2011 May

V I S I T U S A T W W W . S A P A T O D A Y . C O M

Southeastern Advertising Publishers Association (931) 490-0400 (931) 490-0488 fax 1

SAPATodayAdvancing the free paper industry by providing resources for success and venues for sharing ideas.

Board of DirectorsThe leadership of SAPA is in good hands. The board of directors, director, and assistant are listed with contact information.Page 3

Making the most of Networking EventsJohn Foust teaches us how to make the most of those events you might ignore and improve your image.Page 3

Conference SchedulePlan today to join us at the fabulous Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham, AL on July 15 & 16, 2011.Page 8

Graphics Series Ellen Hanrahan gets our graphics professionals back to the basics with her latest article.Page 5

You Versus the EconomyJoe Bonura helps us learn how we can put our best self forward even during tough economic times.Page 6

Contrary to Popular Belief, Print Advertising Still Works!Jane Switzer wrote this piece to help advertisers see the value of print. You can use it to help them see your value!Page 7

by Landy Chase

Everybody in business, including myself, loves a good dollop of “gravy.” In this con-text, of course, “gravy” means business that literally falls in your lap:

- The prospect who calls to say, “I’m ready to buy”

- The customer who contacts you to make another purchase

-The order form that arrives with a check in the mail

What’s wrong with a little gravy? Nothing, as long as it is consumed in moderation. A

Lose Sales Now: The Gravy Diet

little gravy, in fact, is a healthy part of a sales person’s diet. Leads that arrive as “done deals” are good for your attitude and you are entitled to them. As Yankees great Lefty Gomez famously said, “I would be rather lucky than good.”

Unfortunately, some sales people love gravy too much; they even learn to exist on the stuff. They stop prospecting for business, and they wait for the phone to ring. They live on whatever happens to come in the door. They are devoted followers of the Gravy Diet. And, sooner or later, the Gravy Diet always leaves them starving.

Why? Because sales people who live off of incoming leads have relinquished owner-ship of their future and their income. Their success or failure is then driven by factors beyond their scope of control, namely: luck, good fortune, and a fair wind. Whether or not they make their sales numbers (and mortgage payment) each month comes down to whether or not the telephone rings. And that, my friends, is no way to live your life, sales person or otherwise.

Gravy Addicts, take note: you do not con-trol the events that sustain your gravy sup-ply. Customers go out of business. Or, they merge. Headquarters relocate. New deci-

Southeastern Advertising Publishers Association

THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR THE FREE PAPER INDUSTRY MAY 2011



Lose Sales Now: The Gravy Dietsion-makers arrive who bring new vendors with them. Budgets are cut. In short, you lose business through no fault of your own. These are events beyond your scope of con-trol –yet they occur with regularity. Each time they do, one of only two things hap-pens: either you get a new customer to re-place them, or your income decreases. The elephant in the selling room is this: if you have no method of replacing lost business or, worse, you are apathetic about it, you are eventually going to run out of Gravy.

Having worked with thousands of sales people, I can tell you this: there is a great mental divide between high sales achievers and the rest of the selling population when it comes to the subject of Gravy.

High achievers do not follow the Gravy Diet. To them, Gravy is a dietary supple-ment, recognized for what it is: an unex-pected and welcome treat. Instead of living on Gravy, they develop and implement a robust outbound marketing program. They have a system for consistently getting new business that centers on the following skills:

Marketing – specifically, creating selling op-portunities through prospecting;

Referrals – getting new customers through existing, satisfied ones;

Branding – becoming “known” for their personal skill and expertise;

Networking – Utilizing the power of “who

you know” to generate leads;

Ethics – building a reputation of integrity in all business dealings.

So, how does a sales person lessen his/her dependence on the Gravy Diet? Here are five corresponding steps that will reduce gravy dependency and improve sales vital-ity and business health:

Learn how to become effective at prospect-ing. Invest in quality educational tools that teach you how to do the fundamentals: han-dle gatekeepers, get access to decision mak-ers, and gain agreement for appointments.

