3D Printing

Jason vs 3D Printing in RadioShack's New Ad Campaign

For nostalgic millenials, RadioShack’s ad during the Super Bowl may have been one of the few to actually leave an impression.  Nothing compares to seeing Chucky, Slimer, Hulk Hogan and Teen Wolf run around to “Everybody’s Working for the Weekend” all at once.  As part of of RadioShack’s new ad campaign, which attempts to replace their dated 80’s image with something a bit more 2014, the chain has begun offering Afinia 3D printers in its stores.  And, to advertise the new offering, they created the following commercial, which features Jason from Friday the 13th and an Afinia H-Series 3D printer.

What excites me most about this commercial, aside from its nostalgia-inducing star, is how keen the company is on what 3D printing can be used for.  Though the Shack employee lists off a number of uses for 3D printing – making car parts, jewellery, toys, etc. – Jason uses the Afinia to create something else: a 3D printed key.  We’ve covered a few different stories on 3DPI about duplicating keys with 3D printing.  So, though it may seem like an implausible joke that Jason has copied the clerk’s house key, the mass murderer really can use that object to break in and kill that poor, naive young man!

Ok, so what’s even more exciting than the key is the fact that 3D printing has hit the big time. Though this ad wasn’t aired during the Super Bowl, the Afinia was featured in the store’s official Super Bowl commercial, albeit only briefly at second 26, which is likely 3D printing’s biggest EVER audience to date:

If RadioShack’s commercials have anything to say about it, then 2014 will be the year in which 3D printing really takes off!

Thanks to Joe at Afinia for the tip!