Tall Tales of True Deliveries: Turning Mundane Services into Eye-catching Campaigns

When thinking of their dream clients to work with, few creative directors would

select a company like FedEx. BUCK and BBDO, however, took up the challenge to turn the boring topic of parcel delivery into thrilling 30 second animated video spots for social feeds all across the US. 

Each short begins like this: a FedEx deliveryperson goes about their normal day until they run into a customer who needs an extraordinary delivery to be made. In one case, that was a skater-kid wanting to deliver his board to be signed by Tony Hawk. In another, a bride and groom are at their beach wedding desperately waiting for their ring to be delivered at the altar. 

Using a mix of 2D and 3D elements, BUCK turns these everyday deliveries into romanticized, movie-like missions. Pastels and soft brushes color the scenes in beautiful hues of FedEx purple and orange. Action scenes are accompanied with smoke particles, motion lines, and the perfect amount of camera shake. The characters, modeled after actual FedEx employees, are drawn with cartoony details and expressive facial gestures. 

Differentiating from story and reality was a concern. To tie the tall tales together, BUCK and BBDO included a final segment after every short featuring the real-life deliverypeople. This is followed by FedEx’s logo being scribbled on screen with a custom voiceover: “If this is what we did for love/a skateboard/film history, see what we can do for your business.” 

With this unique approach, BUCK and BBDO turned mundane deliveries into viral hits. The key? Social currency and stories. The tales about a delivery driver saving Elvis Presley from disaster both entertains and motivates viewers to share. Such videos are hard to come by, so users will naturally want to spread the enjoyment with their friends. Additionally, when wrapped in a gripping narrative like this, FedEx copy slides down the throat easier. By the end of the 30 seconds, it doesn’t even feel like you’ve watched an ad, yet the purple and orange afterimage sits at the doorstep of your mind. 

As a takeaway from this brilliant campaign, learn this - your client cannot inhibit you, only your imagination can. Whether it be kitty litter, #2 pencils or mail delivery, good marketers can turn any product into a couple seconds (maybe more) of content worth watching.