Ask every satisfied customer you have for a referral to others in the company. Don’t just say “who do you know who ____?”. Be specific. “Do you have a (title) or someone in a similar capacity who might have some interest in what we do for you?” This makes it easy for them to help you.

Start an e-newsletter or blog for customers. Focus on giving them high-value ideas that will help them in their business. Ask every client that you have for an email address, and send them your ideas once a month.

Don’t harass friends for referrals. Good networking happens because people know what you do, and give your name to some-one else who is looking for what you pro-vide. Make sure that all of your contacts are well educated on what you provide, and in-clude them on your newsletter list.

Obstacles are the things we see when we take our eyes off our goals.

Zig Ziglar

Character is the ability to follow through on a resoltuion long after the emotion with which it was made has passed.

Brian Tracy

Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but can’t get more time.

Jim Rohn

It is worth noting that following the prin-ciples outlined above has the ironic benefit of – you guessed it – dramatically increas-ing your gravy supply. Enjoy – but have the self-discipline to stick to your plan. After all, maintaining focus is the key to success in all diets - including that of a successful sales person.

A final, important note regarding Gravy: one of the best bloggers and sales experts on the Internet is my counterpart, Jeb Blount. I encourage you to visit his website, www.salesgravy.com, and register there to-day!

Landy Chase, MBA, CSP is an expert who specializes in speaking to corporations and associations on professional selling and sales management topics. His latest book, Com-petitive Selling , was named an Editor’s Choice Best Books of 2010 selection and is available on www.amazon.com .To book Landy for your next sales meeting , visit his website at www.sellingrevolution.com or call (800) 370-8026.

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PresidentRussell

QuattlebaumSoutheast Sun

Enterprise, AL 334-393-2969

Vice PresidentTony OnellionBargains PlusSlidell, LA

985-649-9515

Past PresidentGreg Ledford

Shelby Shopper & Info

Shelby, NC 704-484-1047

TreasurerAlan Lingerfelt

The Piedmont Shopper

Danville, VA434-822-1800

Board MemberWill ThomasExchange, Inc.

Fayetteville, TN 931-433-9737

SecretaryCaroline

QuattlebaumSoutheast Sun

Enterprise, AL 334-393-2969

Executive Director

Douglas FrySAPA Headquarters

Columbia, TN931-490-0400

Board MemberBill Derby

Johnson City News & Neighbor

Johnson City, TN423-979-1300

Past PresidentGary Benton

Peddler ADvantageParis, TN

731-644-9595

Administrative Assistant

Vickie BeldenSAPA Headquarters

Columbia, TN931-490-0400SA

PA

Lead

ersh

ip Integrity is the most valuable and respected quality of leadership. Always keep your word.

Brian Tracy

By John Foust, Raleigh, NC

Networking events provide you with golden opportunities to connect with new advertising prospects – and strengthen existing business relationships. Here are some

to meet before the event is over.

2. Your name tag is your logo. Always wear a name tag at networking events. You’re not there to be an anonymous bystander. You’re there to connect.

Events generally feature two types of name tags: (1) those provided by the host and (2) those provided by attendees. If you fill out a name tag at the registration table, print your name (first and last) and the name of your paper. An even better idea is to order a magnetized name tag from an office supply store. That will present a more

Making the MostOf Networking Events

continued on page 4

tips to make the best use of those opportunities:

1. Have a plan. If the event requires advance registration, ask the hosting organization if you can see a list of businesses which will be represented. This will help you develop a “target list” in advance. If a registration list is not available, simply scan the room to identify the key people you would like



professional image for you and your paper.

Place the name tag on your right lapel to make it easy for others to read when you’re shaking hands.

