Author: Archive

Japan Post business plan to create giants

Posted by | May 1, 2007 | |

The Japan Post group, to be born via privatization in October, will consist of five companies that will dwarf or equal private-sector rivals, according to a business plan submitted to the government.

The plan, sent for approval Friday to internal affairs minister Yoshihide Suga by Japan Post Corp., a privatization preparatory firm, expects the Japan Post group’s net profit to hit 587 billion yen in fiscal 2011, exceeding the 500 million yen of the NTT group–one of Japan’s largest corporate entities.

The group’s five companies will have a total 241,400 employees, compared with NTT’s 200,000.

The Japan Post group will consist of a holding company and four operating firms, each of which will be in charge of mail delivery, post office management, postal savings and postal life insurance.

The four operating companies will exceed, or at least equal, the biggest players in the private sector in their respective fields.

The postal savings bank, for example, is expected to manage 164 trillion yen in deposits in fiscal 2011. The balance will nearly equal the combined deposits at two of the nation’s three largest financial groups–Mitsubishi UFJ, with 100 trillion yen, and Mizuho, with 70 trillion yen.

The postal bank will be the Japan Post group’s key money maker, projecting 304 billion yen in net profits in fiscal 2011.

To stem the decline in profits, the postal bank plans to offer new businesses, such as housing loans and credit cards as early as next year, a move that is likely to heat up competition with private-sector rivals.

The postal life insurer plans to boost profits from its fund management amid rising interest rates.

By contrast, the mail delivery company and the post office management company, which have more than 100,000 employees each, expect modest profits.

The mail delivery company plans to enter the direct mail service sector, which is the turf of private home delivery companies.

To attract customers to its outlets, the post office management company will sell life and nonlife insurance products offered by private insurers

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UPN opens new markets with launch of Micro Pallet service

Posted by | May 1, 2007 | |

UPN has launched a new level of service for the UK market, to help bridge the gap between parcel and palletized freight sectors.

The new Micro Pallet service is available from more than 60 national UPN depots from the 1st May 2007, and will open up a number of new market opportunities for UPN and its members.

The new service from UPN allows customers to ship pallets of up to 150 kilos anywhere in the UK on a next day or timed service for around 25 per cent less than the cost of a full sized pallet. Users of the new service can ship their freight on standard 1.2m by 0.8m pallets, with a height of up to 0.6 meters.

Customers will be provided with the same high quality service provided by the UPN network. Earlier in 2007, UPN also announced the implementation of a real time signature capture system, using the latest hand held XDA technology. This is provided as standard with the micro pallet service, giving users access to the kinds of service levels that used to be the preserve of the parcel market. They will be able to move into new markets, with improved customer service levels and considerable reductions in the cost of logistics.

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Royal Mail unveils next phase in direct marketing

Posted by | May 1, 2007 | |

Royal Mail has launched a new direct marketing service that will seek to fuse traditional direct mail campaigns with digital media.

Following the successful trial of its Personalised Integrated Media solution last year with Audi, the firm has decided to roll out the scheme for all customers seeking to launch a direct marketing campaign.

However, for any direct mail initiative to prove successful, a high standard of data quality is needed so as to ensure that information is being sent to the correct addresses. Returns on investment can often be reduced by incorrect data which causes information to be sent to old or inaccurate addresses, meaning that data cleansing exercises are important to get the most out of any such campaign.

By maintaining a high standard of data quality, through data suppression and data cleansing operations, a firm can carry out a highly successful direct mail campaign, even without the latest technology as employed by Royal Mail.

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Post Office® (UK) insurance sales hit half a million

Posted by | May 1, 2007 | |

Post Office® Financial Services confirmed its position as one of the fastest growing insurance providers in the UK as insurance policy sales passed the 500,000 mark.

Already the largest independent provider of travel insurance in the UK, the Post Office® has built on this success over the past three years with Post Office® Financial Services which was launched as a joint venture with Bank or Ireland in 2004.

Post Office® Financial Services insurance products now include motor, home (buildings and contents) and most recently van cover for small businesses. Alongside this it has also successfully launched a range of lending and savings products.

The Post Office® has strived to bring innovation and fair value to the insurance market: it was the first provider to offer a GBP 50 cash back incentive to all new car insurance customers. From May 1 2007, it is launching a new promotion offering one month’s free cover to all new car, van or home insurance customers.

