Publishers Feel Abandoned by USPS

Until recently, Postal Service executives talked about periodicals as “the anchor in the mailbox.” But lately, says one publishing executive, it seems that “the USPS just tied us to the anchor and threw it overboard.” “What’s a publisher to do when the mailbox is in danger of collapse?” the MPA (AKA the Association of Magazine Media) asks in a description of its February 2nd Postal Summit. The brochure reflects what seems to be the entire magazine industry’s feelings about USPS these days -- and why publishers everywhere are saying, “How the hell do we get more of our subscribers switched over from print to the iPad, or the Nook, or whatever?”

Source: Dead Tree Edition

Direct Mail Preferred Over Email: Survey Says

Despite the prevalence of email and digital marketing and the stigma of junk mail, a recent study finds that consumers still prefer direct mail when it comes to marketing messages. The study, "The Formula for Success: Preference and Trust," conducted by multichannel marketing firm Epsilon, found that respondents prefer direct mail over email about brands or products in almost every category, including financial services (36 percent to 8 percent), insurance (36 percent to 9 percent) and travel (21 percent to 13 percent). The proliferation of email may be one reason why email is becoming less effective: 65 percent of those surveyed "strongly agree" that they get too much email, and 75 percent say they get a lot of emails they never open. Why it matters to your business: Postal costs have gone up, but if you've stopped sending direct mail, maybe you should reconsider, particularly if your business is in one of the industries mentioned above. With consumers receiving less direct mail these days, your message now has a better chance of standing out.

Source: Huff Post

Can an MIT professor save the USPS?

In the coming months, MIT Professor and the holder of the first copyright to “EMAIL,” Shiva Ayyadurai will be working on a proposal that will investigate how the USPS could save thousands of jobs by entering the email management industry. According to Ayyadurai, large companies lack the email infrastructure to efficiently handle the overload of messages coming into the company every day. As a result, important messages are not being correctly sorted and delivered to the proper recipients. Sorting between important and junk email is a difficult problem that requires “human eyes”; even the most intelligent algorithms fail to sort efficiently.

Source: The Tech

USPS Could Offer Alternative Payment Methods

In a recent Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) decision the agency agreed to grant the USPS' request to provide credit lines to mailers that enter into a negotiated service agreement (NSA), giving them the ability to pay postage via Automated Clearing House (online) methods. Currently, mailers pay upfront into an account for anticipated postage. So does this mean you can start paying your postage by credit card? Not exactly! According to PostCom, the Postal Service cannot just offer different payment terms to mailers or service providers. It must enter into a contract or negotiated service agreement with that mailer in order to provide different payment terms than exist today. The process is quite laborious and involves a legal framework that is outlined in the Domestic Mail Manual [Link].

Registration for the 2012 NPF is Now Open!

The National Postal Forum is the premier educational event/experience and tradeshow available to mail professionals today. The forum will take place on April 1-4 in Orlando, FL. For more information, visit the NPF website at http://www.npf.org. See you there!