3. Success is in the cards. It should not take more than a few seconds to produce your business card. Leave the fancy, monogrammed card case at home, and forget about fishing around in your wallet or purse when someone asks for your card. The best strategy is to keep a good supply of your cards in the outside, right pocket of your jacket – and place the cards you receive in the left pocket. (That eliminates the possibility of handing another person’s card to someone you’ve just met.)

Keep track of conversations by writing

notes on the backs of cards you receive. This simple technique is especially helpful if you promise to call or send information.

4. Listen first. Express genuine interest in the people you meet, ask questions about their businesses – and tune in to their concerns. Broadcasting legend Larry King said, “I never learned anything while I was talking.”

5. Deliver your elevator speech. This is a short commercial for your business that lasts no longer than a short elevator ride. After you’ve learned something about the other person, you can say, “I represent The Gazette and specialize in helping people generate more customers for their businesses. We do this by developing customized

marketing plans.” If the other person expresses interest, you can tell a (brief) story of how you helped one of your clients increase sales.

6. Watch your timing. If you linger too long in conversation, you rob other people of their networking time. Make contact, learn how you can be of help to them – then move on.

7. Follow up. If you promise to send information or if you think of something your new acquaintance will find of interest, get back in touch right away. Don’t give that person time to forget your conversation.

(c) Copyright 2011 by John Foust. All rights reserved. E-mail John Foust for information about his training videos for ad departments: [email protected]

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BASICSDEVELOPING EFFECTIVE GRAPHIC DESIGN CAN BE OVERWHELMING, SO ONCE AGAIN IT'S BACK TO…

Ellen entered the publishing business after nine years as a high school art teacher and taught software pro-grams at the technical school level. She also writes a graphics column for The Independent Publisher. Reach her at: [email protected] Hanrahan ©2011

I don't often get to use the typeface above, "Ed Interlock" from House Industries. Various character sets interlock (clever name) depend-ing on the combinations chosen, but it's most useful for short headlines and on a limited basis, as you will soon come to know!

Readability and LegibilityReadability and legibility are type attributes that are always a part of any design consid-eration. They become so much a part of the design process that you don't even have to think about them after a while. Readability is the “comfort level” that we achieve—the ease in reading text. Legibility refers to the clarity of the individ-ual characters and relies on the specific and inherent characteristics of a typeface. As designers, we have total control over both the readability and legibility of the infor-mation that we present. The correct typeface and its use can make a huge difference in creating clear and effective advertising. And since this is something that we can control, we should be aware of its impact. This month I will present some key components regard-ing readability and legibility. When we read, we read in groupings of words, rather than concentrating on every single word in the sentence. Readability takes into account a number of factors, but our pri-mary concern is the use of type in our adver-tising and other communications. Because the designer can control the readability of the information presented, it is a choice that every designer needs to make that informa-tion easy to understand. The following fac-tors can make an impact on the readability of our printed information, therefore it is wise to become familiar with the following functions:

Readability: Uppercase & LowercaseUppercase letter, or “caps” don’t really have a distinctive look—most of the letters have a square shape to them—making it more diffi-cult to recognize their individual characteris-tics. Check out the following: DIFFICULTY IN READING THIS SENTENCE COMES FROM THE FACT THAT ALL CHARACTERS HAVE A “SAMENESS.” WE ARE TRYING TO RECOGNIZE WORDS WITH CHARACTERS THAT HAVE THE SAME SHAPE. IN A SANS SERIF TYPEFACE, WE MAY HAVE EVEN MORE TROUBLE IN TRYING TO DISTINGUISH THE INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS THAT USUALLY ALLOW US TO “SKIM” THROUGH THE INFORMATION. THIS CUTS DOWN ON READING SPEED AND CAN BE VERY TIRING FOR THE READER.

Lowercase letters are much easier to recognize because their shape is more distinctive. It's the responsibil-ity of the designer to choose type wisely.

