Relay brand
Relay is Amazon’s platform for booking and hauling Amazon’s freight + the network of facilities and infrastructure that makes it all hum. By 2023, the Relay platform and network had exploded to 60k users hauling millions of miles around the globe, but its brand expression hadn’t been examined beyond “where does this fit in the bigger branded house.” There was no story, no standards, and no consistent way to explain Relay’s value to customers–trucking business owners called carriers. So I partnered with a brand strategist to define Relay’s narrative, voice, tone, and mission. My role was to bring customer reality into the brand work by grounding decisions in live insights while I ran Relay’s Voice of the Customer program, and also defining a voice and tone that was clear and trustworthy.
“I need simplicity”
“I need to make the right decisions for my business”
“Hauling for Amazon gives me clout”
Carriers told us…
So we…
Prioritized direct, plainspoken language
Made freedom of choice a core value
Created Connections that can only come from Amazon
External message
Every time someone clicks ‘buy,’ another load hits Relay’s load board. That happens billions of times a day.
Engagement message
Load volume is high, don’t turn it down. Book now before someone else does.
Product message
We’re building the keys that keep business trucking along.
In the wild, it sounds like…
(Leadership keynote) Raise your hand if you or someone in your household has ever needed something delivered fast. Keep your hand up if you, a loved one, a neighbor trusted Amazon to deliver in that moment. That’s what we call the ‘customer promise.’ Relay is here to help uphold that promise. Every day, a parent that just ran out of diapers or a teacher that needs supplies for their classroom trusts Amazon to deliver in two days or less. That’s what keeps millions of people coming back, filling their carts, and clicking ‘Buy.’ Every purchase adds up to the Amazon-sized volume that can only be found on Relay.
- Ari Silkey, RelayCon 2024