FedEx ran a very interesting TV ad recently, which they pushed out with their exceptional social media presence.  The topic?  “Rather than chase after virtual fans, FedEx can help you reach real-life customers.”  This begs the question: if businesses should divert their attention from social media to FedEx, then why is FedEx using social media in the first place?  So what is really going on here?

FedEx is smart.  They know first and foremost that their customers aren’t going to be asking these questions.  People will get a laugh at the “CEO for the day” and might think of FedEx when they make decisions about how to generate leads, but most people won’t sit down and dissect the 30-second spot like an offended social media strategist might… (cough, cough).

FedEx obviously knows the value of social media and invests heavily in their own online campaigns.  What they are trying to do with this ad is grab ahold of those who don’t see the value or aren’t confident about the results of their social media campaigns.

Viewers who fall for their cleverly crafted marketing strategy probably aren’t going to decide that their entire social media budget should be diverted to FedEx. It would be ridiculous to take to heart a social media campaign that tells you people don’t take to heart what they encounter through social media.

Some news sites and social media strategists were actually offended by the ad, calling FedEx hypocritical. But we think the ad was pretty brilliant.  FedEx wasn’t trying to inform the viewer about market trends; they were trying to be funny and get attention for their brand.  And nothing gets attention like a little controversy.  Other than depicting all social media strategists as hipsters, we found the ad to be pretty funny too.

However FedEx should beware. Video responses are no doubt in the works, and frankly we can’t wait to see how social media strategists worldwide choose to strike back.