FedEx skips Super Bowl, Does Web Video Instead
Steve Pacheco, director of advertising at FedEx, said the new infomercial campaign reflected FedEx’s acknowledgment of the growing sentiment that “lunchtime is the new prime time,” meaning that the multitudes who watch videos online while chomping sandwiches in cubicles rival those wielding remote controls at night.
After 18 years FedEx passed on advertising in last year's Super Bowl. The move stunned advertising execs and the networks as a market-leading company decided the move wasn't financially sound in a recession.
Now the company is launching a series of spoof infomercials featuring the actor Fred Willard. They're centered around the FedEx product and service offering; but are done is a way that is both entertaining and informative. In a long-form, 3-minute piece you get every important FedEx shipping message delivered to you while laughing. I really enjoyed the one below. Unexpected lines such as "You're a witch!" and Fred's delivery make them worth watching and worth talking about.
My favorite quote from the NY Times article is above. "Lunchtime is the new prime time." So true, as millions of videos are viewed everyday from office computers by people looking to make decisions and learn while being informed and entertained.
One of the videos from the campaign:
