The Intelligent Mail Barcode For Dummies
This is a sad day for me in some ways as it will be my last blog post for Going Postal and fmi as I am leaving the company having accepted a position at another.
I wanted this last post to be somewhat of a handoff as I pass the proverbial baton to Erik Formica, who will be posting here (along with others) going forward.
For my last post I wanted to do some educational and I know a very hot topic right now in the direct mail marketing world is the Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB), something I know very little about, yes I would be the dummy in question.
So I thought what better way to transition to Erik than by interviewing him on this very topic. See, Erik not only works for fmi, he is also on the Board of the Postal Customer Council and is a certified mail piece design professional. He also sits on the board of the Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association (PDMA). 
SO: Help someone who is clueless, like me, understand just what the IMB is and why it’s important.
EF: First off, the IMB should not be feared, it’s just a barcode like any other barcode. It contains additional information that the current barcode does not. This additional information is what makes the IMB important. It gives mailers the ability to encode specific services such as address change service, and Confirm service which allows mailers to track every single mail piece down to the local post office.
The other reason it’s important is it’s the only barcode accepted for mailers to receive automation discounts come May, 2011.
SO: So a mailer can continue to use the current barcode after May, 2001 if they so choose?
EF: Yes. But they will not be able to receive any of the automation discounts they could previously. There is no really advantage to keep using the current barcode after May, 2011.
SO: So what’s a mailer’s first step in implementing the IMB?
EF: One place to find everything you need to know about the IMB is the Rapid Information Bulletin Board service (RIBBs) provided by the USPS. You’ll find information on Intelligent Mail Barcode Specifications, Online Encoder and Decoder information, Encoder Software and Fonts and much more.
SO: Ok, so from a mailer’s perspective the IMB makes complete sense. How about from a marketing perspective?
EF: There are two distinct advantages. Number 1, the IMB will free up what we call “mail piece real estate” which in layman’s terms means you can add more design elements to your direct mail piece than in the past.
The second advantage comes in the form of tracking and having the mail talk back to you. What I mean by that is you will be able to track every individual piece as it arrives at the post office nearest to the intended recipient.
SO: Under the current barcode, that’s not available?
EF: It is but right now you also have to add various codes to go along with the address in order to track to that level. These additional codes take up that valuable real estate I mentioned previously. The IMB leaves you with a much cleaner looking piece from an aesthetic standpoint while maintaining the functionality of the piece itself.
SO: Are there any other advantages from a marketing standpoint?
EF: Yes. Using the IMB will allow marketers to set up automated triggered events. For example, once a mail piece is scanned for actual delivery, that can trigger an event such as an automated email to arrive in the recipient’s in-box. That email can be nothing more than a “be on the lookout” type message which will allow marketers another opportunity to communicate with their audience.
SO: Thanks Erik. Even a dolt like me could understand that. Where else can people get help when it comes to the IMB?
EF: I’d be glad to help anyone who needs help understanding the IMB. People can call me directly at 215-464-011 or via email at eformica@fmidm.com.
An appreciation of mail boxes
By now you know we at fmi marketing solutions believe in the power of Direct Mail….
Our blog post titles alone will tell you that:
- Feeling Is Believing – Direct Mail Out Emotions Digital
- Once more with feeling, Direct Mail is here to stay!
- Why Direct Mail Will Always Be In Style
So, you KNOW we are big proponents of Direct Mail.
But we thought why not show our appreciation for those spaces, those areas which are used as weigh-stations in matter of speaking to house the mail until it’s ready to be picked up by intended’s recipient, AKA the mailbox.
There are some truly creative and fascinating mailboxes adorning our city streets and country roads and we figured it was high time to show some love to the old standby, the mailbox…
Some folks like to keep it simple and enhance the classic look…
Others like to get a little creative…
These are just a few of the odd, crazy and bizarre mailboxes out there… we KNOW there’s more and we want to see them.
Send us a picture of your wild and crazy mailbox and we’ll post them right here in a future blog post.
Thank you!
Feeling Is Believing – Direct Mail Out Emotions Digital
Seems as if the operative word in my last post Once more with feeling, Direct Mail is here to stay!
… was the word “feeling”…
As reported on neurosciencemarketing.com…
A study was done by branding agency Millward Brown called “Using Neuroscience to Understand the Role of Direct Mail.”
The research project used fMRI brain scans to show that our brains process paper-based and digital marketing in different ways, and in particular that paper ads caused more emotional processing.
As per the study itself…
Some of our key findings were:
- Tangible materials leave a deeper footprint in the brain Note: This is not just because the physical materials stimulate both sight and touch; the subtraction of brain signals from the scrambled ma
terials accounts for this. - Material shown on cards generated more activity within the area of the brain associated with the integration
of visual and spatial information (the left and right parietal). - This suggests that physical material is more “real” to the brain. It has a meaning, and a place. It is better connected to memory because it engages with its spatial memory networks.
