| Title: | Why Is The USPS Mailing Beer Coasters To Help The Environment? |
| URL: | http://www.rimmkaufman.com/rkgblog/2008/05/27/usps-beer-coasters/ |
| Printed: | October 12, 2008 |
| Source: | The Rimm-Kaufman Group Blog, info@rimmkaufman.com |
- May 27, 2008
- 2 comments
As a future environmailist™[sic], please tell us a few things about yourself so we can make our list a little greener.
– USPS, www.mailgreener.com
Anyone else find irony in the USPS sending a bulky direct mail piece on “how to make direct mail more environmentally friendly”?
Errrr… how about “mailers: send less unsolicited mail”? Funny USPS didn’t mention that one…
Here’s the envelope that came today:
The package: heavy paper envelope and thick BRC. The paper is 30% post-consumer-waste, but it is still pretty darn thick.
Regardless of your politics, would you wear would wear an “en•vi•ron•mail•ist” t-shirt? If you want one, get yours online here. Organic cotton. Free. Which begs the larger question: why is the USPS spending revenue on t-shirt give-aways?
I also wonder: does the USPS pay postage, or do they mail free?
And finally, the most befuddling part:
What’s the marketing idea behind sending me beer coasters?
Yep, that’s right. The mailing includes four beer coasters.
Jack Potter assumes mailers are handling the postage hikes by drowning their sorrows at the office? You got me.
USPS direct mail often leaves me a bit befuddled, and this piece doesn’t disappoint.
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On top of that, the reply card did not have a place to indicate shirt size! Does the USPS really think one size fits everyone, male and female?
With the green movement growing at such a rapid pace, it is my belief that the USPS is making an effort to be more publically ‘green’. I think there is a misconception that hard copy mail is a huge problem environmentally. My understanding is that it is not as big as some believe- cars and computers are actually causing more environmental problems than direct mail.
As to the sending less unwanted mail, well I believe that is actually happening in the private sector where concerns about the environment as well as annual postage increases are causing marketing professionals to do better targeting of prospects and reducing the volume of mail that they send.
As a bonus, better targeting pulls better results!
Now, I don’t know if the USPS itself is doing this targeting as well as the private sector (maybe that whole “paying your own postage” thing is the culprit in this after all!).
Anyway, this USPS campaign piece may seem a little ‘tacky’ but I think I understand where they are coming from.
Bob