FedEx

FedEx built a billion-dollar business on costly signaling you can see from your window. Founded by Frederick Smith in 1971 to pioneer overnight package delivery, the company exemplifies multi-component visual signaling: ubiquitous fleet branding (purple-and-orange trucks, 680 aircraft, 200,000+ vehicles), real-time tracking providing dynamic visual proof, and employee uniforms ritualizing individual behavior into company representation. The hidden arrow in the FedEx logo (between E and x) creates subliminal directional association.

These visual signals are honest because the infrastructure investment required to deliver on promises cannot be faked. FedEx operates active (phloem-like) distribution infrastructure - hub-and-spoke network with Memphis superhub processing 400,000 packages nightly. The company charges $50-200 per package for overnight delivery with guaranteed 10:30 AM delivery times, operating at 8-10% margins. This high-cost, high-price model works for time-sensitive, high-value goods where speed justifies premium pricing.

The lesson: costly signals work when the cost itself proves capability. FedEx's purple trucks everywhere don't just advertise - they demonstrate massive capital deployment that competitors can't fake. The company's visual ubiquity is the signal; the infrastructure investment is what makes it honest.