- Physical materials produced more brain responses connected with internal feelings, suggesting greater “internalization” of the ads
- The brain’s “default network” appeared to remain more active when viewing direct mail. Activity in this brain network has been associated with a greater focus on a person’s internal emotional response to outside stimuli. This suggests that the individuals were relating information to their own thoughts and feelings.
Here’s the full article which also includes a link to the study itself which is available in PDF form.
My take on all of this…
First off, I don’t think it’s very surprising to hear of these findings. I have always held the belief that direct mail will always play a key role in ANY advertising/marketing campaign. People will always want to hold something in their hands when it comes to advertising.
It’s akin to a newspaper – which I don’t think will ever go away, either.
That being said, it would be wrong for those in the direct mail world to shout “See, I told you! Direct Mail rocks and it’s all you need!”
Um, no…
Be it 20 years ago, 10 years ago or in today’s Social Media/Digitally crazed world, the smart marketer/advertiser will know it’s best to mix things up, to never rely on just one medium to get your message across.
So what do you think?
Do you think it best to mix things up, to use multiple mediums to reach your target audience INCLUDING direct mail?
Do you think direct mail is dead? It’s ok if you do, you’re not alone.
Do you think it best to ONLY use direct mail? It’s ok if you do, you’re not alone.
Sources:
neurosciencemarketing.com
Millward Brown Case Study – “Using Neuroscience to Understand the Role of Direct Mail”
Once more with feeling, Direct Mail is here to stay!
You know the old expression, “talk til your blue in the face?”
Well this is how I feel right now…
I’ve written in this very forum the following posts..
Direct Mail Alive And Kicking…
Why Direct Mail Will Always Be In Style
Apparently shock waves are again abounding as according to a recent presentation for the Direct Marketing Association, Winterberry Group said that:
- From 2007 through 2009, spending on several categories of digital marketing grew at compound annual growth rates that exceeded 10%
- Over the same period, spending on direct mail fell at an annual rate of 10.7%, and spending on print advertising declined by almost 20% per year
- For 2011, Winterberry Group expects spending on digital marketing to increase about 21% compared to 2010, while spending on direct mail might be up 1-4%
Then there’s this from a Forrester Research survey…
- 60% of marketers said they would fund increases in their digital marketing budget by taking money from traditional marketing programs
- 40% of the survey respondents said they expect to cut direct mail spending
Many believe that the move away from direct mail reflects a growing belief that digital marketing methods are essential to creating engagement with today’s Internet-savvy prospects. It is also based on the perception that direct mail has somehow become a less effective and efficient marketing tool.
Hogwash!
Go back and read the two aforementioned posts and then come back and tell me you still think Direct Mail will go away completely.
It won’t!
They key will be integration… a mix of traditional media and digital media.
So, please for once and for all… can we stop with the “Direct Mail is Dead!” cries…
USPS Helps To Protect Against Fraud
A lot of us are quick to come down on the United States Postal Service – multi billion dollar losses from one quarter to the next will cause some to (myself included) to call them on the proverbial carpet.
Today I want to share something good the USPS is doing. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is mailing brochures to every household in the country with information on the warning signs of fraud. 
Every day, con artists try to victimize millions of American consumers. That’s why postal inspectors — also working with the Federal Trade Commission — want to educate the public.
- Keep a record of all financial offers including ALL direct mail and envelopes. And always get guarantees in writing before acting on any offer
- Never give out your credit card information or bank account information unless you are absolutely sure of who you are dealing with and what exactly you will be receiving
- Never act impulsively to high pressure sales tactics. Take time to think everything over; get advice from trusted family members & friends. If the person on the other end won’t allow you sufficient time to think things over, walk away…
- Ask for call-back numbers and names. Any respectable company will provide this information to you to allow you to think things over and call back with any questions; if they don’t, walk away
If you believe you’ve been targeted by mail fraud, report it online to Postal Inspectors using the Mail Fraud Complaint form, or call Postal Inspectors at 1-877-876-2455. In addition you can report a foreign lottery scam to the Federal Trade Commission by calling 1-877-382-4357 or going to www.ftc.gov.
Here are some more helpful links to help you protect yourself against mail identity theft and mail fraud:
Mail Fraud And How To Protect Yourself
7 Tips to Protect Yourself Against Mail Identity Theft & Fraud
USPS among brands Americans most attached to… and your point?
Did you hear the great news?!?!?!
