Postal mail most effective in marketing to customers, study finds
North County Times
Businesses should do most of their customer outreach by postal mail and go easy on telephone calls and emails, according to a study co-authored by a UC Riverside researcher. Three phone calls, along with three or four emails, and nine or 10 postal mailings over three months is the ideal mixture to stir customer interest, said Andrea Godfrey, the UCR co-author, an assistant professor of marketing. More contact irritates customers who don't like getting bombarded with pitches.More

Postmaster general attempts to steer US Postal Service out of the red
Government Executive
The U.S. Postal Service is a federal agency in crisis. Annual mail volume has declined by more than 40 billion pieces since 2006, accompanied by nearly $6 billion in annual revenue declines during the same period. U.S. Postal Service posted a $2.6 billion loss in the first half of fiscal 2011 and expects to run out of cash by the end of the year. To combat declining funds, the Postal Service is improving technology, cutting legacy systems in favor of more efficient processes and downsizing its workforce.More

US Postal Service OIG: How can the Postal Service innovate?
Pushing the Envelope
The American marketplace is experiencing constant changes in the ways that companies conduct business and communicate with customers. Like other businesses, the Postal Service must also innovate to stay relevant. The Office of Inspector General plans to examine innovation processes currently used by major U.S. corporations to learn about best practices/processes.More

Direct mail exceeds paid search advertising return on investment, report says
Overnight Prints
According to the results of a recent targeted direct mail brochure campaign drew a better return on investment than paid search advertising, Direct Marketing News reports. The article reports that Commerce Payment Systems, a provider of credit card processing solutions, was looking for new accounts through paid search, but costs were getting high. A direct mail marketing company convinced the Commerce Payment Systems to try its campaign. An 11-by-18-inch tri-fold mailer targeted to new businesses was created.More

Catalogers applaud postmaster general's view on exigent rates
Chief Marketer
Most catalogers who attended the National Catalog Forum in Washington June 21-22 praised Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe after he told attendees he won't push for an exigent rate increase for Standard Mail flats - the category affecting most catalogers. Donahoe, who made his remarks at the fourth annual National Catalog Forum held by the American Catalog Mailers Association, earned high marks in the eyes of attendees. But catalogers remain cautiously optimistic.More

6 months into chairmanship, Issa isn't what either side expected
The Washington Post
When Rep. Darrell Issa assumed the role of chief watchdog of the Obama administration, both sides of the ideological spectrum had big expectations. Liberals thought the Republican from California would be a media-hungry inquisitor who would stop at nothing to embarrass President Obama. And some conservatives believed he would quickly uncover high-level corruption that must be lurking just behind the White House gates.More

When direct mail goes wrong
Deliver Magazine
It's the thing that haunts many direct marketers: After a thorough check, still - somehow - a mistake has made it into the direct mail piece. You know the log you wanted to crawl under after it happened to you? Stand proudly atop it instead, for it turns out you are in good company.More

'Integrate,' says DMA
BtoBonline
The Direct Marketing Association's annual June conference has been rapidly evolving of late, morphing in 2010 to the online-focused Digital Marketing Days from an earlier, direct mail-focused incarnation as DM Days. This year, the conference and expo was yet again rebranded. All for One: The Integrated Marketing Summit featured several sessions examining how to link on- and offline channels.More

Discount mindset drives marketer deals
Direct Marketing News
Two years of deal-seeking and a faltering economic recovery mean consumers won't stop looking for discounts, and offline deals will remain an important tactic for marketers, say industry experts.
 "It really doesn't matter whether you're shopping for Crest or shopping for a car; value consciousness in this country is not going to go away anytime soon," says Michael Kowalczyk, VP and general manager of in-store marketing for marketing services company Valassis Communications.More

US Postal Service exceeds green targets as sustainability report released
Post & Parcel
United States Postal Service has exceeded a number of its sustainability goals, the company said as it released its 2010 Annual Sustainability Report. Published this week, the report states that the postal operator achieved almost a 30 percent reduction in facility energy use, a 33 percent reduction of supplies purchases and a 133 percent increase in alternative fuel use.More

Area codes more important than zip codes for business owners
Presort
Remember the old adage Location, Location, Location? Well it appears that, at least in the context of small business owners, that location is no longer as important as a phone number as a recent study reveals the growing importance of having the right phone number when it comes to projecting the right business image.More

Driving car deals: Mailer helps introduce car dealers to data provider
Deliver Magazine
After refurbishing its brand with a series of advertising and news releases, NCM Associates decided that it was ready for a bigger push. "It was time to go out and make a play to see if the message had gotten through," says Robin Keller, the company's marketing and communications director. "We were reinforcing the brand image and inviting people to do business with us." Take, for instance, its September 2010 lead generation effort, a dimensional package that included a logoed chamois and an offer for a free customized comparison report.More

Another reason why marketers need to be mobile
Presort
Steve Olenski writes, "Nearly a month ago I wrote of The Rapid Rise Of Mobile Advertising And mCommerce. Today comes even more proof that marketers need to be mobile, literally as mobile payments are expected to nearly triple by 2015. The latest from Juniper Research, a leading mobile marketing research firm, predicts that the total value of mobile payments for digital and physical goods, money transfers and NFC (Near Field Communications) transactions will hit $670 billion by 2015 - nearly three times as much as will be seen this year, $240 billion."More

Cross-cultural marketing: Can I get a camel with that?
Forbes
One of the most interesting aspects of marketing in the Middle East region is learning how to make campaigns work locally. When setting up an agency in any new place as a foreigner you try to learn about the local culture and nuances as quickly as possible, primarily to avoid offending anyone. Books like Don't They Know It's Friday? are a great source of quick knowledge for our region.More