CEO of Post Office® Financial Services Patrick Waldron said: “Our aim at launch was to become a major player in the financial services industry and now, reaching half a million customers with our insurance products alone, we are definitely on target to achieve this.

“We believe in offering customers fairer, easier and better insurance – for example our customers can already save up to 33 per cent on car insurance alone, offered through 14,300 branches, online or over the phone. With one month free it’s even better value.”

All products are available by telephone and online and information is available at all 14,300 UK Post Office® branches – one of the largest retail networks in Europe.

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Home delivery: shopping for quality items

Posted by | May 1, 2007 | |

Welcome to Home Delivery, a special section offering you access to a large variety of quality products for the entire family. Save time and energy; browse and shop in the comfort of your home. For more information about the companies featured in its this section, check out Home Delivery Online. Go to www.mothering.com and click on the Shopping Guide button. There you can request a catalog, visit a company’s website, e-mail the company, or e-mail a page to a friend. Home Delivery, is a great way to find those special products that reflect your unique choices and lifestyle.

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CIBLEX, specialist in added-value express Distribution and Maintenance, obtains Certipharm certification delivered by AFAQ

Posted by | May 1, 2007 | |

CIBLEX, specialist in added-value express Distribution and Maintenance, obtains Certipharm certification delivered by AFAQ, thus confirming its expertise in express medical distribution, which represents almost 50% of its turnover.

CIBLEX obtains Certipharm certification delivered by AFAQ, thus confirming its expertise in express medical distribution, which represents almost 50% of its turnover.

Ciblex, presided over by Teddy Mégarbane, is asserting itself in its highly competitive sector by differentiating itself from general transport companies through an approach targeting markets where it offers high added-value services that combine reliability, quality, flexibility, traceability and security.

These arguments have been able to persuade large companies in the Medical sector: laboratories, manufacturers of medical devices and diagnostic products and pharmaceutical depositories such as DEPOLABO Pharma-Logistique, Aexxdis, Biomet,
Eurodep, General Electric Healthcare, Wyeth, Bayer and Roche Diagnostic.

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George Smith reviews charity mailers

Posted by | May 1, 2007 | |

Why do fundraisers insist on formulaic letters? Four of the five letters here run to two pages, start with a head and run second-colour sub-heads through the text. It is a strange communications device, used only by charities.

World Emergency Relief (WER) (1) is the least-known of these five charities. Perhaps that’s why it has to shout more. ‘What about the disasters you don’t hear about?’ bellows the outer envelope. The rest of the piece is old-fashioned to a fault with a punchy flier aimed at distinguishing it from its flashier competitors. ‘WER does not have large overheads or fancy offices’, it says. ‘Only seven per cent of our income goes on administration and raising funds’. I’m happy to believe the first statement but raise an eyebrow at the second.

Cancer Research UK (2) has been dissecting its brand value for a few years now and it shows. This cold mailing uses the given colours, the given typefaces and the slogan ‘together we will beat cancer’ throughout. The nifty little free pen is also brand-consistent and an eight-page leaflet offers a smart good news/bad news format. But it’s a lot of paper when the ask is as humble as GBP 2 a month.

UNICEF (3) goes the extra mile. A bright chocolate-type wrapper contains the story of Plumpy Nut, a vitamin-rich sachet for malnourished children. We’re in full colour here and there’s a little 14-page concertina-fold leaflet. And the ask? You knew it already. Yes, GBP 2 a month.

Save The Children (4) flies higher. This is a part thank-you, part-Christmas appeal mailing – clearly mailed to the top end of its supporter file. And the tick box suggests donations of GBP 120 and upwards. This is a bright and intelligent piece which will have done well. Its coup de theatre is a DVD of projects in the field – irresistible and presented here with integrity so that few recipients will not watch it. And it costs just 30p to make, says the letter.

No such production values with VSO (5). Black and white throughout and an ask of GBP 15.75 to pay for three days upkeep for a volunteer overseas. This charity and its agency have brought a new intelligence to fund-raising creativity. Their work in sending volunteers to the world’s poorest countries is not the easiest cause to sell, but they bravely use short, powerful words to describe it and dispense with fancy graphics. ‘Men and women wanted’, this piece says, ‘Small wages, basic accommodation, hard work, long absence from home, contribution to ending poverty in case of success’. Terse and highly evocative. Nothing less than a copywriting classic.

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