United States Postal Service Full Service Approved
Highlights
- 12 million more acres of forest
- 1.7 million trees planted
- Cutting through the advertising clutter
If you regularly find your mailbox crammed with catalogs, coupons and credit card offers, it is understandable that you might think direct mail is stripping our forests bare. Understandable, but incorrect. In fact, according to http://www.abundantforests.org, there are 12 million more acres of forest in the United States than there were 22 years ago, and the paper industry's efforts are partly responsible for the growth.
There are 1.7 million trees planted every day in the United States. That's more than are cut down for commercial purposes. In fact, more trees are lost to disease, bugs and fire than are felled for consumer products in this country. So all of those unsolicited credit card offers are not even putting a dent in the forests of America.
But energy use is a valid concern as well, so let's examine it for a moment. On the surface, it seems that producing tons of paper in the form of mail makes direct mail one of the more wasteful forms of advertising in terms of energy consumption. But direct mail's proven ROI is exactly what makes it one of the more efficient advertising media.
Consider a billboard on the side of a highway. Seems pretty passive, during the day at least. But every night, that billboard consumes many kilowatt hours of electricity in lighting so that it may remain effective. And that billboard is nowhere near as effective as a targeted direct mail campaign at cutting through the advertising clutter.
Another example is e-mail advertising. Many assume e-mail is automatically efficient because there is no manufacturing or transportation cost involved. But those people probably have not been to a server farm in person. E-mail and web site servers, depending on their size, can consume massive amounts of energy. And thanks to the 24-hour nature of Internet advertising, those servers must remain on-line whether a customer is looking or not. The customer himself also contributes to the energy consumption, as he must use a computer to access the message.
By contrast, the targeted nature of direct mail means less energy is wasted in sending your message to an unreceptive audience. And once that audience has your message, they need't consume any additional energy to read it.
Related Posts:
Highlights
- Stamps designed by creator Groening
- 5 different designs of Simpsons family
- Vote for favorite design, win a poster
Looking for a way to bring some levity to your mail? Might I suggest a stamp that bears the grinning face of Bart Simpson.
On May 7, 2009, the postal service will release a line of 44-cent Simpsons stamps. There will be five designs, each featuring a likeness of one of the series' titular characters. Series creator Matt Groening penned the stamps.
Stamp subjects are chosen by the USPS Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee. The committee receives about 50,000 suggestions every year, and makes its selections based on how well a subject fits 12 criteria. They greenlighted the Simpsons stamps thanks to the series' longevity and cultural relevance.
The postal service wants you to vote online for your favorite Simpsons stamp design. You can also enter to win a poster autographed by Matt Groening.
http://www.usps.com/promotions/simpsons.htm
My favorite? Well, it's hard to choose, but I'm going with Bart. You may disagree, but don't have a cow, man.
Related Posts:
Highlights
- Move Update charges begin Jan. 4 2010
- Verification methods still not confirmed
- Hefty non-compliance charges
Move Update Update
On Nov. 23, 2008, the United States Postal Service put Move Update requirements into effect for Standard Presort Mail as well as First Class Presort Mail. The good news is that the new implementation date of the Move Update non-compliance charge for Standard Mail pieces has been changed from May 11, 2009 to Jan. 4, 2010. Yet on the USPS Web site, the new standards themselves are still listed as being effective on May 11, 2009. We called the Move Update Support Department seeking clarification.
A postal service employee on the support line said it is possible that Standard Mail that does not comply with the new Move Update standards may not be accepted after May 11. Questions remain, however, as to how individual post offices will verify compliance. Even mail entry units that have a MERLIN machine may not be best equipped to do so, as we have heard of instances where a mailer's presort software found a higher percent of address changes than MERLIN resulting in a rejection of the mailing (here you may be asking, what the what?). And what of the several smaller locations that do not have a MERLIN?
Of course, after the January 4 deadline next year mail will be accepted even if it doesn't meet Move Update standards, but at a hefty price. The current proposal is that Standard mail that does not pass with a score 70 percent or higher will receive a 7-cent per-piece surcharge. First class mail that doesn't make the grade will simply lose all discounts, going at the same 44-cent rate as stamped mail, as long as it weighs an ounce or less.
But here even more questions arise, such as how and whom they will charge for non-compliance? Will they charge the mail owner or the mailing agent? The permit holder or the list owner? Will they draw it directly from your account at a later date or make you pay in advance? Excuse us if this is starting to sound like a rant from Roseanne Roseannadanna
Finding all the information about the Non-Compliance charge has been difficult but here is the article about the date change on the pcc insider Web site:
http://www.usps.com/communications/pccinsider/2009/pcc_0330se.htm
Here's the updated Advisement Policy dated April 7, 2009:
http://ribbs.usps.gov/move_update/documents/tech_guides/Move_Update_Advisement_Policy.pdf
The amended notice to the Postal Regulatory Commission can be found here:
http://www.prc.gov/docs/62/62772/Amended%20Notice.pdf
Now is the time to start getting used to the new requirements, if you haven't already. We at Total Fulfillment/iPresort have what it takes to be sure your mailings are in compliance. Those who wish to contact the postal service directly may call the Move Update Support Department at 1-800-589-5766.