FedEx

Federal Express created the express shipment category, yet faced intense competition in the coming years that threatened to commoditize the business and erode profitability. True to its innovative heritage, the company responded by evolving its initial offering—the “overnight letter” shipped within the U.S. market—to a much broader portfolio of time-sensitive delivery options and package sizes, serving 180 countries worldwide.

However, consumers lacked awareness of the brand’s global reach and breadth of service options, in part due to cumbersome and fragmented identity, communications and service naming practices. The “Federal Express” name was difficult to pronounce and remember in some overseas markets, while also presenting cultural challenges in some regions, i.e. “Federales” in Latin America. Within the U.S., the association of “Federal” with “government” countered the brand’s primary differentiators of speed and efficiency. Further, the company’s logo and graphic identity system were dated, failing to reflect the true character of the innovative category leader.

The company underwent a complete global brand revitalization, founded on a name change to “FedEx,” to leverage what had become synonymous with the category. “FedEx” better supported key brand differentiators of speed, efficiency, technology and leadership, and also improved awareness, accessibility, and pronunciation across global markets. A comprehensive new graphic identity system was developed, applying the new logo across the organization, spanning corporate identity, packaging, vehicles, aircraft, communications, and retail stores.

To better communicate FedEx’s global service capabilities, “The world on time” tagline was created and the 2,000 store retail network was re-branded “World Service Center.” A comprehensive naming system was developed to better differentiate offerings and reinforce their value.

This work was led by Charles Rashall while employed at Landor Associates.

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