The United States Postal Service, the USPS to you and me, ranked in the Top 15 of brands consumers are most attached to…
The survey, conducted by NewMediaMetrics, asked 3,500 Americans ages 13-54 with annual income of at least $35,000 earlier this year what brands they are most attracted to… not sure how many Americans aged 13 make at least $35,000 but, let’s not get bogged down on facts now shall we?
The fact remains that the USPS outranked, outscored, whatever the following brands…
- BMW & Toyota (not really surprised they beat out Toyota are we?)
- Walmart
- Target
- Southwest Airlines
- Nike
- Microsoft
- And so on…
Here”s the Top 15…
And of course the folks at the USPS were all giddy over the results…
“The most interesting aspect of this survey is it names brands that consumers say they are the least willing to give up,” said Kent Smith, manager, USPS Strategic Business Planning. “Considering that this was an online survey that included people as young as 13, we may still have opportunities to strengthen our connections with these market segments.”
Now I’m sure Mr. Smith is well intended in his remarks and he is, rightfully so, excited about the findings but let’s keep things in perspective please…
“…it names brands that consumers say they are the least willing to give up.”
Yes, that is true BUT of course they are least willing to give up the USPS because what’s the alternative?!?!?!?
UPS?
No and no…
If you want to mail a letter – you do remember how to send a letter yes? Not a text. Not an IM. Not an email. But a letter or a greeting card, who you gonna call?
The United States Postal Service because there is no other option!
Company X wants to do a mass direct mail campaign to hundreds of thousands of people… who they gonna call?
The United States Postal Service because there is no other option!
So, if you ask us what we’re “least likely to give up” what do you think we’re going to say?!?!?!
Revel in your glory Mr. and Mrs. USPS… but the rest of us know the real truth.
In the past three years, the USPS has lost $12 billion and is expected to lose about $7 billion this year.
The USPS is a monopoly, plain and simple…
Are you attached to the USPS, emotionally or otherwise?
Positively or negatively?
Can the USPS be saved?
Came across this posting the other day on DMNews.com entitled: “How to save the US Postal Service”…
And it got me to thinking – always a dangerous proposition I assure you. But I got to thinking whether the United States Postal Service can actually and truly be saved or… 
- Should they hand it over to the employees as Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) wants?
- Tell the the government to get out of the way and do away with antiquated postal monopoly laws?
- Is it time to end the monopoly, to deregulate and privatize the mail delivery in the US?
So I do what I always do and love to do and that is pose this query to the massive Linked In audience to get their thoughts…
Here’s some of the responses I’ve received:
- Privatizing won’t work… Never does… The USPS is actually starting to compete with UPS and FedEx with some very competitive shipping deals… Given time, other aspects of mail service will also change in relationship to the competition…
- UPS, FedEx, and other private mail delivery companies seem to be doing quite well, in spite of “the antiquated postal monopoly laws” to which you refer. If postal service were to be privatized, I shudder to think what would happen to delivery prices and service. (Hint: prices will not decrease.) I do not subscribe to the view that government is always by definition, evil, inefficient, and destroys freedom. Yes, the USPS can be, and should be saved. And if the direct mail industry must pay higher postal rates, then that’s the cost of doing business — no matter how much they might whine about it.
- It’s a double-edged sword. Allowing other companies to deliver mail might well allow competitive prices to develop. That’s a good thing. But this will also lead to postal companies downsizing and firing workers to keep down the costs.
- Like any government run agency, it could stand a good overhaul. But there are numerous options for people available besides the USPS that I hardly consider it a monopoly.
- Saved from what? Why is it bad if people find other avenues and it gets downsized and/or prices raised.
- First of all, saved from what? The USPS actually works. The postal monopoly is essentially a way for people who live in large cities to do something nice for people who live in small towns. Personally, I think it is an impressive display of social solidarity. Dismantling it would be, well, mean to a lot of people.
- Many view the USPS with a great deal of disdain. Wait times, customer service and postal rate increases continue to be distressing topics for most customers. They would benefit greatly from a new management philosophy that focused on the customer’s needs.
- The United States can look north of the 49th Parallel to see a postal system that works. Changes of address in Canada cost money: a minimum of $39 for 6 months in the same province, and much higher for elsewhere — not free as in the US. Will this work in the US? No, not without the elimination of Congress’ interference at the littlest generated amount of public and business whining.
- Their employees need to have an attitude adjustment.
You can share your thoughts by responding to the Linked In question directly or share your thoughts, comments, etc in this forum.
Curious to see if you think the USPS can be saved and if it should be in the first place…
Direct Mail More Effective Than Email In Online Giving
You probably already know about the survey conducted by ICOM, a division of Epsilon Targeting which revealed that North American consumers in the 18-34 year-old demographic prefer to learn about marketing offers via postal mail and newspapers rather than online sources such as social media platforms.
