2014 USPS Postal Promotions
Rob Nowak
Agenda
•
Why USPS continues these promotions?
•
Why would you want to participate?
•
2014 USPS Promotion Calendar
•
Promotion Details
•
Examples
•
Steps to Success
Why Offer Incentive Programs?
Post Office
Dire financial position
•
Mail Volume Decline: 25% from 2007
to 2012
Loosing Money
•
Revenue Down $10B (13%) from '07
to '12
•
$41B of Net Losses
•
In FY2012, the USPS reached its $15
billion statutory debt limit.
Why Should you Participate?
•
Save Money on postage
•
Provides an opportunity to test technology at
the expense of the post office
Can you identify a Mobile Optimized
Website?
Source: http://www.viedigital.com/news/blog/mobile-optimised-websites-are-the-way-forward-for-your-business.htm
Holding your finger down invokes the copy-and-paste
function rather than creating a hover state.
• To encourage marketers to move beyond basic QR code and develop mailpieces that add marketing and creative value and encourage mobile engagement.
– A discount on Standard Mail and commercial First-Class Mail letters, cards and flats containing a creative QR Code or digital image
recognition.
– Move beyond black& white & boring….A creative QR code must be functional and incorporate at least one of the following:
• A: 2 or more colors set against a background
• B: a trademark or graphic
– Potentially include other non-visible mobile technology that including:
• Image recognition technology
• Watermarks
• Standard (B&W) QR codes would not be eligible
Branded Color Mobile Technology
Branded Color Mobile
•
Steps for Success
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Must have a mobile optimized website
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Google “branded qr code generator”
• Generate QR code
–
Place QR code on any page in your catalog
• Link QR code back to your mobile optimized website
• Add directional copy next to code
•
Encourage USPS customers to continue to provide
Business Reply Mail® (BRM) and Courtesy Reply Mail™
(CRM) as options for consumers to communicate with
them.
– Similar to the 2013 Earned Value Reply Mail promotion.
– Mailers who BRM and CRM enclosures will earn a rebate credit when the reply pieces are returned.
– Reply pieces are scanned and counted during regular mail processing.
– Mailers select a permit account and rebate credits can be redeemed for postage for future mailings on this permit.
Earned Value Reply
Earned Value Reply
•
Steps for success
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Must have a BRC/CRC
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Only returned cards get counted
• $0.02/return
Mail and Digital Personalization
• Both the mailpiece and PURL/website must be personalized to qualify for this promotion (variables may include: name, birthday, custom offer or different envelope, etc).
• The website or landing page must correspond to the
physical mailpiece and enhance the overall experience for the consumer.
• Mobile optimized landing page is required.
• Either an URL or mobile technology (watermark, AR, QR, etc.) can be used.
• Must have a unique url that enables the mailer the ability to track and monitor individual mail recipient response and web activity
Mail and Digital Personalization
•
Steps for success
–
Must have a mobile optimized landing page
• Requirements don’t call for a fully functional site
–
Must use a PURL
• Personalized QR codes
• Personalized URL address
• Placed any page
–
Add directional copy next to
code/url
•
Similar to the 2013 Emerging Technology
Promotion
(Other potential technologies still
being considered).
•
Potential existing or new technologies to
highlight are:
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Augmented Reality
–
Image Recognition
–
Watermarks
–
New paper/printing technologies
–
Mobile payment technologies (NFC, mobile wallets,
etc)
Emerging Technology featuring NFC
Promotion
(Aug-Sept)Augment Page(s) - How it Works!
• Upload final print-ready PDF to Dingley
• Dingley Scans page(s) - Image recognition used to uniquely ID page(s)
• Add page to database
• Every time the page is viewed using the Layar app it finds your unique page, then overlays the
content you selected
Key Features
• Call Us Now Original Page
Key Features
• YouTube video Original Page
Key Features
• YouTube video
• Image Carousel
Original Page
Key Features
• Two Videos
• Like us on Facebook
• Click to Call
Original Page
Key Features
• Like Us on Facebook
• YouTube video page
• Follow on Twitter
• Call Us Now
• Visit our Website
Original Page
Emerging Technology
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Steps for success
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Must have a mobile optimized website
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Must use image technology such as AR, or NFC
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Can be on any page in your catalog
• Add directional copy next to code
•
Encourage holiday shopping by encouraging
marketers and retailers to
utilize state of the
art mobile purchasing technology with direct
and catalogs to facilitate purchases.
–
Leverage current relevant technology (mobile
barcodes, NFC, mobile wallets, etc.)
Mail Drives Mobile Commerce
Promotion
Mail Drives Mobile
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Steps for success
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Must have a mobile optimized website
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Generate a QR Code
–
Place on any page in your catalog
• Link QR code back to your website
• Add directional copy next to code
Postal Updates
Earned Value Promotion
−Requirements posted on RIBBS
−Registration opens February 15
−Questions can be sent to:
[email protected]Mail and Digital Personalization Promotion
−Requirements posted on RIBBS
−Registration opens March 15
Postal Updates
Emerging Technology Promotion
−Requirements posted by end of January (
not posted yet
)
−NFC and other “non-app” driven technology focus
−Potentially expanding promotion to include “Enhanced”
Augmented Reality
Continuing to define these parameters/requirements
Mail Drives Mobile Commerce Promotion
−Requirements posted early February (
not posted yet
)
−Further definitions of “enhanced mobile purchasing”
requirement (# of clicks/time to complete purchase)
Key Points
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Technology and Mail working together
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USPS is supplementing Tech testing
•
Don’t forget to register
•
Promotion Requirements still changing
Q&A
Rob Nowak
[email protected] www.dingley.com
443-852-4949
Email: [email protected]
Fax: 202-268-0238
Mail:
US Postal Service Post Office Box 23282 Washington, DC 20026-3282
Web:
https://ribbs.usps.gov/mobilebar code
