Created in 1971, the Federal Express Corporation, an overnight air freight delivery system was an innovative company known for its memorable advertising campaigns. The core of the Federal Express Advertising History Collection is a series of interviews conducted in 1988 by Dr. Scott Ellsworth. Twenty-five individuals associated with Federal Express advertising were interviewed about the company and its award-winning advertising.
Scope and Contents:
The Federal Express Advertising Collection documents the dvelopment of the overnight air freight delivery company with particular emphasis on the innovative advertising campaigns used to introduce and promote the company's services. The oral histories with individuals associated with both Federal Express Corporation and the advertising agencies form the core of the collection. Abstracts that provide biographical information and summaries of the interviews supplement the oral histories. Research files and company publications provide background information. Television commercials and print advertising contain examples, particularly illustrating the campaigns discussed in the interviews.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into eight series.
Series 1, Research Files, 1972-1988
Subseries 1.1, Federal Express Clippings Files
Subseries 1.2, Federal Express Research Reports
Subseries 1.3, Research Files
Series 2, Interviewee Files, 1988
Series 3, Oral History Interviews, 1988
Subseries 3.1, Original Interviews
Subseries 3.2, Researcher Copies
Subseries 3.3, Masters
Series 4, Television Advertising, 1973-1989
Subseries 4.1, Television Commercials
Subseries 4.2, Storyboards
Subseries 4.3, Slides and Photographs
Series 5, Print Advertising, 1972-1988
Subseries 5.1, Federal Express Print Advertising
Subseries 5.2, Federal Express Mechanicals
Subseries 5.3, Slides of Mechanicals and International Marketing
Subseries 5.4, Federal Express Posters
Subseries 5.5, Print Reference Materials
Series 6, Public Relations Materials, 1973-1988
Series 7, Company Publications, 1973-1988
Series 8, Miscellaneous, Undated
Biographical / Historical:
In 1971, Fred Smith of Memphis, Tennessee created the Federal Express Corporation, an overnight air freight delivery system. He based his idea for a new approach to the air freight delivery service on the "hub and spoke system." According to Smith's innovative model, a fleet of airplanes would fly packages from cities across the nation each evening to a central "hub" in Memphis, where the parcels would be unloaded, sorted, and re-loaded onto other planes for travel to their final destinations. Smith's objective was two-fold: to expedite delivery of the parcels and to ensure their security in the process.
In 1977, Congress passed the Air Cargo Deregulation Act. This enabled Federal Express to fly much larger planes and to expand its business without substantial capital investment. During its first decade of existence, the corporation achieved remarkable success, enjoying its first billion-dollar revenue in 1981.
Federal Express originally employed two advertising agencies: Ally & Gargano, Inc. of New York City (1974-1987) and Fallon McElligott of Minneapolis (1987 - 1994). In its early years, Federal Express was attracted to Ally & Gargano due to the agency's small size and its entrepreneurial spirit. Fred Smith believed these traits would foster the creativity necessary for original and effective advertising to introduce Federal Express. It was the responsibility of the agency to convince customers not only to abandon such incumbants in the industry as Emery, United Parcel Service and the U.S. Postal Service, but also to trust Federal Express, a newcomer.
Ally & Gargano targeted the professional community and the general public through print advertisements and television commercials. Especially in the latter medium, the agency used humor as its primary marketing technique, emphasizing competitors' "slowness" and "unreliability." In 1981, the agency launched a series of widely acclaimed ads with John Moschitta as the "Fast Talking Man." The slogan "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight" seen at the close of most commercials served as a practical reminder of Federal Express' function.
Federal Express moved its account from Ally & Gargano to Fallon McElligott in 1987. Fallon McElligott's first television campaign used the phrase "It's more than just a package -- it's your business" and depicted scenes of different work environments. The campaign stressed the seriousness with which Federal Express handled its customers' parcels. In 1988, Federal Express was a sponsor of the Winter Olympics.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center
Ally and Gargano, Inc. Print Advertisements (AC0938)
Provenance:
Made by the Smithsonian Institution and donated by the Federal Express Corporation, 1988.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
1912 International Gordon Bennett Race Membership Certificate
Extent:
0.05 Cubic feet (1 folder, Document, 9.2 x 24.5 inch (24 x 62 cm))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Place:
Chicago (Ill.)
Date:
1912
Summary:
This single-item collection is a Membership Certificate issued by The Aero Club of Illinois for Club-sponsored aviation events relating to the 1912 Gordon Bennett Aviation Trophy competitions held in the Chicago metropolitan area in September 1912. This unused three-part certificate, Number 7445, is intact and consists of a souvenir certificate, a stub to identify the holder, and a set of 20 coupons, each good for admission to a specific day's events.
Scope and Contents:
This single-item collection consists of an elaborate "Season Subscription Membership Certificate",[1] issued by The Aero Club of Illinois to provide the owner with entry to twenty days of Club-sponsored aviation events relating to the 1912 Gordon Bennett Aviation Trophy (International Gordon Bennett Race) competitions held in the Chicago metropolitan area from September 1 through 20, 1912. (The actual events were scheduled September 9 through 21, 1912.) The three-part certificate, "issued to subscribers of at least $10 for the 1912 events of The Aero Club of Illinois, entitled them to admission to every event given by the club, to members' enclosures and all other members' privileges, including inspection of hangars."[2] The main portion of the certificate features an illustration of the Trophy at center and portraits of the previous Trophy winners: Glenn H. Curtiss (1909), Claude Grahame-White (1910), and Charles Terres Weyman (1911). A fourth space is left open for a portrait of the winner of the 1912 competition to be added later. The stub and coupons at the right side of the certificate were designed to be detached and used as admission tickets; for example, coupon number 17 would admit the stub holder to Club events occurring on September 17, 1912. This certificate, Number 7445, was never issued and is intact.
[1,2] Official Souvenir Program, Aviation Events, Nineteen Hundred Twelve, September 12th to 21st, The Aero Club of Illinois (Chicago, Illinois), 1912.
Arrangement:
Single-item collection.
Biographical / Historical:
In 1908, James Gordon Bennett, Jr. (1841-1918), publisher of the New York Herald newspaper, announced a prize for the fastest speed by an airplane over a closed course. Bennett, a wealthy American yachtsman and sporting enthusiast, had already established international competitions awarding Gordon Bennett trophies for automobile racing (Coupe International, 1900), and ballooning (Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett, 1906). The first Gordon Bennett Aviation Trophy competition was held at Reims, France, in August 1909, with races held annually through 1913. The last race was held in 1920, following World War I. Under the terms of the competition, the home country of the winner of a race was obliged to host the following year's race. In 1911, the Gordon Bennett Aviation Trophy was won by American Charles Weyman, consequently the 1912 race was held in Chicago under the auspices of the Aero Club of America and the Aero Club of Illinois. The competitions occurred at three different locations in the Chicago metropolitan area: the Gordon Bennett Race Course at Clearing Aerodrome (Clearing, Illinois) on September 9, 1912; the International Aviation Meet at Cicero Flying Field (Cicero, Illinois) on September 12-15, 1912; and the Airboat Meet and Exhibition Flying at Grant Park (Chicago, Illinois) on September 16-21, 1912, where hydroaeroplanes were housed at the Club's Clarendon Beach Airboat Station. The 1912 Gordon Bennett Aviation Trophy was won by Jules Védrines, flying a Deperdussin 1912 Monocoque Racer.
Provenance:
W. J. Dixon, gift, 1987, NASM.1987.0119.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.