Don’t You Love Logistics?
Posted on December 20, 2010 | posted by:“The logistics city has done everything it can to remain undetected by and independent of any political jurisdiction. It is not sited in its locality but, rather, positioned within a global network of similar enclaves serviced by autonomous infrastructure.” – Keller Easterling
“There will be no more stress ’cause you’ve called UPS. That’s logistics.” – UPS Logistics campaign song
In the “Park” chapter of Enduring Innocence: Architecture and Its Political Masquerades, Keller Easterling addresses the transition from the quality of location as the primary factor within infrastructures and networks to well-designed systems of logistics that enable operations across local boundaries. She argues that this shift has created “the logistics city” as a powerful, autonomous global entity. In the eyes of a public mostly concerned with sending and receiving products, services, and information easily and on-time, this shift has occurred both under the radar and to their benefit. The United Parcel Service (UPS), one of the world’s biggest players in logistics and global shipping networks, launched the “We Love Logistics” campaign in September to increase awareness of (and affection for) the hidden hands at work around us. Though this apparent drawing back of the curtain seems contradictory, there are two ways that this campaign is a perfect example of the “undetectable” state that logistics players like UPS desire.
The first example is the multimedia approach the company is taking to appeal to its customers. For the average consumer, UPS emphasizes what logistics does instead of explaining what it means. It leads with a cheeky rewording of one of the most recognizable love songs, “That’s Amore.” That’s right — a love song for a shipping company (that wants to be seen now as a logistics company). The song is played in the company’s television commercials, performed spontaneously in global public squares by brown-fitted marchers, and even attempted by everyday people in “random” street karaoke sessions. The campaign even uses hearts and other playful icons to drive home the attempt at emotional appeal. For the more business-oriented audience, UPS bought full-page ads in major newspapers to explain “why logistics is the most powerful force in business today (and why [companies] should understand it).” These ads focus on the competitive advantage that businesses stand to gain by choosing UPS as their logistics partner. Regardless of the audience, I think it’s safe to assume that the above shot of the woman hugging a UPS delivery man in the television commercial is the universal feeling that both senders and recipients want to duplicate. A step-by-step PowerPoint on how logistics works is no match for the feeling of the package just getting there. Logistics operations are bulky and multifaceted, but for the companies like UPS who operate them, the recipients of their services shouldn’t be too concerned with the ‘how’ or the ‘where.’ They should just love that it works for them.
Putting their logistics to work has helped UPS retain their own competitive advantage against chief competitor, FedEx. But as far as FedEx is concerned, cartoon hearts and catchy ads aren’t enough to cover up the company’s unfair business tactics. Since June 2009, FedEx has been running a campaign of its own called “Stop The Brown Bailout,” which targets UPS for allegedly lobbying Congress for preferential treatment in H.R. 915, the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill. According to a user at Govtrack.us, the contentious issue is this:
“At issue is whether FedEx Express, the company’s delivery division, should be reclassified as a trucking company, like UPS, or retain its federally granted status as an airline. In short, FedEx started as an airline. When it expanded into ground package delivery, the truck drivers are governed by the same airline rules. UPS on the other hand, started as a ground delivery service. UPS truckers and pilots and covered under two sets of rules, one for ground and one for air. This bill eliminates the airline classification of FedEx’s truck drivers.” From FedEx’s perspective, this would put their company at a disadvantage and UPS’s lobbyists are behind it. I’m not at all qualified to discuss the particularities of labor laws, but I think this dispute shows a second way that logistics operators like UPS and FedEx, regardless of which side is ‘correct,’ can operate as the autonomous, powerful entities that Easterling describes.
FedEx has been ramping up the ‘Brown Bailout’ ads during the holiday shipping season, but UPS’ Logistics campaign acts as the ultimate conversation changer for any consumers paying attention to the debate. Even with these companies hard at work to outperform or discredit other, the answer to only one question matters to me: who will get it there the cheapest and the fastest? What about you?