Letterspace and WordspaceLetterspace simply refers to the amount of space between each letter. There should be enough space to allow for individual letter, or character recognition. Letterspacing should be neither too tight nor too loose. For example, the text you are reading now is composed of letters that are spaced too close together. It be comes harder to recognize the individual characteristics of each letter. O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , y o u c a n a l s o h ave l e t t e r s p a c i n g t h a t i s to o l o o s e , again mak ing i t d i f f icult to determine where the words themselves end. To o m u c h s p a c e b e t w e e n t h e l e t t e r s i s jus t as di f f icult to read as let ter s that are to o c lose to gether. There will be times when you want to change the space between letters. Most often this will occur when you run into words where optical spacing is better. Take a look…AWAY VACA TION T ruck Vacuum WaterAWAY VACATION Truck Vacuum Water

The space between the letters on the first line are mechanically correct, but separate parts of the word too much. Optical or visual spac-ing now determines how the word reads. Removing the space between pairs of let-ters results in letterspacing that appears more consistent throughout the entire word. Letters were “tucked” or more correctly, “kerned,” to achieve the correct visual spacing. Wordspacing is the space between words. Too much wordspacing creates reading problems by isolating words. See how “gaps” between these words and lines of type distract eye movement? The large spaces that occur between these words form “rivers,” most often occurring in type that’s justified. There are ways to correct irregular spacing.

Point Size Type is measured in point sizes and can be adjusted. Type that is 18 points or larger is traditionally considered display type, while type that's smaller is text type.

Reverse Type White type on a black back-ground presents its own problems when the type is too small or has thick and thin serifs. This can slow readability significantly, espe-cially on newsprint.

Line Length and Linespace Most readers scan the words on a page. The most comfort-able grouping is three to four words that are “seen” at one time, so it is necessary to be

aware of the column width and the point size of the type. These two factors work hand in hand. Narrow columns require smaller point sizes, while larger columns can accommodate larger point sizes in type. The rule of thumb used to determine line length was 1½ – 2 times the point size. This still pretty much holds true today. Linespace, or leading, refers to the amount of space between the lines of type and is measured from baseline to baseline. Leading is dependent upon such factors as typeface and x-height of the lowercase letters.

Type Alignment You can arrange type in a number of ways: Flush left or left aligned; Flush right or right aligned; Justified (type is flush on both right and left) , and Centered.

Legibility: Type Weight Type families come in various weights—Light, Roman, Book, Bold, Ultra, etc. Type faces that are very bold or very light tend to rate low on the leg-ibility scale. Also, “grunge” typefaces or type-faces that are “decorative” need to be used with a discerning eye (see Ed Interlock). They become very difficult to read. If you aren’t sure of mixing type, select a typeface that offers a number of different weights.

Type Shape Each character has a unique shape and we can recognize those letter shapes. The dominant shapes can be divided into four categories—vertical, curved, a com-bination of vertical and curved and oblique. Condensed and ex panded typefaces can make reading more difficult—try not to dis-tort the characters any more than necessary and try to find a condensed typeface rather than condensing your own. The in tegrity of the character may be lost.

Serif and Sans-Serif Serif typefaces appear to have little “feet” or strokes as part of the main vertical or diagonal stem. Sans, which means “without,” refers to type without ser-ifs. There has been an ongoing debate over which is easier to read, serif or sans-serif. But the best way to determine which is the most appropriate typeface to use ispractical application, pastexperience and youraudience.

Sorry, got a little "wordy" … again. I'll have to do artwork next time. In the meantime, wish me luck as I install Adobe CS5.



You VersusThe Economy

by Joe Bonura

ROCKY, ROCKY, ROCKYDoes the present state of the economy have you feeling like Rocky Balboa af-ter his first match with Apollo Creed? Do you get an empty feeling in your stomach every time you fill up your car’s gas tank? Do you wish that you could close your eyes and wake up when it’s all over?

