Case Studies: Wikification in Action. In the ‘80s and early ‘90s, Federal Express Inc. spent millions
promoting its brand. Its slogan – “when it absolutely, positively has
to be there overnight” – is one of the best ever. Its television
commercials with the motor-mouth managers still serve as a creative
benchmark.
Yet despite the spending, impact and increasing usage, no one
referred to Federal Express by name. Customers just called the firm
“Fedex,” no matter how insistently corporate managers “positioned” the
firm as Federal Express. So in 1994 Federal Express bowed to reality,
and changed its name.
That was probably the first example of wikification, especially
since FedEx announced its first Web site at the same time. Wikification
– or the process by which customers define brands based on the
economic, experiential or emotional value they receive – represents the
biggest force in branding today. Wikification is occurring on
Intelliseek, Epinions and other feedback sites, message boards, viral
emails and SMSs, water-cooler chat, and other peer-to-peer
conversations. . . . [FusionBrand]