When it comes to business branding, any seasoned marketing professional will advise you to stay away from making constant claims about how long you’ve been in the industry or how good your products or services are. Considering the harsh competition in today’s market, it’s pointless to speak high about your business without proper facts to back your claims.
Frankly speaking, your audience is not interested in hearing your “blah, blah, blah” no matter how hard you try to pitch your business. The trick lies in using a unique selling strategy with an emotional power that compels your audience to engage. An apt instance of this is FedEx’s unique brand slogan, “when it absolutely, positively needs to be there overnight”. The most catchy and commendable thing about this slogan is its potential to provide 100% guarantee within a few words.
Founded in 1973, Federal Express was one of the primary courier services to provide overnight delivery for small packages. Between 1975 and 1977, the number of delivered packages for FedEx grew from 11,000 to 22,000, with exponential increase in customer accounts. The iconic “when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight” slogan helped FedEx separate itself from its competitors.
By the 1990s, it became one of the world’s biggest shipping service agencies, providing air, freight, and ground shipping facilities with different priority levels. FedEx is also one of those super brands that have a huge budget for their business branding and promotion. Being a pioneer in the courier service industry, they knew that it’s their brand logo and slogans that’ll have to hit the bull’s eye. Simply put, the brand slogan must be catchy and emotional enough to convince the clients about the company’s services and capabilities.
FedEx has numerous slogans that represent their brand. Before we move on to list their famous slogans, let’s take a quick look at what a branding slogan actually means.
What is a brand slogan and how do you create one?
A branding slogan is a brief phrase or a small group of words that a business uses to make its name and products/services stick to the clients’ memories. It should be effective enough to communicate your company’s vision and commitment to the customers. It should be able to tell them why they should choose your products or services over others. It should also convey what you do, and how you do it.
Some of the most famous and effective branding slogans are short and memorable. Typically, they are only four to five words long. For example, the famous branding slogan of Wendy’s “Wheres the Beef?” and “fresh, never frozen.” became an incredibly famous household and political saying. Another great example of a short and instantly recognizable branding slogan is the Nike’s “Just Do It”.
These slogans can be cute, funny, romantic or even sarcastic, as the need may be. Create a list of four to five keywords that best describe your business objective, your products/services, and your uniqueness. Now try rearranging these words in various sequences to see what sounds the best to your customers. Read the slogans to your friends, customers, and colleagues and ask for their feedback before choosing the final one. For slogans with assured results, seek help of a professional branding agency with diverse industry experience.
Popular FedEx Branding Slogans
FedEx initial slogans were solely focused on its punctuality and credibility as a parcel courier service. As the global economy developed with the popularity of e-commerce, the brand gradually shifted its focus to the “world”. Here’s how the FedEx branding slogan evolved through the years.
- “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight” (1978–1983)
- “Our most important package is yours” (1991–1994)
- “The way the world works” (1996–1998)
- “Be absolutely sure” (1998–2000)
- “Relax, it’s FedEx” (2004–2008)
- “The world on time” (2009-present)
Some other FedEx slogans include:
- We Live To Deliver
- The World on Time
- We Understand.
- Relax, it’s FedEx.
- Don’t worry, there’s a FedEx for that.
- This is a Job for FedEx.
- Absolutely, Positively Anytime.
- Our Most Important Package is Yours.
- It’s not Just a Package, It’s Your Business.
- So fast and easy, even an MBA can do it.
When done right, brand slogans become as integral to the company as its logo. Whenever you hear the slogan, you can remember the brand and its products or services without even someone mentioning its name. And FedEx has definitely played the right cards with their iconic branding slogans.
PJ has a background in management consulting and software development. At DesignBro, he combines both. Personal favorite brand of PJ is Jeep.