To celebrate its half-century, the brand wanted to send a message of appreciation to all its employees worldwide. With the help of a former NFL player, we surprised and delighted two team members and in doing so, we recognized the invaluable contribution of its more than half million employees around the world. The two lucky employees who each received game tickets at the hands of our NFL alumni represented the global FedEx community; and in turn, the company became an inspiration for all unsung heroes in our communities across the country. Shot docu-style, with a cinematic lens, our storytelling focused on those genuine, unscripted human moments that unfold during the surprise. Each of the two stories in this video built to the emotional high point of the surprise moments, capturing the reactions of the recipients, the former player, and all the employees who surround them in the moment.

A former NFL star legend, two facilities, and more than half a million employees. This :60 video spontaneously captures surprise moments for two fortunate recipients, in appreciation of so many.

We open the spot with the hustle and bustle of the morning invading our senses and transporting us to the facility. Our star is on location walking down a hallway while stating his objective. He opens a door that goes directly to where all the action is; workers are surprised as they see him charge into their morning meeting. At each facility, James shares time with the team, shaking hands, trading jokes, and surprising one person with the coveted game tickets. We end the spot with James recognizing all employees and appreciating all they do, every day.

Like many communities across America, the city of Pittsburgh and its surrounding areas are considered “football towns.” Steelers have one of the largest fan bases on the NFL, calling themselves “Steelers Nation” with 5.9 million fans on Facebook and 3.7 million followers on Twitter. To connect with that fandom, we selected NFL alum and star athlete James Harrison, who played with the Steelers, Patriots, and Bengals throughout his 15-year career. Harrison was inducted into the Steelers Hall of Honor in 2023 and has a fan base of over 1 million followers on social media. For what better way is there to recognize the dedication of so many than to have a moment to cheer alongside a legendary hero on the football field?

The video aired on December 23rd, during “Football Night in America” pre-game show, reaching 3.1M P2+ impressions.

It is an inspiring and uplifting video, showing the great appreciation this brand has for its employees. 

Exceeded client expectations, both for quality of work and seamless execution:

"We had a tremendously positive response from our team members. There was appreciation from across the company for featuring these frontline team members who are so committed to delivering outstanding service for our customers.”

Katherine Flee

Director, Global Sponsorships and Advertising

“The team was very respectful of our operations area and did not get in the way of the crucial sort. That day just happened to be our heaviest day (so far) of the year. We did not impede any progress!”

“We really like the segment and appreciate all the great work! It absolutely captures everything we were looking to do”.

Brad Bowers

Advertising Advisor