The premise of this commercial displays a FedEx employee who has been stranded on an island for 5 years who now has returned in order to deliver a package he was left with. As the woman he brought the package to opens the box he discovers that everything he needed to survive and get off the island was contained inside the box. To his dismay, the woman says that all the items are just trivial things and then thanks him for his dedication. Through this basic ironic set up the producers are able to highlight FedEx’s overall dedication and hard work, and all in all display the company’s reliability.
· How do the producers want the audience to feel about their employees? Ultimately, how does this make the viewers feel about the FedEx company?
· How does the parallel between the movie “Castaway” play into the overall effect of the commercial? Furthermore, unlike the movie, why do you think the producers of the commercial decided to make the contents of the package so ironic?
· What effects are created throughout the commercial by the FedEx’s employee’s appearance? How might this play off a typical employee’s “clean cut” appearance?
Group Facilitators: Eryn Ahlers, Cody Gerken, William Paskett
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In the video, the producers want the viewers to feel as though the FedEx employees are all dedicated. They use the satirical element pathos, by showing the man’s experience on the stranded island so viewers will sympathies with the man and believe that all the employees are sincere. Thus, they put a twist on the commercial, by showing the items in the box; because, the producers want the viewers to feel as though all FedEx employees respect their customers.
I think it is interesting that the appearance of the employee does not change. He still has the bushy beard and long hair from when they show a scene of him on the island. I think the producers did this to heighten the sense of commitment they expect from their employees. That the first thing the employee does isn't cleaning himself up and getting a hair cut or shaving but is to delivery the package. I also didn't even make the connection how the items in the box would have been beneficial to the employee while he was on the island until watching it a second time. But I also found the commercial more comical the second time. I do also think that the aim of the commercial was to show the commitment of the FedEx employees.
I found it interesting how the producers of the commercial were able to shift the tone of the commercial in such an abrupt way in order to show comical effect. The first half of the commercial consists of dramatic music and a rather serious tone as the employee delivers the package up until he asks about its contents. At that point the music stops and both the employee and customer loose their serious tones as the ironic contents of the package are revealed. The irony of the situation adds a comedic effect to the commercial that appeals to the viewers. On a second thought, the comical effect was present throughout the commercial when looking at the general situation at hand: an employee going as far as possible to complete his delivery. This situation is of course inconcievable.
I thought that FedEx conveyed not only there dedication to finishing a job that they were set out to do, but their employers dedication to FedEx. You would think that his appearance would change over the course of the clip but it doesn't. That alone shows that he is set out to do something and he is going to do it, no matter appearance. Also, he could've easily freaked out when he saw the contents of the box (because they could've easily ended his "involuntary isolation" in days instead of years) but kept his cool as not to disgrace the name of FedEx. I found it to be hilarious. Great choice!
This commercial obviously uses irony to highlight the intense dedication and respect that FedEx has to their customers. They want to show that the package will be delivered no matter what the circumstances and each package will be treated with care. I also found it interesting that at the end they just show a simple white background with the FedEx logo. They don't feel that they need to say anything because the commercial highlights all of the qualities they value in their company.
This commercial represents what all customers want out of there delivery service, however it uses comedy to keep the audience interested. The commercial shows the Fed Ex employees dedication to the company and to the customer. When the package is opened at the end it shows an ironic twist because all the items could have been used on the island, but because of the employees dedication and honesty he never opened the box. It was also ironic how the lady did not offer to help the man, just gave him a small thanks. I do wonder though how the man became stranded on the island.
I found it admirable how despite the FedEx employee's obvious distress over the contents of the package he delivered, he still mustered a smile and nod to his client. I thought it was interesting that the box was not as destroyed as it probably would be after being on a remote island for five years. When he presented the box to the customer, the contrast between his clean cut clothes and the damaged, dirty box helped illustrate the hardships he faced for the previous five years versus the civilization he was removed from.
It is interesting to note the dramatization of the employee who has really clean clothes while having some crazy facial hair, but still deliver the package. FedEx seems to not only say that these are the employees we have, but it seems it is like a recruiting commercial in that, these are the people we want working for us. The thing I find interesting though, is that the lady seems to remember the exact contents of a package that she ordered 5 years ago.
I find it interesting that many of you have picked up on the fact that the employee’s appearance plays into FedEx’s tactic of displaying their commitment and loyalty to their customers. I found that while it added to the overall comedic effect it also made me feel extremely sympathetic towards the employee. In what other ways might the producers be trying to garner more support for their company? Furthermore, other than the irony that many of you picked up, what other satirical ploys do you feel the commercial utilizes to get its point across?
If you have seen the movie this comercial is based on, did you notice any differences between the two? Why do you think the producers of the commercial made these changes from the movie?
The music in the beginning of the FedEx commercial is the typical, inspiring music that makes the viewers feel like a mission has been accomplished or a dream has come true. Even before the viewers became aware of the employee being stuck on an island and his terrible struggle; the producers showed a very determined look in the employee’s eyes and you could tell that he truly cared about delivering this specific package. His appearance is ironic to me because the producers were trying to make it seem like the employee had just come straight off the island, with his scruffy long hair, but on the contrary, he had enough time to find a clean FedEx uniform to change into. The employee has a very calm demeanor. He says: “I swore that I would deliver it to you…because I work for FedEx” and he kept this calmness throughout the entire commercial. Even when the employee found out that the contents of the package would have helped him off the island, he kept his calm. At this point I felt much sympathy for the employee. The customer seemed to be oblivious about his struggle and the producers made it seem like the extraordinary struggle the employee went through was just an average expectation that their customers have of the FedEx employees. In the end all the employee received was a “Thank you again…you keep up the good work.”
I think, (but of course I could be wrong), that in the movie, the stranded postal employee opens the package he is expected to deliver.In the commercial, the castaway does not open the package because of his rather absurd desire to deliver the package safely to its intended recipient in spite of its possible practical ramifications for helping him survive on the island. This gross exaggeration of the dedication of Fed-Ex employees to their customers makes the audience perceive that Fed-Ex employees will go to any length to deliver packages safely. Viewers are arguably more likely to ship goods with fed-ex if they feel like the brand can be trusted.
While the tone at the close of the movie, Castaway, is somber, the commercial is humorous. It (the commercial) uses the irony of the package contents to engage the audience in its folly. This renders the viewer in a better state to remember the commercial, and by extension, the company name and service.
It is interesting to note the difference in setting between the commercial and the movie. In the movie, the castaway delivers the package to a woman who lives on a farm way out in the middle of nowhere. This fact is ironic, because the movie ends with the castaway being in a semi-isolated setting. The secluded setting suggests that the castaway's life is still in disarray despite the fact that he is 'saved'/ he is alienated by an alternate reality for which he is left unprepared? In the commercial, the woman to whom the package is delivered lives in a typical suburban home. It is likely that the commercial uses the the setting of suburbia to target its intended audience- the average American. By enabling the viewer to identify with the setting and the person to whom the package is being delivered, he/she is more likely to believe that Fed-Ex is a company that cares for him/her.
This video really shows the dedication of FedEx employees. It really shows that working for FedEx makes people care a little bit more about their customers because the respect them even if the do have "just silly stuff" in a box. that "silly stuff" belongs to somebody and it is FedEx's job to ensure that the box full of "silly stuff" is shipped carefully and safely to the person that ordered those items.
It's interesting that the lady doesn't completely freak out when this gruff man comes to her door and delivers a package to her from 5 years ago. If that were to happen today I feel like no one would be totally calm about it. I mean obviously the point of the commercial is to show that FedEx delivery guys are dedicated to delivering packages to their customers but, I think it's a little far fetched for that lady not to completely freak out. The commercial would have been more beneficial to me if the lady freaked out a little bit at first and then became grateful for him delivering the package after five years of being stranded on this island.
