RadioShack, the sponsor of Lance Armstrong’s cycling team next year, is set to launch a rebranding this week and will more commonly be known as The Shack.
And the decision comes on the back of the exposure and excitement the announcement of the link-up with the seven-time Tour de France winner has created for the company.
RadioShack’s chief marketing officer Lee Applbaum said: "This is an exciting time at RadioShack. The announcement about Lance and Team RadioShack generated a great deal of consumer excitement and a reappraisal of our brand, which is exactly what The Shack is intended to do. Having Lance on our team will no doubt accelerate our brand's evolution."
It is ditching the corporate brand name in its advertisements to appeal to consumers through a more personalised marketing approach that simply uses the phrase The Shack.
The Fort Worth-based company will still be called RadioShack officially, but does intend to use the new nickname as part of a high-profile marketing campaign that aims to make the store brand sound more friendly to its base of potential customers.
Applbaum explained: “Trust is a critical attribute of any successful retailer, and the reality is that most people trust friends, not corporations. When a brand becomes a friend, it often gets a nickname — take FedEx or Coke, for example. 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.”
The company’s new marketing and creative materials will be unleashed with The Shack brand name this Thursday when the company will host a three-day, bicoastal event called ‘Netogether.’
RadioShack will not only sponsor Armstrong’s Pro-Tour cycling team but also work with the Lance Armstrong Foundation and LIVESTRONG campaign in the global fight against cancer.
You can see a netogether preview with a taste of the new branding at www.radioshack.com/theshack/