract younger consumers, alert customers to the popular products it carries, such as Beats, and rethink the design of its stores. RadioShack is also rolling out a brand platform and tagline, ‘Let’s Play,’ in an effort to become the ‘neighborhood technology playground.’ The ad, which has racked up 1.5 million views on YouTube, surprised some people, Ms. Warren said, but was generally well-received. Taking a risk with the #UWantIt ad has won the retailer points, even among franchise owners who Ms. Warren said are eager to see the marketer become culturally relevant again.”
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Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” video for RadioShack

 

Posted in Part 1: Overview/Planning, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Breakfast Market Booming at Fast-Food Restaurants

Posted on May 31, 2013 by bermanevansretail
One sometimes neglected segment of the fast-food business is breakfast. But today, many companies are expanding their breakfast offerings, while a few are abandoning them.
As Maureen Morrison reports for Advertising Age: “Wendy’s won’t be serving you breakfast, but Ronald might offer it all day. McDonald’s is considering putting breakfast on the all-day menu, not long after Wendy’s earlier this year ended its national breakfast experiment. Breakfast accounts for 25% of McDonald’s business and has been one of the biggest opportunities for the restaurant industry — the only area of growth in the past decade, according to NPD. And consumer trends in food, including the desire for speed, convenience, portability, and more-healthful, fresher options, are driving chains such as Denny’s and even Pinkberry to cash in on the $50 billion restaurant-breakfast category. So why couldn’t Wendy’s make breakfast work? It wasn’t for lack of effort: The fast feeder has tried the meal a number of times. But breakfast-eating habits tend to be habitual, and Wendy’s was late to the daypart. ‘They just moved too little, too late,’ said Elizabeth Friend, consumer-food-service analyst at Euromonitor International.”
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Posted in Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pricing Consistency Across Multiple Channels

Posted on May 30, 2013 by bermanevansretail
In this multichannel world of retailing, consistency is one of the key factors in shoppers’ attitudes toward a firm. The easiest area to measure with regard to the consistency across channels is pricing, since this is so concrete and observable. But, for various reasons, price consistency across channels is not necessarily easy to implement.
According to a recent report by Profitero: “A new survey from business consultancy SDL reveals that 69% of consumers polled expect in-store, online, and mobile apps to offer the same pricing, discounts, and sales. The survey looked at the mobile and social media habits of consumers in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Singapore, and also found that 77% of respondents confirm they regularly ‘showroom’. Today’s consumer wants brands to offer a consistent experience across mobile, social, and traditional channels according to SDL’s The New Disruption for Brands report. The findings from the study confirm that shoppers function seamlessly across channels when interacting with brands, and expect the same level of consistency and value regardless of which channel they interact with. The survey found that 62% of respondents use a mobile device in-store to compare products and prices, whilst 77% confirmed they regularly showroom – checking the price of a product at a bricks-and-mortar store before purchasing the same product at a cheaper price online.”
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Posted in Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment