One of the best ideas I’ve heard in the last 10 years is the FedEx Day. Created by the Australian software company Atlassian, FedEx Days give people 24 hours to work on whatever they want — so long as it’s not part of their regular jobs and provided that they show what they’ve created to their colleagues when the 24 hours elapse.
Why the name? Because you have to deliver something overnight.
FedEx Days have been hugely successful in generating new products, fashioning fixes to existing products, and improving internal processes. That’s one reason why they have spread like kudzu in recent years. But now, Atlassian says in a blog post, the name must change.
It turns out that FedEx, which had absolutely no connection to its eponymous days, has asked Atlassian to choose a new name. They weren’t jerks about it. No growling lawyers or menacing cease-and-desist letters. FedEx* just said essentially, “Hey, it’s our brand, not yours. So if you don’t mind, come up with something else.”
Atlassian is now trying to find that something else. And the company, a true pioneer of leading-edge work practices, has reached out to its loyal base of customers and blog readers for suggestions.
If you have a cool new name for this cool semi-new innovation, visit the Atlassian site and offer your idea. You’ve got until May 23 at midnight PDT. But I beg you: Please don’t suggest “UPS Days.”
*(Full disclosure: I’m a fan of FedEx — both because of my experiences as a customer and because FedEx founder Fred Smith called me a few months ago to tell me he liked Drive.)
How about “just do it days” for they days when we stop whining about making things better and do something to make thing better for us, our customers and our partners.
(24h) Daylivering.
I like the idea of a Daylivery.
CREATERGY DAY !
I would recommend “Git-R-Done” Day but that would infringe on another famous idea.
How about…
D-Day (“D” for delivery)
Drive Day (if it’s OK with Dan)
Express Delivery Day
The Formerly Known FedEx Day (!)
“Plus Days” implies that:
– They’re about work beyond the normal scope of things
– They’re adding value to the workers’ lives and the companies’ atmosphere
“Free Range Day”, as in escape from the cubicle, and thinking outside the cubicle for a day.
Dream & Deliver
All of you failed the first step of the contest: submitting your entry to the Atlassian site. lol.
How about: “Unleashed Day,” “Let it Go Day,” “Let it Pour Day,” “It’s Your Day,” “Your Master Day,” or “It’s About You Day”
Outside The Box Day (OTB Day).
Outside Your Area Projects (OYA Projects) , you could pronounce it “oh, yeah!”.
@Bradley has a point. Be sure to submit these on the Atlassian site, too: http://blogs.atlassian.com/2012/05/rip-fedex-day-meet-your-idea-here-day/
Maybe Fed Ex should reconsider. This seems like great free publicity for them and it brands them as a forward-thinking organization. Hey, perhaps that would work: Forward Thinking Day.
Brave days (as in Fortune favors the brave), Hot days (Strike while the iron is hot)
Maybe “jam” day… Or something with jam in it. That’s the word that’s been used for the 24-hour make-something-by-the-end days including film-making jams, laptop music jams, art jams, game jams (where top game developers tired of spending three years to build something at their day job get together with friends to build a game in a day).
They also sometimes use the ABC mantra (borrowed from Alec Baldwin’s classic movie line) “Always Be Closing” to remind themselves the point is to have something to show at the end of the jam, not to just “spend time doing it”.
Hi Dan, I’m a big fan!
You might like to try the overnight brainstorming service I invented called Ideas While You Sleep! http://www.ideaswhileyousleep.com . I have hundreds of brainstormers in 12 different countries and you get around 100 ideas overnight.
Y
Innodate.
Due Tomorrow
How about Unworkrelated Productivity Sessions or
“UPS Days”
If FedEx doesn’t want the free marketing perhaps UPS does.
I wonder if Altassian has approached them yet.
How about Unworkrelated Productivity Sessions or
“UPS Days”
If FedEx doesn’t want the free marketing perhaps UPS does.
I wonder if Atlassian has approached them yet.
As you know Dan we did something like this in my school and called it “Innovation Day”. Same concept and kids were innovative…
Mindsprint
The Post Office has an older brand and (probably) more inclination to lend it to such a cool, forward-looking idea.
Trend Day, Pink Day or MBG( must be great) day
Stand and Deliver
How about…
This Time Tomorrow
“T3” for short
Due 24
Noodle Days
R-Dev Days (rapid development)
R2D2 (Really Rapid Development Days) – or is that also trademarked?
What about “24 hour Innovation Party”?
How about Weekend Project, as that’s what this is.
1 up for Dave’s UPS day. If FedEx is too obtuse to recognize (if not sponsor) such a positive nod to their brand, then give it to a brand that will! Then again, are we sure we want our next-day delivery services taking 24 hrs to “get creative”?
An Innovation Rotation.
(Turns around something new in a single rotation of the planet)
24h++
Parachute Day (drops in from out of the sky, no going back)
24 Hour Sprint
You should have told Fred Smith to ‘clear’ the rights of using FEDEX days themselves inhouse. Other companies pay a fortune to create a viral campaign. FEDEX could have gotten one for free. Some people do not recognize a great chance when it bites them in the face.
=> Don’t change the name: Explain FEDEX they should adopt the idea that is already named after them and makes great PR and probably will yield great inhouse innovations for them. Charge them for consulting. Send me a nice appreciation present if it works out
My first reaction to this story was “How can FedEx be so stupid!” This is a great viral campaign for them. It’s a great story that I’ve repeated many times and suggested to my own company that we try it out.
A quick Google search, though, revealed that they were actually offering this as a service to other companies. While I still agree that the two of them should have worked something out I no longer think that FedEx is the devil.
Reminds me of Taylor Swift describing here award experience… “At first I was excited. Then I saw Kanye West coming to the stage and I was more excited… Then I wasn’t excited anymore.”
Dale
BreakOut Day
Advocating for FedEx to loosen up might not work if they are concerned that failure to challenge the use of the name legally diminishes the strength of trademark.
I agree with Richard Heider’s comment that Dan should get Fred to clear usage of the name. How is such a positive idea bad for FedEx?
Otherwise here’s my suggestion…
“Speedy Delivery Day” (in honor of Mr. McFeely from Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood)
I know I’m late, but I’m throwing these name in the ring anyway:
“What If” Days
“Let’s See” Days
“Tinker Time”
How about dream&discover day?
What about IdeaX Day? Just watched X-Men: First Class, so the X in FedEx is standing out in my mind.
How about “My day”. A day belongs to each individual to generate news idea for Fedex.
Guinea Pig Day
Each one is an experiment in creativity / innovation.
You might have a Guinea Pig annual award that allows companies to send in the best results of their “experiments” to be judged in an international poll.
The Guinea Pig brand becomes emblematic of the experimental life, the creative life everyone should engage – as our most stimulating, satisfying and fulfilling possibility.
We are calling ours Light Bulbs & Legacies. This is to think of new and lasting ideas.
Mr. Brown Day.
Everyonw knows what it means, and no one call tell you to stop using it.