What FedEx got right in a creative print campaign

The campaign in question was for FedEx, promoting its express delivery service. The creative direction came from Rodrigo Almeida and Renata Florio at DDB in Brazil, in the travel and transport category.

What FedEx wanted to highlight was the speed of the logistics behind this new worldwide service. The campaign ran through posters, printed advertising displayed in all of its offices.

Who it was aimed at

Small and medium businesses across different markets were the key sector for promoting the new express service. According to FedEx, one of its missions is to help smaller companies cope with the enormous changes a globalised market throws at them.

From the company's perspective, the campaign aimed to communicate that its enthusiasm and experience are what hold together its international network, infrastructure, technology and processes.

The criticism

The campaign drew criticism from professionals who argued that an express service would have had more push and better impact through a medium that conveys speed, rather than through static print. It is a fair point, and a useful reminder: when the entire proposition is speed, a medium that cannot move is working against the message.

What is worth taking from it

Creative work that wins awards and creative work that sells are not always the same thing. The question worth asking of any campaign is whether the medium reinforces the claim or quietly undermines it.