FedEx Pulls TV Ads From Super Bowl

FedEx has decided its money would be better spent this year somewhere other than the Super Bowl. As an advertiser since the late 1980's FedEx commercials during the Super Bowl were always memorable. However the company explained that during these tough economic times, when employees were being asked to make sacrifices, the lavish budgets spent during Super Bowl commercials would send the wrong message and be a bad move.

Here's a statement from the company by the Director of Advertising:

As a country, we are in unprecedented economic waters. And as a responsible employer of more than 290,000 employees and contractors worldwide, there is a time to justify such an ad spend and a time to step back.

As FedEx employees, we, like millions of people at other companies, are being asked to do more with less. Our most vital asset is the thousands of FedEx team members who truly enable the world to work, absolutely, positively, every day. In the ultimate medium when where the message is king, being in the game simply sends the wrong message both to employees and other FedEx constituents. A Super Bowl ad buy is not where we should put dollars at this time although, in the past, the value of doing so for FedEx has been indisputable.

I have to agree. FedEx didn't get where they are by being foolish.

Just so you don't forget how memorable these spots were, here's one of my favorites from 2001.