UPS to launch major AD campaign
UPS Inc., the world’s largest shipping carrier, will spend about USD35 million to launch a new advertising campaign in its biggest marketing push since “What Can Brown Do For You” in 2002.
The new campaign, including television, newspaper, magazine and online ads, will begin airing Saturday in the United States, said Larry Bloomenkranz, vice president for brand management, advertising and sponsorships for the Atlanta-based company.
“In terms of jump-starting our business, this is a tough business, very competitive,” Bloomenkranz said in an interview Thursday. “We’re always trying to make our brand more relevant, more appealing than the other guy’s.”
UPS’ 100-year anniversary is this year, but the new ad campaign is not connected to that.
“We’re really doing this for business reasons,” Bloomenkranz said.
In October, UPS said third-quarter profit rose 8.9 percent, but it also announced it was cutting 1,200 jobs in its air freight and logistics business as it completes an integration of recent acquisitions. The company has been restructuring in an effort to improve execution. It releases its fourth-quarter results on Jan. 30.
UPS, also known as United Parcel Service, is calling the new ad campaign “Whiteboard.”
In the television ads, a man stands at a white board and draws on it with a brown marker to explain the different services UPS offers and how they can be integrated to perform multiple functions for businesses. The ads end with the company’s familiar slogan, “What Can Brown Do For You?”, and a link to a Web site that provides the answer.
Bloomenkranz said the ads are different from past ones because they are simple.
“It doesn’t shout at you,” he said. “It’s not noisy with loud music or blinding graphics. It’s just down-to-earth and an engaging way of drawing people in to pay attention to our messages.”
UPS spent about USD20 million on the “What Can Brown Do For You?” launch and will spend about USD35 million on the “Whiteboard” launch, Bloomenkranz said. The Martin Agency of Richmond, Va., is handling the print and television ads. The online ads are being handled by IQ Interactive of Atlanta.