DON’T JOIN THE CLUBMany sales people feel that way in these turbulent times. The question is, “What are you going to do about it?” Wringing your hands and mumbling to yourself will not change anything. The government will not change any-thing. The economy will not change anything. There is a sales group out there who belong to the “Chicken Little Club.” Don’t join the club. (click or copy and paste this link to see my article on Chicken Little: http://www.bonura.com/articles.html)

YOU, YOU, YOUThe only thing that can change any-thing is you. That’s right, YOU! When times are bad, it is time for YOU to be good, not just good, but great. Are

you stuck on ready, set? In a race, the starter says, ready, set, go. Most people get stuck on ready, set. They don’t GO.

JUST DO ITNike had an answer for all of those stuck on ready, set. In my opinion, it was their best commercial ever . . . “Just Do It!” Stop sitting around feel-ing sorry for yourself, and stop waiting for someone else to get the ball rolling. Rock and Roll your own ball. Just keep in mind that when times are tough, the tough get going, and the competition falls by the wayside, losing to those who are out there making things hap-pen.

PICK IT UPTake a look at your client list today, and pick up the phone and start call-ing. Use the “magic pointer” system: Put your finger on the page and pick a number, any number. Give them a call. When you hang up the phone, pick it up again and dial again, and again, and again. Before you know it, you will be in the calling mode, instead of the cry-ing mode. Leave the tears to the com-petition.

YOUR WORST ENEMY

The only thing that hinders your success is You. Step aside and move yourself to the next level. The car-toon character Pogo said, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” You can change your results by changing your actions. Actions do speak louder than words. Stop feeding yourself negative thoughts, and you will open the door to success, in spite of a poor economy.

FILL IT UPRather than concern yourself with the cost of gasoline, simply earn more money so that you can afford the gas, and not worry about the cost. The key to making more money is making more sales calls. I have experienced many so-called slow periods, and at the same time, I have had some of my best years in those economically poor years. Why do you suppose? Because the playing field is narrowed, and there are fewer proactive sales people in the competition.

READY OR NOTAre you ready, or not? It is up to You. There is only one vital alternative, and that is to take action. I can still see Rocky, after his tenth knock-down, taunting Apollo to continue fighting. Get off the mat now. Pick up the phone now. Make some sales calls now! What are you waiting for? Take the fight to the economy; don’t let the economy take the fight to you.

© 2008-2009 Joe Bonura & Associates, Inc.

2011

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Here is an article you can use to help your advertisers understand that while dailies and paid newspapers may be in a downward spiral, free community papers are thriving. We offer many advantages over the paid competitors. Read on to see why.

by Jane Switzer

In Fact, for Some Businesses, It’s Actually a Less Competitive Environment Today.

HERE’S A CONTRARIAN STRATEGY YOU CAN PROFIT

FROM…I’ve always been a fan of newspaper advertising, so when I sat down to write this — lo and behold, I was surprised at the negative comments newspaper and other print advertising is getting from the small business community these days.

It doesn’t work, they’re saying. I’m doing all my advertising on Craigslist for free, others claim. Print is dead, many

advertisers opine.

But even though newspaper subscribership is down and advertising in major metro papers has followed suit, smart advertisers are using these facts to their advantage. For one thing, with fewer ads appearing in newspapers, the ones that DO appear are much more effective — either because there’s little competition in that business category or there are simply fewer ads on the page.

And if you own a business that serves a local market (versus a national or international clientele), it’s quite possible your ideal customers are STILL reading one or more of your local newspapers regularly.

WHO MIGHT THESE POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS BE?

