Direct Mail Makes an Impression

A recent study suggests that direct mail makes deeper and longer-lasting impressions on people’s brains than digital advertising. The study was conducted jointly by research firm Millward Brown, Bangor University and the United Kingdom’s Royal Mail. Researchers used neuroscience technology to see which areas of the brain became active when participants viewed the same marketing message as a physical piece of direct mail and digitally on a computer screen. Their findings suggest “the brain is more emotionally engaged and is potentially reflecting more on a response” when viewing direct mail, says Graham Page, executive vice president of consumer neuroscience at Millward Brown. Also, because the brain saw mail as real, deeper memories were likely being created. Click here to read the original story in “Deliver Magazine.”

50% of Post Offices to Close in 6 to 7 Years

In remarks that attracted little attention at the time, Postmaster General Pat Donahoe told attendees at the National Catalog Forum on June 21 that he expects to cut the number of post offices nearly in half by 2018. As far as the USPS being relevant in the future, Donahoe said that will be answered when mail delivery drops to five days and the enormous annual burden of $5.5 billion in prepayment to retiree health benefits is lifted.

Source: PRC

A Future Mail USPS Network

The Postal Service has evolved with the needs of a growing country for more than 230 years. A vast and complex network of processing facilities and transportation links was created to meet its universal service obligation. Today, the Postal Service has 260 Processing and Distribution Centers located throughout the country. This highly automated processing technology network provides incentives for its customers to presort the mail and drop ship it deeper into the network. As the likelihood of stagnant or decreasing mail volumes grows, there is a mismatch between the existing network capacity and user needs. Despite some recent changes, the fundamental question still remains: what should the mail processing and transportation network look like to meet future demand? To learn more, read the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently released white paper “A Strategy for a Future Mail Processing and Transportation Network.”

Improving the Mail Service Update Process

In response to recommendations from a Mailers Technical Advisory Council (MTAC) workgroup, the Postal Service is improving their Mail Service Update (MSU) process. The MSU process provides updates on occurrences such as service disruptions due to weather, diversion of drop shipments and scheduled resumption of operations. The improvement will increase the timeliness of this information by sending email notifications to subscribers whenever the USPS makes a change. The updates will be made in real time. To receive MSU notifications via email whenever they occur, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Be sure to put “Subscribe” in the subject line. Each notification you receive will provide you with an opt-out option. Even if you don’t want to receive the “pushed” email notifications you can always check Mail Service Update (MSU) website for up-to-date information.

UPS Freight Sets 6.9% Rate Increase

UPS Freight announced it was raising rates by an average 6.9%, effective August 1st. The less-than-truckload unit of UPS Inc.’s rate hike covers non-contractual shipments in the United States and Canada and applies to minimum charge, LTL rates and accessorial charges. The impact may vary on specific lanes or shipment characteristics such as weight or class, UPS said.

Source: UPS Press Release