Think Outside the Mailbox
There was very little protest on May 14, 2007, when the United States Postal Service increased postage rates to 41 cents for first class standard letters — which may mean that no one is sending mail anymore.
Not true, says the USPS. In fact, mail is thriving, according to a recent direct mail seminar in San Francisco that was part of the Printing Industry of Northern California’s annual conference and trade show. The speaker, Carlton Shufflebarger, works in direct mail project management for the USPS headquarters in Washington, DC. Its mission is to figure out how to enhance mail as an advertising vehicle.
The audience tittered every time Shufflebarger mentioned the “Mail Moment — that very Sacred Moment,” when you interact with your mail. But soon we realized he wasn’t kidding. For a lot of folks, the Mail Moment may just be the most exciting Moment of the day, and it’s serious business to the postal service, which continually analyzes how to make it better.
In fact, its research shows that each household has a CEO of the mail. The CEO is the same person who manages the household and makes household purchases. As CEO of the mail, he/she brings the mail in, sorts it, and delivers it to the right person. This news caused one curious attendee to ask, “If you’re not the CEO of the mail, can you still have that Sacred Moment?”
We were assured that you can. Only a few years ago, there was concern that mail was obsolete, much like the stagecoach or the covered wagon. And some parts of the business have been clearly affected by the technology that created e-mail and online bill paying. But as far as advertising mail goes, traditional hard copy mail is still very relevant.
Think Outside the Rectangle
Direct mail research supports the simple fact that an interesting mail piece causes people to open it. So, the USPS has created a new option in standard mail: the uniquely shaped mail piece that can be delivered to targeted customers without an envelope.
“The postal service is a very rectangular organization,” said Shufflebarger. “This was a real change for our culture to accept mail in any shape. I had a conversation with someone in our engineering group one day and he was baffled. ‘How could we process this mail?’ he asked. ‘We need rectangles.'”
But the USPS was determined to proceed, knowing that unusual-shaped mail has the ability to launch new products, announce events, generate brand awareness, and drive business. Without needing an envelope, an interesting shape can create an impact and encourage a response.
Shaped Mail Guidelines
Within the following guidelines from the USPS, you can design a multitude of shapes to create greater impact and novelty for your client:
- Weight: 3.3 ounces maximum
- Size: 3 1/2 to 12 inches high, 5 to 15 inches long
- Shape: rectangular, nonrectangular, irregular. No sharp or pointed edges
- Thickness: need not be uniform, but no less than .007 at the thinnest point and 3/4 inch at the thickest, including attachments
- Coupons, premium offers, and attached items may be added, as long as they’re not more than 3/4 inch thick
- Price: Cost per piece is 46 cents. The standard nonprofit rate is 33.4 cents
Innovative Projects
By being flexible and creative in design, you can present a message in a unique manner that stands apart from the rest of the mail and attracts attention. The particular shape may be a statement in itself, like a beautiful Mardi Gras mask promoting a casino with die cut holes for eyes. It was considered the first wearable mail by the USPS.
Cutouts, attachments, pockets, coupons, magnets, and perforations are all possible options with shaped mail. Krispy Kreme Donuts in Orange County, CA, was the first company to utilize the new advertising, with their shaped mail piece promoting a dozen donuts. The company offered a second dozen donuts for a dime, if the customer brought the mail piece into the store. The response rate was 11 percent. It would have been even higher, but research found that people wanted to keep the mail piece instead of trade it in for donuts.
Another successful mail piece promoted a hospital in Australia in the shape of two feet wrapped in bandages. A perforated ID card was attached for emergency information that could be filled out, torn off, and put in a wallet.
Attachments added value to the bottle-shaped mail piece from Gatorade that was so successful, the company repeated it with variations three times. As part of a national campaign, they targeted their new energy drink, Propel, to women who subscribed to an exercise magazine. Using multi-layered tiers with a wafer seal, their intent was to gain brand awareness for the new product with a tear-off coupon for a free bottle of Propel.
More Options in Development
At press time, unique mail in irregular shapes can’t be processed automatically. It can’t be drop-shipped and must be taken to the delivery unit for mailing. Other options, such as a triangle or an ellipse, are being tested to see if they can be presorted and processed like other automated mail for less expense. These simple shapes are expected to be available for creative direct mail by the end of 2007.
The USPS Web site for Direct Mail can give you the tools and resources to help you launch your own advertising campaign to target your current and potential customers. For more information, go to www.usps.com/directmail or www.usps.com/customizedmarketmail.
This article was last modified on January 10, 2022
This article was first published on May 25, 2007
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