Having a gr8 time…text generation still prefers a postcard though!

Royal Mail predicts a record 135 million postcards will be sent and received this summer.

The UK may be a nation of ‘texters’ but when it comes to showing someone you care while away on holiday, a postcard still trumps the text message for that personal touch. In a recent poll conducted by You Gov in conjunction with Royal Mail, over 68 per cent of people still rate the postcard over a text message.

But the texting culture has influenced what is written on the back of a postcard with over 50 per cent of people now using common "textisms" to say they care. "C U Soon" is now the most popular sign off with other well-known abbreviations such as "R" for "are" and "Gr8" featuring heavily.

Royal Mail expects to deliver 28 million postcards sent from within the UK this year and novelty cards now rank above the great British landmarks/ tourist spots as the cards of choice. The top five cards to send from the UK are:

1) Novelty shaped cards e.g. ice-cream, deckchair, sun, boat
2) Buckingham Palace
3) Double Decker buses
4) Tower of London
5) Blackpool Tower

Scots top the table as being the biggest recipients of novelty postcards (29%), with Birmingham (25%) and Newcastle (21%) following closely behind.

Londoners clearly prefer to stick to the more classic postcards, with 57% of those surveyed believing that the capitals best known sites such as Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge and Routemaster buses are the sites most commonly sent on a postcard.

Other famous UK landmarks however didn’t fair as well with both The Angel of the North and the Forth Bridge languishing at the bottom of the poll. Ironic cards such as quirky images of road signs and building sites also seem to be less popular, receiving just four per cent of the vote.

Patrick O’Neill from Royal Mail said: "Not only can a postcard be kept and re-read, it carries a feel good factor for the recipient. Picking up a pen and writing to someone still means more to people as it takes thought and effort and shows loved ones you care. A lot can be said about a person’s personality from the card they have chosen and they offer everyone an opportunity to be creative. We’ve noticed a marked increase in postcard sending across the UK in recent years which confirms the power the postcard still has."

Popular ‘A Place in The Sun’ TV presenter, Amanda Lamb, added: "Postcards are the perfect way to keep in touch with family and friends, both on holiday and when taking the big step of moving abroad. They offer an opportunity for the sender to get as much pleasure from choosing their favourite cards as the recipient gets from it arriving. I always make sure I send a postcard back home when I’m away filming the show, no matter where I am in the world."

So when jetting off on your holiday this year, why not give your mobile a break and make someone back at home feel extra special by simply telling them what a ‘gr8 time’ you are having on the back of a postcard.

Ends

Issued by Shine Communications on behalf of Royal Mail:
148 Old Street
LONDON
EC1V 9HQ
www.royalmail.com

For further information please contact:
Katharine McGettigan or Natalie Turner at Shine Communications Tel: 020 7553 3333

[email protected]/[email protected]

Notes to Editors:

This survey was conducted using an online interview administered to members of the YouGov plc GB panel of 2,234 individuals, 18-50+ , male and female.

From 21 August, Royal Mail is changing the way it charges – items will be priced on their size and shape as well as their weight. That means mail will be priced in three basic size formats, a Letter, a Large Letter and a Packet.

Every address in the UK is being sent a leaflet that explains the changes and a customer awareness campaign has been launched on television, radio and in newspapers.

For more details now on the pricing changes, go to www.royalmail.com, or call 08456 113 113.