Association for Postal Commerce
"Representing those who use or support the use of mail for Business Communication and Commerce"
"You will be able to enjoy only those postal rights you believe are worth defending."

COMMUNICATING WITH THOSE WHO ADVERTISE AND MARKET BY MAIL

It is equally important that those who use our services, particularly those who choose to advertise and market by mail, also are familiar with the facts that counter the lies about mail. Here is an example of a letter that those whose businesses are built on serving the needs of mail advertisers and marketers can use to educate and enlist their support in our "truth about the mail" campaign.

A Model Letter That Can Be Used With Mail Marketers and Advertisers Who Use Your Services

Dear:

Is the glass half full -- or perhaps half empty?

You don't have to read the headlines to know that America has entered into a difficult economic period. Food, oil and medical costs have all been rising, home values have fallen in many communities and dollars buy less from our trading partners overseas.

But what the headlines rarely mention is that we have a vast economy and little unemployment. Even in the troubled real estate sector, it's expected that almost five million existing homes will be sold in 2008 -- a "slow" market by the standards of the past few years, but hardly evidence of a marketplace collapse.

Our newly-emerging economic situation raises a question: What's best for you? Expand or contract?

Some owners and managers believe that difficult times mean cutting back. The market isn't there any more, they argue, so now is the time to reduce advertising and slash sales costs.

We'd like to offer a different view. Increase marketing activity -- and cut costs.

Did you ever notice in difficult markets that some companies grow and prosper? Here's why: If a market is slowing and competitors are giving up sales and profits, it doesn't mean the market has disappeared. There's still demand for products and services. The better approach is to capture more of the market, to grow at the expense of competitors.

Here's an interesting example: For the past decade the Internet has grown at a phenomenal pace. At the same time, most traditional media have recorded declining revenues and lower profits.

Except one.

Between 1996 and 2007, ad mail volume increased from roughly 72 billion pieces a year to 104 billion -- a huge gain, especially given the growth of email and online communication in general. Advertisers spent $61 billion marketing through the mails in 2007 -- that's one dollar for every five dollars spent on advertising nationwide.

Why have advertisers turned increasingly to free papers, shared mail programs, coupon envelopes and other general interest shopping information sent though the mails?

It works. Your existing and potential customers all have a mailbox. We will take you there -- along with other advertisers who share the costs of delivering your message and also offer shopping values and informational content that makes consumers read -- and save -- our advertising pieces and coupons.

With ad mail you can target your message -- and you can measure your results. You can have a campaign that reaches one zone or an entire market.

Ad mail is a green medium. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, nearly 40 percent of all ad mail is now recycled -- it's a growing part of the nationwide effort to reduce, reuse and recycle paper products. In fact, paper recycling is now so efficient that China imported nearly $1.5 billion in scrap material from the United States in 2007.

So while your competitors are cutting back and earning less, we'd like to talk to you about ad mail and why it's America's growing medium. After all, our story is your story. Ad mail would not be growing unless it produced results.

Sincerely,

Lies about how you conduct your business can and will hurt you! Never let an attack on your mail-based advertising and marketing practices go unanswered.