Newsletters for All Newsletters 2009
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DMAB Update - May 2009 - May 26, 2009
1. "Reducing emissions is the responsibility of all commercial and industrial sectors. It is important that the postal sector continues to support a better and cleaner world while still delivering people's mail and helping business along."
These were the opening remarks of Ingemar Persson, Secretary General of PostEurop (association of 48 European public postal operators), for his presentation entitled "The Facts of Our Value Chain", made to the UPU Consultative Committee last March. Ingemar was summarizing the findings of a comprehensive study conducted by the European Mail Industry Platform (www.emip.eu), a joint initiative of key stakeholders in the European mailing industry. Here are some of the findings of the study: - Direct mail is one of the most valued marketing media in Europe. - 90 percent of the paper used in direct mail campaigns in Europe is recycled. - Mail represents 0.1 percent of the total household CO2 emissions on the continent. - Electronic communications are not more environmentally friendly than paper-based communica¬tions. - There is no such thing as "junk mail"!
The full study can be downloaded from the EMIP's website. 3. The DMAB praises its members' initiatives for protecting the environment. The US Direct Marketing Association, for example, encourages the direct marketing community to "embrace sustainability as a business concept and objective, and to work towards a future that is both profitable and eco-friendly." To that end, it has created a special Environmental Resource Center, www.dmaresponsibility.org/Environment, offering a wealth of information, tools, advice and training activities. It has also introduced, in the United States, DMAChoice (www.dmachoice.org), a mail prefer¬ence service that enables consumers to stop (or start) receiving some categories of direct mail and even mail from individual companies.
4. Some Posts are actively promoting environment-friendly practices. One excellent example is Royal Mail's "Sustainable MailTM" standard, specifically designed to help companies increase the use of environment-friendly materials in mailings and, at the same time, reduce the amount of mail entering the waste stream. Launched last month, it is a product that offers lower prices, under certain conditions, for improved targeting, sustainable resources and materials, and recyclability. More information is available at: www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/content1?catId=89000749&mediaId=89200749.
5. Last, but not least, on the environment front is the news that the UPU has adopted an environ¬mental policy. A description of some of the initiatives in this field, including the latest newsletters, can be found at www.upu.int/sustainable_development/en/index.shtml.
6. In the area of direct mail tools provided by the designated postal operators of UPU member coun¬tries, Royal Mail has launched the Mail Media Centre (www.mmc.co.uk), designed to help companies understand the added value of using direct mail as a communication medium. It is a very useful tool full of information and hints on how to conduct effective direct mail campaigns.
7. Vietnam Post and France's La Poste have recently formed a joint venture in direct mail called Media Post (www.mediapost.com.vn). It is an excellent resource for those looking to make use of addressed or unaddressed direct mail in Vietnam.
8 Spain's Correos has recently commissioned the first Global Study on Direct and Interactive Marketing. Here are some of its conclusions about the Spanish market: - DM represents 38 percent of the investments of companies in advertising and communications. - Companies use DM because of its effectiveness and fast implementation, as well as its customization features. - Compared with traditional media, DM is considered cheaper, faster, interactive and forward-looking. Nevertheless, it has less reach than traditional mass-media channels. - Companies using DM want to achieve tactical objectives, such as winning over and maintaining cus¬tomers (less than branding). - DM is used more widely for B2B than for B2C. It is often incorporated into other communication activities. - There is high synergy between direct mail and e-mail.- Companies measure results on the basis of response rates and sales volume. - DM is considered to be very effective. In general, 7 out of 10 recipients have made a purchase as a result of a DM campaign. - Individuals and companies alike prefer receiving advertising by mail.
The complete study, in Spanish, can be downloaded from: www.correos.es/comun/marketingDirecto/EventoEsic/120501-Formulario.asp
9. The DMAB is also an educational sponsor of the European Transpromo Summit, to take place on 6 and 7 October 2009 in Brussels. It is a conference dedicated to all aspects of transpromo communications. "Transpromo" refers to a new, innovative form of communication which combines promotional and person¬alized direct mail with transactional documents such as bills, statements and invoices. Its main purpose is to take advantage of the blank spaces in these documents to communicate marketing messages to cus¬tomers. More information is available at www.transpromosummiteurope.com. 10. If you are new to the DMAB Update, or if you are a long-term subscriber who has missed a few issues, you should know that past DMAB Updates are regularly posted on our website, in English and in French. For the English versions, go to www.upu.int/direct_mail/en/news.shtml.
