WRONG!
Posted on 03/25/2003 3:27:44 AM PST by Timesink
ATLANTA - United Parcel Service, in an effort to show consumers it is more than just a package delivery service, is giving itself the biggest facelift in its 96-year history.
The Atlanta-based company plans to unveil a new look Tuesday that includes a name change at its offices, a redesigned logo and a different slogan on its trucks and planes.
The company will change the name outside its headquarters to the abbreviated UPS, though it will remain incorporated as United Parcel Service.
The logo on its 88,000 vehicles, 257 airplanes and thousands of facilities will be redone to remove the bow-tied parcel that appears atop the shield. The new slogan will be "synchronizing the world of commerce" instead of "worldwide package delivery."
In addition, the company's previously announced plans to change the name of its Mail Boxes Etc. stores to The UPS Store will be launched Tuesday. The changes will cost UPS $20 million this year, spokesman Norman Black said.
Brown will remain the primary color representing UPS, although other colors will become part of the design of aircraft, packages and other company assets.
The changes, while subtle, represent the most significant identity transformation in the company's history, officials said. And, officials said, the changes will also highlight that UPS offers freight services, international trade management, customs brokerage and financial services along with package delivery.
"UPS is a vastly different company today than most people realize," said chairman and chief executive Mike Eskew. "Today we are bringing our look up to speed with our capabilities."
The company had planned a major launch of its rebranding efforts on Tuesday, but has scaled back the number of events because of the war in Iraq (news - web sites).
Eskew and other executives were expected to brief industry officials in New York.
"Package delivery is and will remain the foundation of our business at UPS," Eskew said. "But as we expand our capabilities and broaden the solutions we bring to our customers, we felt it was the right time to make our logo reflect the company's evolution."
News of the changes comes two months after UPS reported solid fourth-quarter profit, but said its outlook in the coming months was less upbeat.
The company said at the time it expects volume in the first quarter to be flat compared to the previous year and earnings per share of between 48 cents and 53 cents.
Analysts at the time predicted earnings of 53 cents a share. The company has 360,000 employees. Shares of UPS fell $2.07, or 3.5 percent, to close Monday at $57.78 in trading on the New York Stock Exchange (news - web sites).
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On the Net: http://www.ups.com
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March 25, 2003 06:00 AM EST, Eastern US UPS Unveils New Look
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 25, 2003--UPS today unveiled a "new look" that includes the first redesign in more than 40 years of the company's famous "shield" logo. UPS said the change reflects the significant broadening of capabilities that has occurred in recent years as the company expanded across the globe and introduced a portfolio of new supply chain services. The company will continue to use the color brown for its operations, but the logo change includes elimination of the package with a string bow atop the shield. "UPS is a vastly different company today than most people realize," said UPS Chairman and CEO Mike Eskew. "Today we are bringing our look up to speed with our capabilities." Based on the scale of the project, changing UPS's visual identity may be one of the most significant corporate identity transformations ever. The UPS brand is one of the most seen and recognized on the globe. During the course of a year, UPS touches the doorstep of 98 percent of the homes in America and reaches customers in more than 200 countries. Eighty percent of the world's population can be reached by UPS in 48 hours or less. The logo appears on more than 88,000 vehicles, 257 large jet aircraft, 1,700 facilities around the world, 70,000 drop-off and retail access points, more than 1 million uniform pieces and more than 3 billion packages annually. The visual changes will not be restricted to the logo alone. To further communicate the global reach and expanding capabilities of UPS, the phrase "Synchronizing the World of Commerce" will become part of the design of the company's aircraft and familiar brown package cars. New advertising also will include the "synchronizing commerce" theme. And while brown will remain the primary color representing UPS, other new, complementary colors will become part of the design of aircraft, packages and other company assets. According to Eskew, UPS had planned to unveil the new logo today at events around the world, but significantly scaled back on those plans as a result of current events in the Middle East. The most visible change to the UPS logo is the removal of the bow-tied parcel that appears atop the shield. Ironically, even though the small bow had become one of the most recognized features of the company's logo, packages with string have not been accepted by UPS for several decades because the string can get caught in high-speed sorting machinery. The logo now being replaced was designed in 1961 by Paul Rand, a renowned brand designer who also was responsible for the logos of IBM, ABC, Westinghouse and Yale University, among others. "Package delivery is and will remain the foundation of our business at UPS," Eskew said. "But as we expand our capabilities and broaden the solutions we bring to our customers, we felt it was the right time to make our logo reflect the company's evolution." For decades, UPS has been developing and acquiring new capabilities to broaden the global package delivery options it provides its customers. Today, the company offers freight services by any mode of transportation, international trade management, customs brokerage, consulting and supply chain management, financial services and e-commerce solutions. Most of these services are offered under the company's recently formed Supply Chain Solutions business unit. In addition, UPS has dramatically expanded its retail presence through the acquisition of Mail Boxes Etc. Last month, the company announced it would provide Mail Boxes Etc. franchisees within the United States the opportunity to rebrand their stores under the name The UPS Store. "We believe that 'synchronized commerce' is the next evolution of global commerce, where the three flows of trade - goods, information and funds - are seamlessly connected to benefit businesses worldwide," said Eskew. "Our capabilities give UPS a unique opportunity to lead this evolution, and our strong brand gives us a great foundation on which to move forward." UPS is the world's largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain services, offering an extensive range of options for synchronizing the movement of goods, information and funds. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., UPS serves more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. UPS's stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (UPS), and the company can be found on the Web at UPS.com. Except for historical information contained herein, the statements made in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of UPS and its management regarding the company's strategic directions, prospects and future results, involve certain risks and uncertainties. Certain factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including economic and other conditions in the markets in which we operate, governmental regulations, our competitive environment, strikes, work stoppages and slowdowns, increases in aviation and motor fuel prices, cyclical and seasonal fluctuations in our operating results, and other risks discussed in the company's Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which discussions are incorporated herein by reference. For copies of the new UPS logo and historical logos, go to www.pressroom.ups.com/brand/multimedia/eng/story/multimedia.html. Note: Photos are available at URL: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.032503/bb1 http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.032503/bb1a |
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That's too bad. My fellow FedEx Ground employees and contractors are working extra hard to make that happen, however.
Competition is such great fun!
A little insight would be greatly appreciated.
You just don't mess with tradition.
AT&T gave up its logo in its antitrust settlement. Look what happened to them.
A very, very poor ad campaign. Rule #1 of advertising: Don't make it so indecpipherable that the viewer is simply annoyed.
1. They clearly just spent millions in the past year on the "Brown" ad campaign while they were in the process of a complete image overhaul. Real smart.
2. They continue to be held hostage by a unionized workforce that will ultimately force them out of the delivery business.
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