2015 CTA HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE BIO
Tom Campbell
Technologist, CE evangelist, retail executive
Successfully selling stereo equipment requires not only a Midas touch and a
golden ear, but also a silver tongue, and Tom Campbell is imbued with all three.
Starting out as the motor mouth for Cal Stereo's radio ads in the 1970s, Campbell
became a leading retail executive, technologist and industry evangelist, helping a
series of consumer electronics (CE) retailers grow to unprecedented success.
As part of the golden age of independent CE retailing in the late 1960s to the
mid-1990s, Campbell was instrumental in the national launch of new products
including the first retail CD players, GPS, camcorders, DVD players, HDTVs, 3D
TVs and, most recently, the first 4K Ultra HDTVs.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, his father Tom owned a furniture store, and his mother
Glenna was a homemaker. Fascinated by electronics, Campbell became a licensed
amateur "ham" radio operator in his teens, buying his first radio with his father's
help and money earned caddying on a golf course. In junior high school, he won a
Blue Ribbon at the Greater St. Louis Science Fair for designing and building a
relaxation oscillator.
In high school, Campbell built a sub-10-milliwatt local AM radio station and
convinced his neighbors to tune into his evening radio show. After pestering the
local radio station KATZ, he gave station identification call letters over the air on
weekends. He also emceed shows and was a disc jockey. Campbell later enlisted
in the Air Force, and received specialized training in advanced electronics, cyphers
and cryptography.
After leaving the service, Campbell worked at several radio stations, ending up in
San Francisco in 1968 in the center of its vibrant music scene. His show on the
leading Bay Area radio station, KYA, reached more than half of this growing youth
audience.
He also was appointed chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Youth
by President Nixon, and presented as the U.S. representative to the Ditchley
Foundation in Oxford, England in 1969. He hosted “Tom Campbell Stateside” on
Armed Forces Radio and, in 1971, toured U.S. European military bases with the
band Credence Clearwater Revival.
Campbell was in demand as a commercial spokesperson during the home stereo
craze of the early 1970s when new retailers including DOW Stereo and Cal Stereo
found an audience of rock music-loving fans. Campbell announced spots for these
retailers and could famously squeeze 90 seconds of ad copy into a 60-second
spot, which gave Cal Stereo an extra patina of cool.
Campbell's exposure to retail marketing through his broadcasting experiences
enabled him to execute effective advertising campaigns. In 1981, he joined DOW
Stereo & Video as corporate director and worked with manufacturers to build
consumer awareness for emerging CE products. As a result, DOW Stereo became
a national showcase and launching pad for cutting-edge technologies and products.
Over more than three decades working for Southern California retailers including
DOW Stereo & Video, Ken Crane’s and Video & Audio Center, Campbell
collaborated with leading brands to orchestrate the national launches of the first
consumer CD player (1982), the first car DAT player (1988), the first CD home
recorder (1991), the first flat-screen TV (1992), Photo CD (1992), the 3DO 32-bit
game console (1993), WebTV (1996), the first DVD player (1997), the first DTS
component (1998), the first HDTV with a set-top box and the first integrated HDTV
(1998), the first 1080p big screen HDTV (2005), the first 3D HDTV (2010), the first
4K Ultra HDTV (UHD) (2012), the first curved 4K UHD TV (2013) and the first
OLED UHD TV (2014).
On August 6, 1998, thousands of customers swarmed DOW, and Campbell
facilitated the first U.S. retail sale of a 56-inch Panasonic HDTV ($5,499). Three
months later Campbell’s promotional prowess was behind the sale of the first
integrated HDTV, the Samsung HCH551W at a DOW Stereo event. Six weeks
later, DOW’s and Campbell's HDTV marketing efforts received recognition via a
salutary resolution offered on the floor of the U.S. Senate, for leadership and
ongoing efforts to benefit the American consumer.
While working with DOW, Campbell also served on the Congressional Internet
Caucus, the Washington think-tank Icon Solutions and as an advisory board
member of KFX Energy. In 2005, he became a corporate director of COMP USA,
facilitating the integration of CE products into the computer domain.
Campbell, who served as a technology advisor to the White House in three
administrations, received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award in 2001, for
his "dedicated service to the White House and the Executive Office of the
President." In 2011, Campbell joined Safe Communications as a senior advisory
board member and also joined the retailer Video & Audio Center (VAC) as
corporate director and chief marketing strategist, where he helped introduce the
next-generation of UHD TV. On October 25, 2012, consumers lined up for blocks at
the chain's Lawndale store, where the first UHD TV, an 84-inch model from LG
Electronics, was sold. Amazingly, a dozen $20,000 LGs were sold that first day.
Campbell also helped VAC substantially increase its sales volume and market
share to make it the Southland's largest independent digital electronics dealer. At
the 2015 International CES, VAC received the “Hardware Retailer of the Year”
award from DEG – the Digital Entertainment Group - in large part to Campbell’s
contributions in positioning the retailer as the nation’s leading independent retailer
for 4K UHD TVs.
Leveraging his distinguished industry and government career, Campbell also
serves on the faculty of the Georgetown University Technology Management
Graduate Program and as senior advisor to the Georgetown Global Education
Institute.
