Mail and express giants mount major advertising campaigns

A number of big advertising campaigns are being launched this month by major players in the mail and express industry, as operators jostle for position in an increasingly competitive field. The world’s largest logistics company Deutsche Post DHL is launching its biggest ever advertising campaign around the globe to tout its “international specialist” credentials.

United Parcel Services, the self-proclaimed world’s largest parcel delivery company, is launching a major advertising campaign focusing on its role supporting next year’s Olympic Games in London.

And, this fall the world’s largest postal service, the US Postal Service, is intending to launch a campaign to promote use of the mail within the United States, in an attempt to slow the reduction in mail volumes, since for every 1% decline in first-class mail volumes, USPS loses $300m in revenue.

DHL

Deutsche Post DHL will be advertising in 42 markets around the world, with a particular emphasis on 19 major markets in the US, in what it is proclaiming will be its “most ambitious” campaign yet.

The “international specialist” campaign officially kicks off this week, pushing the DHL brand through a mix of digital media, print advertising and out-of-home displays.

In the US, the company will be using prominent daily newspapers and magazines including the Wall Street Journal and Fortune, as well as websites including eBay and American Express.

Outside the US, the campaign will be screened on more than 280 TV stations, broadcast on more than 200 radio stations and published in 360 print publications – in 25 languages.

“This new campaign truly reinforces DHL’s global expertise and industry specific capabilities as well as our market position as the Specialists in International for our customers,” said Christine Nashick, Vice President of Marketing for DHL Express U.S.

UPS

This week, UPS launched its first advertising campaign tieing in with its role as official logistics provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Extending its “We love logistics” theme launched last year, the campaign from agency Ogilvy & Mather shows how UPS is ensuring next year’s Olympics will be a big success by delivering “flawless” logistics support.

The company is expecting to handle 30 million items as 46 sporting events are staged in the UK next July and August.

As well as collecting and delivering everything from documents to heavy freight for the Games, UPS will also be responsible for customs clearance, freight forwarding and courier services before, during and after the events have taken place.

As well as various print and broadcast outlets, the UPS campaign will take to the digital airwaves with UPS’ own UK Facebook page, while UPS ambassadors including British Olympians Ben Ainslie, Louis Smith and Denise Lewis will also be contributing to the campaign through blogs, radio ads and other content.

Nick Basford, vice president of marketing for UPS Europe, said: “Our London 2012 advertising is part of an integrated marketing campaign aimed at highlighting the important role logistics plays in business success today – all showcased through the most exciting of world sporting events – the Olympic Games.”

Within the United States, last month UPS agreed the largest ever non-network TV sponsorship deal in college sports, to highlight its brand before 172m sports fans there.

USPS

Meanwhile, while the integrators battle it out across the world for market position, the US Postal Service is fighting for its own survival and part of its strategy to grow revenues is to advertise the value of the mail.

USPS has been preparing a campaign over the summer with ad agency Campbell-Ewald seeking to promote the entire concept of the mail as a communications channel in the United States.

Initial plans were received very warmly by the US mailing industry at this year’s National Postal Forum in San Diego – with expectations high after the enormous success of the Postal Service’s flat-rate box campaign and its catchy slogan “If it fits, it ships”.

Speaking at last month’s Mailers Technical Advisory Committee, USPS chief marketing officer Paul Vogel said the campaign would be launched in September.

But he said a few surprises had come out of consumer testing for the different “message” options.

“We are a little bit surprised with some of the results,” he said, “the message that resonated most (with test audiences) was the security of the mail, and the reliance on the mail – that scored very high. We also testing things like using QR codes and coupons – but those just didn’t resonate.”