Catalogers debate the value of mail preference services at ACMA forum
Cataloger Crate & Barrel’s John Seebeck, direct marketing business director, said industry self-regulation is the best approach to the potential threat of do-not-mail legislation during the American Catalog Mailers Association (ACMA) forum in Washington, DC on June 26.
Seebeck was joined by representatives from Gardener’s Supply Company, US Postal Service, the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and nonprofit opt-out service Catalog Choice.
Do-not-mail legislation is one of the leading threats to the USPS’s business, said Marie Therese Dominguez, VP of government relations and public policy for the USPS.
The legislation is being pushed by consumer’s environmental concerns, as well as general annoyance with the amount of direct mail received, added Jerry Cerasale, SVP of Government Affairs for the DMA. For that reason, it’s important for marketers to listen to their customers regarding their mail preferences, he said.
The DMA, which has provided a mail preference service for more than 35 years, does not want to be a middleman, Cerasale said. It’s better if the customer and mailer communicate with each other directly, he added.
The mail industry has already been hit hard with last year’s rate increase, in addition to the current economic climate and the rising cost of paper. These factors have made Crate & Barrel a better marketer, Seebeck said. The company has cut circulation and the page count of its catalogs, and changed its contact strategies, he added.
