UPS gets its funny on

Big Brown has a reputation as a serious, buttoned-up organization, overseeing the flow of millions of parcels each day without ever cracking a smile.

Take a look online, however, and you may be able to spot a crack in UPS Inc.'s steely visage. The Twitter feed for the company's UPS Store division recently started deploying a novel strategy to catch customers' attention—humor.

Since November, the social media feed has taken a decidedly silly turn while promoting the unit's core service offerings, which include retail packing, shipping, postal, printing, and business services. "We've found that in order to break through on Twitter, you need to catch people's attention," UPS Store spokeswoman Chelsea Lee said. "We want to still talk about the products and services offered by The UPS Store, but in a way someone might find entertaining or enjoyable!"

Follow the unit's Twitter feed for some offbeat supply chain humor like:

When you transport by car, it's a shipment, but when you transport by ship, it's cargo. Nice try, words.

— The UPS Store (@TheUPSStore) January 4, 2018

We can help you make catalogs. We can even help you make catalogues if you're British.

— The UPS Store (@TheUPSStore) January 17, 2018

If you have nothing to shred, you're living a pretty boring life. Pick up some secrets. We'll keep the shredder hot.

— The UPS Store (@TheUPSStore) December 30, 2017