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UPS vs. FedEx: Battle of the Brands

Posted Apr 9th 2007 4:40PM by Kevin Shult
Filed under: Consumer experience, Competitive strategy, Marketing and advertising, FedEx Corp (FDX), United Parcel'B' (UPS), Battle of the Brands

This post is part of our Battle of the Brands feature. Let us know which brand you prefer, and watch out for more Battle of the Brands posts.

When you have to send a package and it needs to be there yesterday, who do you call? It usually depends on a few key items: speed, price, and peace of mind.

The two delivery services that dominate the United States are United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE: UPS) and FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX). But which do you think of first?

Let's take a look at each company's marketing practices:

UPS: "What can brown do for you?" The UPS shield is one of the most recognizable icons in shipping, as is the trademarked brown uniform that office secretaries go ga-ga over. Brown is the official sponsor of NASCAR, the NHRA, NTRA, and the Olympics. When looking at the gold shield, a person could think of security and strength. UPS prides itself on those ideas and has become the largest package delivery company in the world.

FedEx: "Relax, it's FedEx" was the well-recognized slogan of the second-largest package delivery company in the U.S. The company's logo has a right-pointing arrow located in the negative space between the E and X. While the arrow becomes quite obvious when pointed out, most people do not notice it. The arrow has been occasionally pointed to as a mild form of subliminal advertising, the arrow suggesting forward movement and thinking (check it out). FedEx is the official sponsor of the NFL, the NBA, the FedEx Cup, FDX Racing, the FedEx Orange Bowl, FedEx Field -- the home field of the Washington Redskins -- and the FedEx Forum in Memphis. With the subliminal arrow and company's name targeted all over the...