Consignias bright ideas are worthy but do users care?

If you have to tell others that you’re interesting, it’s likely the opposite is true. This is the situation that Consignia finds itself in – repeatedly.

The name change itself tells much of the story. The two businesses that most people, had they a wish to, could define as ‘the postman’ and ‘the post office’ have reinvented themselves under a modern-sounding umbrella brand for a new competitive era.

There are, seemingly, interesting commercial developments within the Post Office and Royal Mail each week. The 18,000-strong post office network will be sub-divided and sub-branded into outlets relevant to the communities they serve. The Royal Mail’s Media Markets unit is unveiling advertiser-specific services to replace the highly inflexible Mailsort tariffs. And this week Marketing reports that the public will be able to specify how and where they receive their post – delivered at home as usual, or collected at the train station or post office to suit their lifestyle.

These and other initiatives show that there is exciting change taking place within Consignia – enough to justify our feature on page 24. The frustration for the company is in getting that message across.

Why won’t people listen? Part of the problem is that consumers have been here before. Deregulation in telecoms and utilities has failed to create real excitement because, despite lower price offers and improved service claims, both the new entrants and old ‘reinvented’ suppliers have failed to alter the fundamental product offering.

In short, it’s hard to get excited about a regular supply of gas, or a phone line that works. Unless, of course, it isn’t or it doesn’t. And therein lies Consignia’s second problem. There are plenty of stories about appalling postal service experiences, strikes and job cuts – that’s real excitement.

The Royal Mail’s Gillian Wilmot shows that the company is headed in the right direction when she says: ‘The whole business is now aware of the need to be more marketing-literate and customer-focused because of the advent of competition.’

But consumers don’t think in these terms or use such expressions, and it’s sometimes difficult to remember that they have no wish to be ‘delighted at every point of contact’. They want to know that when they put a stamp on a letter, it will get there – and on time. Their local post office may already be an ‘essential part of everyday life’, but they’re unlikely to think about it in those terms.

The changes taking place within Consignia are exciting for the business.

But marketing for Consignia is more about getting the service right than focusing on the message. Be innovative, be interesting – be invisible Copyright 2001 Marketing. Source: World Reporter (Trade Mark) – FT McCarthy.