Direct mail news from the UPU
Below is the latest newsletter produced by the Direct Mail Advisory Board of the Universal Postal Union
A DMAB Update
October 2008
I have received several messages over the last few months asking for news about the direct mail development activities of the Universal Postal Union. This year has been quite busy, with the UPU Congress in July and August as well as a number of other engagements. Here is an update of those activities.
1 The UPU Congress concluded successfully, with many decisions taken by UPU member countries that will shape the future of the organization. One of them was the continuation of the UPU Direct Mail Advisory Board (DMAB), under the new Postal Operations Council. The DMAB will, therefore, continue its successful work of fostering the growth of direct mail as a factor in economic and market expansion by increasing market knowledge and by developing the expertise of stakeholders at all levels. It will continue to promote the development of direct mail markets worldwide, in partnership with the industry.
2 Membership of the DMAB is open to postal operators and companies in the private sector, and the DMAB Assembly, at its meeting on 6 November 2008, will consider all applications received by that date. Therefore, if your company is not yet a postal or non-postal DMAB member, you can apply by filling out the form in the "What we do" section of our website (www.upu.int).
3 The next DMAB Assembly meeting will give participants the opportunity to discuss the topic: "What is the future of direct mail?". Despite the growth of electronic media and their impact on postal services, advertising mail is still a very powerful communications tool. A keynote speaker will be followed by the testimonies of two successful postal operators in the field. Participation in the DMAB Assembly meeting is by invitation only.
4 The DMAB, with the invaluable support of Australia Post, held a very successful seminar in Sydneyin June, aimed at assisting in developing the direct mail market in the Asia-Pacific region. Participation was excellent, with postal professionals from Australia Post, Bhutan Post, Brazil Post (DMAB Chair), Deutsche Post/DHL, Hongkong Post, Indonesia Post, Lao Post, Malaysia Post, New Zealand Post, Samoa Post, Singapore Post, Solomon Islands Post, Thailand Post, United States Postal Service and Viet Nam Post. Some non-postal DMAB members as well as some regional companies and direct marketing associations also sent representatives. The seminar was organized in association with the Asian-Pacific Postal Union (APPU) and the Asia Pacific Post Cooperative (APP). The event preceded the annual forum of the Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA), which some seminar participants also attended. ADMA was also a supporter of the DMAB seminar. The presentations from this seminar were sent to all DMAB members and some are posted on our website at
www.upu.int/dmab/en/best_practices_and_information_resources.shtml.
5 Over the last few years we have organized a number of such regional seminars and workshops in different parts of the world, for example New Delhi, Beijing, Dakar, Tehran, Moscow, Tunisand Abidjan. During the 2009—2012 cycle, the DMAB will continue to promote these events. Participation is also by invitation only.
6 Apart from organizing its own seminars, the DMAB also supports other regional events, such as the recent Regional Commonwealth for Communications (RCC) seminar in Yerevan, Armenia, which was held in June. On behalf of the UPU-DMAB, I gave two presentations: "The postal industry: present achievements and development trends" and "Direct Mail as an instrument of postal business development". The seminar was attended by participants from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Russian Federation, Uzbekistanand Ukraine, as well as the RCC Executive Committee, Finland, Franceand Great Britain.
7 The DMAB also supported PostEurop, the Association of European Postal Operators, which held its 2008 Customer Forum on 30 April during London's International Direct Marketing Fair. There, we presented the results of the DMAB survey on direct mail products and services, which were of interest to both postal and industry participants. PostEurop (www.posteurop.org) usually holds the Customer Forum twice a year for member postal operators and invited guests.
8 Another Asian-Pacific PostalCollegecourse on "Direct Mail and Advanced Marketing" was also held in June and July. Our contribution consisted of a series of classes on direct mail tools, as well as on the role of postal operators in this market. We also held a short workshop with course participants, allowing them to apply the knowledge to their own context. Participants were postal professionals from Afghanistan, Brunei, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Korea(Rep.), Laos, Macao(China), Maldives, Philippines, Thailandand Viet Nam. The Asian-PacificPostalCollege(www.appu-bureau.org) promotes annual courses on the subject for postal operators in the region.
9 The DMAB survey on direct mail products and services has been updated on the UPU website with the 2008 results. We have posted the responses from 141 postal operators at regional aggregated level, plus country-by-country responses. This survey helps monitor the progress of postal operators, allowing analysis and the identification of certain trends in the postal industry. It has a glossary of direct mail terms related to postal products and services and can be found at www.upu.int/dmab/en/survey_on_direct_mail_products_and_services.shtml.
10 Early this year, Brazil Post launched a new initiative to increase the use of direct mail: with local elections being held in October, it set up a website especially for candidates, explaining the benefits of using mail to reach voters. There were no changes in the direct mail product, but it was well positioned for another use. See www.correios.com.br/hotsites/candidato/index.html (in Portuguese) or for more information contact Victor Camara at victorc@correios.com.br.
11 Swiss Post has published a new edition of the practical guide "DirectFacts 2008/09", with essential facts and information on direct marketing and data on the Swiss market. The booklet can be ordered in French and German at www.poste.ch/directpoint, under "Savoir" and then "Publications". This is one of several Swiss Post publications which educate its customers and foster the use of mail for advertising purposes.
12 Australia Post has just released its 2007—2008 Annual Report, which shows another year of solid performance in letter volumes and revenue, at a time when many postal operators around the world have experienced declines in letter volumes. One of the major factors that contributed to letter volume growth was the promotional (direct) mail category: a 9.4% increase in the last year, on top of an already strong growth of 8% in revenues and volumes the year before (2006—2007). The annual report can be found at www.auspost.com.au/annualreport2008/ (English only).
13 The Belgian Post also reported a rise of volumes in its direct mail segment, countering the decline in the "daily mail" category (standard letters).
www.post.be/site/fr/postgroup/press/releases/2008/20080829_results.html (in French).
14 For new readers of this update, and for long-term subscribers who have missed any issues, previous DMAB updates are regularly posted on our website in English and French. For the English versions, visit www.upu.int/dmab/en/news.shtml.
The Direct Mail Advisory Board (DMAB) is a group of postal and industry organizations and its mission is to "foster the growth of direct mail as a factor of economic and market expansion by increasing market knowledge and by developing the expertise of stakeholders at all levels".
For more information, please do not hesitate to contact:
Raquel Ferrari
Programme Manager
Direct Mail Markets Development and Publishing Sector
Universal Postal Union
3015 Berne, Switzerland
Tel +41 31 350 3534
Fax +41 31 351 0266
raquel.ferrari@upu.int
http://www.upu.int