Are you ready for some football?
Memphis-based global delivery giant FedEx (NYSE:FDX) certainly is. It unveiled a new advertising campaign last night during the Redskins-Jets National Football League season-opening game (in which my 'Skins mercifully pulled off a win). It also just extended its NFL sponsorship through 2006, continuing its role as the NFL's "Official Delivery Service Sponsor."
FedEx's tag line for the new ad campaign, "Relax, it's FedEx," supports the company's strong brand image of reliability. The ads are amusing, with one memorable spot poking fun at MBA grads.
The commercials will also be the first to showcase FedEx's growing FedEx Home Delivery unit, which is part of FedEx Ground. Already a central figure in business-to-business delivery, FedEx has also been building a name for itself over the last few years as an option for on-the-ground small package delivery. It's working; FedEx Ground is the company's fastest-growing division.
For Washington, D.C., area football fans, FedEx is a familiar name. The Redskins have been playing at FedEx Field since 1999. And recently, much-maligned Redskins owner Daniel Snyder announced that he's selling a chunk of the team to FedEx founder, chairman, and CEO Fred Smith. (Perhaps since former Jets players like Laveranues Coles are being dubbed "JetSkins," Fred Smith can be known as an honorary "FedExSkin.")
For FedEx, the ability to spread its brand through something as beloved and American as football is a winning proposition. Now, if only some of those winning ways would keep rubbing off on the 'Skins....
FedEx was David Gardner's February recommendation in the Motley Fool Stock Advisor.
