Federal Express
Inducted in 1994

When a brand becomes an accepted verb, it's a statement of success. But, uniquely Federal Express not only has worked its way into the vernacular, it also has redefined the way the entire world does business.

The company took flight in 1973, creating a new industry-overnight delivery-literally overnight. Founder Frederick W. Smith's concept was to be the logistics arm of the booming world of computerization and electronics. With a modest fleet of corporate-sized Falcon fan jets, it began by transporting supplies and documents. By 1981, backed with vigorous advertising, increasing brand recognition and a solid reputation for reliability, Federal Express introduced the Overnight Letter. It was a revolutionary "product" that was propelled into popularity by an imaginative, landmark advertising campaign-"Fast Talking Man"-that remains unforgettable to this day. In fact, to its credit, Federal Express and Ally and Gargano, its agency in the early years, received two Grand EFFIES. The first was awarded in 1980 and the second was earned in 1984.

As the company continued to expand its wings to virtually every address in the U.S. and overseas to the 187 countries that it serves today, advertising and marketing efforts led the way. Whoever would have imagined 10:30 a.m. guaranteed delivery or your money back? Or real-time tracking and tracing of shipments? FedEx continues to land coups, and its latest is the ability to connect customers to its own technology, a service that is dramatized in an ad campaign by its current agency, BBDO, that includes such memorable TV spots as "Secretary" and "Applause. For Federal Express, it appears that the sky's the limit for its continuous marketing breakthroughs.