Kellogg Co. sees 40,000 QR codes scans via mobile campaign

By using QR codes on cereal boxes, Kellogg Co. drove more than 40,000 QR scans and 6,000 texts during its Crunchy Nut cereal promotion. The consumer packaged goods company recently launched a campaign with Crunchy Nut cereal and the slogan “It’s Morning Somewhere” with 2D QR bar codes. Kellogg’s partnered with mobile technology company Augme on the campaign. “The primary strategy of this campaign was to create more engagement with the brand via mobile,” said David Apple, chief marketing officer at Augme, New York. “Utilizing the back of the cereal box is a highly engaging static media touch point that allows users an intimate setting to try mobile and turn the static media into a rich media experience,” he said. (Editor’s note: Let’s hope catalogers have a similar success with the USPS Mobile Barcode promotion.)

Source: Mobile Marketer

Uncertain future for Canada Post

The mail is moving again, but the labour dispute at Canada Post raises questions about how the service can find its footing in a world dominated by email. Rural and remote communities are dependent on Canada Post for everything from medicine to food. But many Canadians say they didn’t miss their everyday mail. Others learned to adapt. Small- and medium-sized businesses, dependent on the postal service for invoices, payments and shipping, found alternatives after the June 14 lockout, from scanning invoices to electronic payments, to choosing couriers. Dan Kelly of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says while many will need Canada Post for deliveries, since it is mandated to deliver to every address in the country, others have switched to electronic invoicing and probably will stick with it. “The bad news for the union and Canada Post is they have hastened a negative trend for themselves,” Kelly said.

Source: thestar.com

Hot “2C” Processing to End

The Postal Service announced that it will end preferential treatment for time-sensitive Periodicals mail at the beginning of July, a move that could delay delivery of some daily and weekly publications by a day. "All Periodicals will be processed efficiently on automated or mechanized equipment where postal facilities have this type of equipment," says a letter USPS officials sent today to "Periodicals mailers" and members of the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee. "Since all Periodicals (daily, weekly, quarterly, and monthly) have the same processing expectations and service standards, they will be processed based upon arrival times and service standards, not publication titles." The new procedures are supposed to create a set of national deadlines that drop-shipped Periodicals must meet to receive next-day delivery. (Editor’s Note: Could catalogers be the next USPS target with their requested in-home delivery windows?)

Source: Dead Tree Edition

USPS Reform Bill Greeted With Strong Opposition

The battle for fiscal solvency for the United States Postal Service [USPS] continued on Capitol Hill as U.S. Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) introduced legislation that would implement sweeping structural reforms for the USPS. The magazine industry, the letter carrier’s union and the postal agency itself has had mixed reactions to the proposed legislation. Rep. Issa’s legislation, H.R. 2309, limits service to 5-days per week and requires all market dominant products to cover costs while maintaining the CPI price cap. Additionally, for classes below 90 percent cost coverage, rates are increased annually by 5 percent above the price cap. The Magazine Publisher’s Association [MPA] commended Rep. Issa for taking up the measure of postal reform but stopped short of fully supporting it.

Source: Audience Development