I think the commercial does a good job of creating ethos for FedEx because it creates a sense that they are dedicated to the customer no matter what because the man doesn't open the package and delivers it after 5 years. Even though this situation isn't logical, in the sense that anyone would have probably opened the package, we either don't realize it or don't care about it not making sense. Which is a good job by the producers. We only remember the dedication of the workers and how the commericial is ironically funny.
I feel that in this commercial Fed-Ex is being represented fairly. Not over the top, just fair. It is a known fact that fed-ex takes passengers on cargo planes. There have been several instances of downed cargo planes and no surviving passangers. It does however market the peoples desire to "get it [the package] there" no matter what else it out of control. There are a few interesting binaries. One is the uniform(clean), and the employee (a mess). It says more about that individual and his prioroties. He wants to get the package there, but he hasn't shaved, he is technically dead and has a grave. I find it interesting that a person who comes back to all the unkowns of being gone for five years his only thought was delivering a package. That would not be on my list of priorities, however I belive it signifies his own delivery, not the representation of Fed-Ex. Getting rid of one of the last things that tied him to the past 5 years on an island where his company never found him and presumed him dead.
This video was very interesting to me, in all of the irony that it showed. First, the point of this commercial was for the FedEx company to show that their employees are very committed to delivering the packages. The fact that they showed the clip from the man on the island fighting for survival, with the package still unopened and sitting there, shows his dedication to deliver it to the lady. It somewhat shows the privacy that the FedEx employees much respect. The guy was stranded for 5 years but still managed to not open it, and it turned into a comical tone when she opened it because all of the items could have made his survival task easier. It was ironic that after he gets back and still looks dirty and not shaved, he finds that in the package. Plus the fact that it is a parody of castaway the movie with Tom Hanks, makes it much more of a satirical and comical scene.
The commercial talking about how the FedEx employees working hard to deliver the packages to the costumers and it’s started with the eight seconds proudly music and the movement of the camera with multiple angles that shows the employee reached his destination(the place he was waiting to reach it since five years spent them on the island) , his face expression was eager and serious checking the address on the package twice to make sure this is the right address , the producers showed us that the employee outlook wearing FedEx uniform but have long fuzzy hair and beard to refer him to the long time on the island and represent him to the audience as a Cast Away movie style and the strange thing here that he asked the woman which is the recipient about the content of the package which is nobody of FedEx employees ask the recipient about this kind of details but his curiosity took him to this kind of question as we can see after he got the answer from the lady and she told him that the contents not really important but in fact they were important for him to take him out the island ,the answer was like the point that showed us how the expression start to change from exhilaration to sort of sadness with fake smile. Basically the commercial shows the commitment of FedEx toward customers by deliver the packages to the right place no matter what, beside it shows how the recipient was satisfy.
The first time I watched the video, I thought it was strange that the fed-ex employee still appeared rugged as he delivered the package. It seems as though the producers of the video want the viewers to fully understand the struggles the main character went through to deliver this package. Seeing the character in this rugged form makes the view think that delivering the package was the only thing on the main character's mind. Because of this image the viewer will then come to the conclusion that fed-ex is a reliable service and will go through extremes to deliver their package on time. Also, it was very ironic that the contents of the package would have aided in the main character's survival. This shows that although the main character was in a desperate situation, he had too much respect for the client to open the box to find something that could aid in his survival. This also exemplifies the dedication that fed-ex has towards their clients.
The producers of this commercial clearly wanted to be comedic throughout. I felt that they acheived this very well by changing up the whole atmosphere as soon as the employee saw how he could have gotten off so easily; however, his refusal to fail even in the face of such a harrowing experience shows that Fed-Ex will do truly whatever it takes to get you your packages. The first part of the commercial also shows how seriously Fed-Ex takes its job.
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