Tag: direct mail

DMA's Prescott presents UPU Consultative Committee Chairman's report at 24th Universal Postal Congress in Geneva

Posted by | Jul 28, 2008 | |

Direct Marketing Association (DMA) Vice President of International Development Charles Prescott is attending the 24th Universal Postal Congress in Geneva, Switzerland. Prescott also is the chairman of the Universal Postal Union’s (UPU) Consultative Committee (CC).

During his report to the Congress on CC activities, Prescott announced that the Committee, during the next four-year cycle, would focus on address systems and change of address systems, as well as the related subject of sustainable development.

“Addresses are the structural core of the postal system,” Prescott told delegates convened in Geneva. “Consequently, the availability and accuracy of addresses are critical elements in the health of both domestic systems and the international postal network.”

“They are a huge public good, and this asset is used for a large number of important societal purposes,” Prescott said. “In addition to communication, those purposes include land-use planning, public service delivery, emergency response, and so forth. During the coming cycle our Committee intends to explore in depth all the issues surrounding those two themes: available addresses, and accurate addresses.”

Additionally, Prescott said that the CC will focus on the environmental impact of poorly addressed mail, which is one of the UPU’s core postal strategies. Prescott referred to Postmaster General John E. Potter’s goal for the US Postal Service (USPS) to reduce by 50 percent the USD 2 billion problem of undeliverable mail in the US as an indication of the seriousness of the problem.

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AnPost: Steps to Reduce Your Mailings’ Carbon Footprint

Posted by | Jul 16, 2008 | |

Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, Ms. Mary Coughlan T.D. launched ‘Six Steps to Reduce your Mailings’ Carbon Footprint’, direct mail guidelines jointly developed by the Irish Direct Marketing Association (IDMA) and An Post.

The guidelines are a practical and informative resource for Irish marketers in the planning and development of environmentally responsible direct mail campaigns.

Stephen Stynes, Chairman of the IDMA said: “Direct Marketing is a powerful medium and it gets results. Customers appreciate meaningful, relevant mail, particularly when it offers them special rates. The challenge is to grow the business responsibly, to continue to thrive and to contribute to the economy, whilst lessening our impact on the environment. IDMA members and our mail partners at An Post believe that today’s initiative is a blueprint for eco-friendly business practice. I encourage our members to implement these guidelines and to play their part in reducing our carbon footprint.”

Liam Sheehan, Director of Sales & Marketing, An Post concluded, “We recognise sustainability as a core business objective, and this partnership with the IDMA is a marketplace initiative which can help businesses to manage their costs and their carbon footprint when communicating directly with customers. Sustainability through environmental best practise, and profitable activity which meets customer needs are the goals in mind within the ‘Six Steps’ guidelines. An Post will continue to work with business to manage and develop Direct Mail and to deliver a real impact on direct marketing’s environmental footprint”.

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Direct mail spend down nine per cent

Posted by | Jul 14, 2008 | |

Spend on direct mail fell by nine per cent in 2007, according to The Top 100 Direct Mail Spenders report published by Marketing Direct.

The report, based on a survey of more than 6,000 consumers by media consultancy Billetts, reveals that declining response rates, a shift to digital and environmental pressures are behind the decline in budget being allocated to direct mail.

Financial services companies cut back spend on mail as the first effects of the credit crunch were felt half way through 2007. The top five users of direct mail – BSkyB, Saga Group, MBNA Europe, Lloyds TSB and Halifax – all registered double-digit decreases in spend in 2007 compared to the year before.

In the same period, the online advertising market, including display, classified, email and paid search grew by 38 per cent to GBP 2.8bn.

Capital One, formerly one of the UK’s top three spenders, fell eight places to number 10 as it reduced its expenditure by 65 per cent to GBP 11.4m in 2007.

Mike Welsh, chief executive of Craik Jones, said the industry had only itself to blame for the move from mail to digital.

Amanda Phillips, chief executive of Proximity London, said that with green issues under the spotlight last year, “direct mail was an obvious target”.

There were three new entrants to the Top 100: QuickPages, the insurance quotation business, Virgin Media and fashion brand Oli.

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EuroDirect to join Royal Mail data partners (UK)

Posted by | Jul 14, 2008 | |

Royal Mail is strengthening its investment in data services by adding EuroDirect to its panel of data partners.

The move is designed to better service Royal Mail’s customers with dedicated data solutions, and assist them in using data tools to improve the effectiveness of their direct mail campaigns.

Royal Mail’s clients will now benefit from EuroDirect’s Data Exchange prospect pool consisting of 40 million records, its suite of Cameo Consumer Classifications, credit-scoring service CallQualify, and consumer insight and marketing intelligence system Microvision.

EuroDirect joins Dataforce on the panel, which was set up in January.

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Hongkong Post launches new "iMailR service"

Posted by | Jul 14, 2008 | |

With the Internet creating new opportunities for cross-border trading, Hongkong Post has introduced the “Bulk Registered Air Mail service” (BRAM) since August 2005 to support the development of e-commerce. In response to market demand for efficient communications arising from booming online trade, a new “service” will be fully launched on July 14, 2008, to facilitate customs pre-declaration while providing customers with a fast, reliable and simplified way to make bulk postings.

Two value-added options – a supplementary insurance service and an online credit card payment facility – will also be introduced. The “service” will replace the BRAM service that will cease on the same day.

The new “service” helps online sellers streamline the preparation of bulk postings that require a signature on receipt of delivery. In the past, address labels had to be printed on envelopes with preprinted Hongkong Post permit insignia, with customs clearance forms and air mail labels affixed to each item. Under the new “service”, all these procedures are automated to shorten the time for mail preparation. With the aid of the Online Mailing Tool, all the required information can be printed on an all-in-one label for affixing to individual items.

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