But did you also know that Direct Mail is more effective than email in online giving, particularly among the same age demographic? 
Research firm Campbell Rinker revealed that 1 in 3 donors (37 percent) who give online say that when they receive a direct mail appeal from a charity they use the charity’s website to give their donation and the younger the donor, the more likely they are to use a charity’s website to respond to a direct mail appeal.
In fact 50% of all Gen X or Y donors said they gave online as a result of receiving a direct mail piece vs. just 25% of baby boomers. Not surprisingly 75% of folks over age 65 prefer to give by mail vs. online.
Overall 14 percent said that a direct mail letter prompted them to give online versus only 6 percent who said an email prompted their online gift.
It was a fascinating study which also revealed…
- The higher the household income, the more likely the direct mail recipient was to donate online
- 15% of respondents overall said their online gift was prompted by being asked to give by someone through a social media site.
- The number skewed higher for this under for 40 as 24% said social media prompted them to give
- Compared to just 9% over 40 who were prompted by social media
- 20% of respondents say that their online giving was prompted via word of mouth
For his part, Rick Dunham, president and CEO of Dunham+Company. was quite taken aback by the findings:
“The purpose of this study was to try and understand what is driving online giving and how important offline communication is the source of increasing income to charity. What we found was quite surprising,” said Dunham. “Not only is offline communication important to driving online giving, it is actually much more important a catalyst to generating online gifts than we had anticipated.”
“It is remarkable to think that as much as one-third of the response to any given direct mail appeal could come via a charity’s website,” Dunham added.
Have you had any similar experience re: direct mail vs. email and online giving?
What were the results?
Are you planning any such campaigns and if so, will these findings sway your thinking at all?
Why Direct Mail Will Always Be In Style
In this very space I’ve written all about the demise of direct mail and how it’s grossly exaggerated…
Here’s some additional proof and reasons why direct mail will ALWAYS be in style:
#1. It’s more popular with the “younger generation” than you think… Research from ICOM’s 2010 study of North American consumers’ marketing communication channel preferences showed that the always coveted and desirable 18-34 year-old demographic prefers to learn about marketing offers via direct mail and newspapers rather than social media platforms.
#2. It’s the De Facto you… Neither rain, nor sleet and… well, you know the rest. But it’s all true. Direct Mail lets you put on your proverbial best face even when you can’t be face to face with your prospects and customers. 
#3. You can hit the moving target (Part 1)… Are your prospects and customers on Facebook? Twitter? YouTube? All or none of the above? The point is while social media is here to stay and should be a vital role in any campaign, the one place you can ALWAYS find your prospects and customers is their home.
#4. You can hit the moving target (Part 2)… With Direct Mail you can zero in on whom it is you want to be zeroed in on… say that 3 times fast. The point is you can target specifically by a psychographic, demographic, and geographic profile so that your message can go to who’s likely to be buy your product, service or ware
#5. Let’s get physical… Direct Mail allows the recipient to get all touchy and feely, if they want to of course… all kidding aside, nothing will EVER replace the feeling being able to hold something in your hands and refer back to it time and again without having to enter a user name and password each time.
I could go on… but want to hear from you.
Tell me why YOU think direct mail will ALWAYS be in style…
Examples of Great Direct Mail…
Yes, I said Direct Mail…
You remember Direct Mail, don’t you? Poll 10 people “What is Direct Mail?” and I will bet you a cup of coffee… Starbucks Coffee that at LEAST 6 will respond with something along the lines of “Isn’t that the junk mail I get in my mailbox every day?”
For those in the know, we realize that Direct Mail remains a viable marketing tool, especially when used in conjunction with other tools such as email, social media, mobile ads and on and on and on…
So with that being said, I wanted to share some examples of what I think are truly great uses of Direct Mail. I already shared one with you last week about ADT and their agency’s phenomenal idea to use what some consider “scare tactics.”
Here’s a few more for your viewing and reading pleasure…
MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT…
(Christmas card based on a cash register receipt)
THE SOUNDS OF CREATIVITY…
(A very unique record player)
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME…
(A different way to offer home equity loans…)
DOCTOR, DOCTOR…
(Alumni weekend invitation)
As a point of full disclosure, the last example is one we created ourselves. It’s something we are very proud of because we took an otherwise staid and common occurrence – Alumni Weekend – and “personalized” it by addressing each doctor by (last) name on the front of the over sized postcard/invitation.
The results spoke for themselves as our client had the biggest turnout for Alumni Weekend in 10 years.
What do you think of the above examples?
Do you have any to share? Please do!
Do you think Direct Mail has and will always have a role in marketing/advertising?
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