• Seniors, retirees and pensioners for whom the Internet is not a familiar tool or who may not have Internet access

• Middle-income households who still read their local newspaper for local news and junior sports

• Readers of specialty newspapers (called “nichepapers”) such as new age journals, business journals, food & wine guides, home improvement periodicals and more

In fact, the growth of niche papers is so promising that MediaNews Group (owners of the Oakland Tribune, Los Angeles Daily News, El Paso Times and 54 other papers) has grown its niche business to more than 240 different titles, with distribution in excess of 7 million (News & Tech, January 2010). Other newspaper groups are following suit with niche papers created for unique local populations. The Gazette of Colorado Springs — home to five military installations — publishes Welcome Home for military families, while the Chicago Tribune publishes more than a dozen niche papers dedicated to home improvement, food & wine,

Contrary to Popular Belief, Print Advertising Still works

continued on page 8



SAPA Annual Conference: Birmingham, AL July 15 & 16, 2011: SAPA always has the best conferences in the industry. Next year’s conference at the Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama will be no exception. Great speakers, enjoyable time to mingle with your publishing friends, and opportunities to network

Conference Schedulesmake this conference another “must-attend” event. The Wynfrey Hotel adjoins a huge shopping experience so you might want to plan an extra day or two. Now, more than ever, you’ll benefit from attending this upcoming conference. Call Douglas Fry at 1-800-334-0649 for more info.

AFCP/CPF Annual Conference: St. Petersburg Beach, FL May 5-7, 2011. AFCP and the Community Papers of Florida team up to present another HUGE joint conference May 5-7, 2011 at the beautiful Tradewinds Resort on St. Pete Beach. If you can’t make the SAPA Conference in Birmingham on July 15 & 16, 2011 this would be a close second.

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The guy says, “When you work where I work, by the time you get home it’s late. You’ve got to have a bite to eat, watch a little TV, relax, and get to bed. You can’t sit up half the night planning, planning, planning.” And he’s the same guy who’s behind on his car payment.

Jim Rohn

Everybody says they want to be free. Take the train off the tracks and it’s free - but it can’t go anywhere..

Zig Ziglar

Contrary to Popular Belief, Print Advertising Still worksentertainment and more. (News & Tech, June 2010)

Most importantly for our purposes, however, these smaller niche papers offer lower cost advertising rates especially to help local businesses.

If you’ve never tried newspaper advertising and believe it could help you reach your local market, here are some tips for generating the most new business from your advertising dollar…

HOW TO USE NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING TO YOUR

ADVANTAGE• Run spec i f i c o f f e r s i n your advertisements. Standard phrases like We have low prices or We deliver great service or Serving the community for 30 years no longer work with newspaper readers. They want to know what you can do for them. Replace these tired platitudes with specific offers like: We’ll sell you a top-of-the-line air conditioning unit for just $3,285 including a 5-year-writen warranty and free replacement filters for as long as you own your home. Being specific about your offers will boost your ad’s response.

• Use newspaper advertising to generate

an interest list before you open your business or before you launch a new product or service. I once knew a business owner who was planning a move across country, but wanted to see if he could restart his business in his new town. He spent a little money 6-8 months prior to moving to test the market and generate prospective new clients who would immediately help him launch his business when he arrived. The campaign was so successful, he confidently moved across country and was able to earn money from new clients even before he could get his new office up and running. The pre-sold clients were even the source of the cash-flow necessary to start-up again in his new locale.

• Negotiate lower rates as a first-time or frequent advertiser. If you’re advertising for the first time, you can easily argue that you need a reduced rate to “test” the newspaper’s effectiveness as an advertising medium. If you’re a frequent advertiser, you can still argue for a lower rate by requesting that your ad sales rep find you remnant space in specific sections of the paper on specific days. They will often accommodate you rather than lose your account.

• Run ads in regional editions to target

your local neighborhoods. If customers would never drive across town to shop at your store or use your services, why advertise that far away? Most newspapers offer reduced ad rates in regional or neighborhood editions. For instance, the Seattle Times charges $4,284 for an ad that’s 3 columns wide by 6 inches high. Yet the same 3×6 ad in the Times’ south-region edition costs just $948.



