June 11th, 2007
From DM News -
A new study claims that, despite today's digital world, consumers clearly prefer mail over other
communications vehicles such as e-mail for receiving new product information and offerings as
well as confidential business communications including bank statements and financial reports.
This was a key finding from a survey released June 11 by International Communications Research.
The study, the fourth mail preference survey commissioned by Stamford, CT-based Pitney Bowes since
March 1999, found that the majority of consumers (73 percent) prefer mail for receiving new product
announcements or offers from companies they do business with, as compared to 18 percent for e-mail.
Mail was also preferred by 70 percent of respondents for receiving unsolicited information on products
and services from companies with which they are not currently doing business.
For confidential communications such as bills, bank statements and financial reports, respondents overwhelmingly
preferred mail (86 percent) as their channel of choice, as compared with 10 percent for e-mail. This response is
virtually identical to the response in the 2004 survey, which also showed consumer preference for mail at 86 percent.
The survey also found that consumers are less likely to discard unopened mail (31 percent) – including new product
brochures, catalogs or other advertising materials – than they are to discard unsolicited e-mails about new products (53.2 percent).
The survey also probed consumers on specific advantages they see in mail versus unsolicited e-mail and telephone calls.
Compared with other communications channels, including e-mail and telephone, survey respondents found mail to be:
less intrusive — doesn’t interrupt other activities (45.3 percent); more convenient — can be saved and considered at leisure (40.2 percent);
less high-pressured — lets you consider your decision (30.2 percent); more descriptive — lets you picture the offer (22.7 percent);
and more persuasive — encourages you to respond (12 percent).
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June 6th, 2007
The Direct Marketing Association is calling on the U.S. Postal Service’s Governors
to quickly implement the rate reductions recommended by the Postal Regulatory Commission
for Standard Mail flats. The DMA is also asking that the temporary rate relief be
extended beyond the Sept. 29 deadline recommended by the PRC. The DMA cautioned
that the temporary discounts offered to flat mailers would only postpone substantial
cuts in mailing volumes and a further decrease in revenues for the USPS.
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June 5th, 2007
Postal software vendors expressed dismay last week over a recommended decision by
the Postal Regulatory Commission that offered rate relief for Standard mailers and
implied that the changes would not be difficult. The vendors were particularly concerned
that the PRC said additional computer hardware or software would not be needed to
accommodate the temporary change and recommended mailers simply multiply the number
of flats mailed by either 3 cents or 2 cents depending on the mail type.
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June 1st, 2007
Postmaster General John E. Potter has chided a major bank for running a television
commercial that he said portrays the mail as a source of identity theft. The postmaster
general did not identify the bank in his remarks, but during a question-and-answer
session a member of the audience cited Wachovia as the sponsor. Potter then faulted
Wachovia for "really doing a disservice to the American public." Alison Rice, a
spokeswoman for Wachovia, said the company "is a significant customer of the services
provided by the U.S. Postal Service. In fact, this ad reflects a commitment we share
with the Postal Service to protecting and informing customers about identity theft.
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May 31st, 2007
The next meeting of the E.I.A. will take place at Colortree Inc.,
Richmond, Virgina during the month of September, 2007. Members are reminded to bring
notepads and sharpen their pencils.
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