POSTAL PROMOTIONS PROPOSED

In April the Postal Service filed two cases with the PRC seeking approval to do two unique incentive programs. The first proposal, and one that may stimulate interest and opportunity for free publishers that mail, is the Postal Service’s proposal to offer an up-front, 3% discount for first class and standard mail letters and flats that include a mobile barcode that can be read or scanned by a smart phone inside or on the mail piece. The program is designed to be a marketing tool to highlight the integration of direct mail with mobile technology. To qualify for the program, mailers would need to meet the following conditions:

Mail pieces would have to be first class mail pre-sort letters or flats or standard-mail commercial letters or flats. (Non-profits are not eligible)

The mail piece must include a two-dimensional mobile barcode that links to a verifiable marketing site. (Barcodes used for postage, addressing, or similar purposes do not qualify.)

The pieces must be sent with postage paid using a permit imprint and submitted electronically using Mail.dat or Mail.XML to qualify for the discount. Postal Wizard can be used for mailings that do not exceed 9,999 pieces.

The mobile barcode promotion must be affirmatively claimed on the “incentive claimed” line in the certification section of the postage statement.

If approved, the promotion will run from July 1, 2011 through August 31, 2011.

The PRC decision on the case is expected

before the end of May.

During a recent meeting of the SMC Steering Committee, SMC’s counsel briefed the group on the promotion. He pointed out that the rules for the promotion provide that the barcode may not be used on a DAL, but could be on the accompanying piece. Another limit in the program is the requirement that a mailer cannot receive multiple incentives on the same mailing. Except for the IMB full-service discount, only one incentive per mail piece, per postage statement, can apply. This means that mailers participating in the high density or saturation volume incentive could not also claim a discount for the barcode. Counsel urged SMC members that were not expecting to get a credit from the saturation/high volume incentive, to look closely at this promotion. It is an opportunity for an up-front 3% discount.

During a recent briefing with the Postal Service, Gary Reblin, Vice President Domestic Products, told Association Executives about the Postal Service’s thinking on the mobile barcode program. The idea is proposed as an initial test to determine mailer and customer response. The Postal Service has been seeking to do promotions that will be easier, allow an up-front incentive as opposed to a back-end credit, and could be available to a large group of mailers. If successful, Reblin stated that the Postal Service would consider expanding ideas like this into other products. He stated that the Postal Service wanted to stimulate excitement in the mail and reward innovative customers and marketing.

The USPS also submitted a market test to the Postal Regulatory Commission that it

called its “Mail Works Guarantee.” The Postal Service described a test it wants to offer to 16 companies that are identified in Advertising Age Magazine as spending more than $250M a year on advertising but doing a very small portion of mail. The Postal Service proposes to offer these unnamed companies a postage-back guarantee to test response to marketing promotions sent by first class mail and standard mail. If approved, the test would begin sometime after May 16, 2011.

The Postal Service described its test as something that would be made-to-order for each mailer. The Postal Service stated it would develop individualized measurement for return on investment and response for each advertiser. To participate, a mailer would need to mail a minimum of 500,000 up to 1 million pieces by first class mail or standard mail. The Postal Service would provide assistance in designing the campaign for the market test as well as how to benchmark and measure response.

If the direct mail campaign does not meet the campaign goals, to be verified by a Postal Service representative, the Postal Service would refund postage paid during the market test up to a total of $250,000, in the form of a credit to the companies’ postal account. Production, print, or other non-postal costs for the campaign would not be refundable. If approved, the tests would continue for as long as two years.

Donna E. Hanbery, Executive DirectorSaturation Mailers Coalition

33 South Sixth Street, Suite 4040Minneapolis, MN 55402

(612) 340-9350 Direct Line(612) 340-9446 Fax

[email protected]

USPS Update



Publishing

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Birmingham, AL

July 15 & 16, 2011

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Southeastern AdvertisingPublishers Association

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2011 May

Documents

Transcript of 2011 May